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The Unforgettable Fire vinyl value

The Unforgettable Fire — U2 album cover
Median ask · 1984 7 90231-1
$22
Asks start at
$12
Basis
18 eBay asks
Live eBay asks, Sep 19, 2026; sold prices usually close lower. How we price

U2 — The Unforgettable Fire: pressings we track

PressingCatalogCountryNotesAsking
1984 Island206 530-620Europe—from $29
1984 Island206 530Europe—from $29
1984 Island7 90231-1USSpecialty Pressing$14–$42
1984 Island7 90231-1USAllied pressing$14–$42
1984 Island7 90231-1US—$14–$42
1985 Island206 530-620EuropeReissuefrom $29
1992 Island206 530EuropeReissue, Sony/CBS NL Pressingfrom $29
2009 Mercury Music Group1792416EuropeReissue, Remastered$23–$42
Undated Island206 530EuropeReissuefrom $29
7 more pressings we track (no quoted eBay range)
PressingCatalogCountryNotes
1984 Island822 898-1France—
1984 IslandU25-0072UKPicture Disc, Promo, Unofficial Release
1987 PolystarR28D-2087JapanReissue
1987 PolystarR28D-2087JapanPromo, Reissue
1995 Mobile Fidelity Sound LabMFSL 1-207USLimited Edition, Numbered, Remastered
2008 Island530303-6NetherlandsUnofficial Release, 180g
2019 Mercury1792416WorldwideLimited Edition, Reissue, Burgundy, 180g

No quoted range right now (why). Scan your copy in the app for a current read.

22 pressings tracked, 16 shown · catalog of 974,753 releases, August 2026

What separates the pressings

Originals, 19844 first-year pressings (US, Europe, France); any of them is an original. Runout on the US copy starts “ST-IL-845555”.
Collector variants1987 Japan: Promo, Reissue; 1995 US: Limited Edition, Numbered, Remastered; 2019 Worldwide: Limited Edition, Reissue, Burgundy, 180g. Scarce on purpose; collectors pay for that.
JapanPressed to high standards and collected separately; a copy with the original obi strip is a different record to collectors than one without.
Reissues, 1992+2 pressings. Easy to find, priced as listening copies.

How to identify your copy

Three checks, in the order worth doing them.

  1. 1

    Match the catalog number. It is printed on the spine and the record label. Check it together with the country against the pressings table above: the same number can appear in more than one country.

  2. 2

    Read the runout. The code etched in the dead wax near the label names the exact pressing. On the 1984 US pressing it reads “ST-IL-845555” on side one and “ST-IL-845556” on side two. Trust the etching over the jacket: covers get traded around, dead wax stays put.

  3. 3

    Grade the condition. A clean copy and a worn one of the same pressing sit several grades, and several multiples, apart. Grade record and sleeve separately; see our grading guide.

Do not price the cover. A later disc in a 1984 jacket is a reissue, whatever the sleeve says: the pressing lives in the runout etching and on the label.

Questions

Which pressing of The Unforgettable Fire is worth the most?

The 1984 originals lead. Scarcer variants (the 1987 “Promo, Reissue” and the 1995 “Limited Edition, Numbered, Remastered”) can beat an ordinary early copy. After that it is all condition: the gap between near mint and VG is usually larger than the gap between pressings.

How do I tell if I have a 1984 original?

Match the catalog number on the spine and label against the table above, check the country, then read the etched code in the runout groove. On the 1984 US pressing the runout reads “ST-IL-845555”. A period jacket with a later disc inside is still a reissue.

How much is The Unforgettable Fire worth today?

Sellers ask from $12 for the pressings we track; for the 1984 7 90231-1 the median ask is $22 over 9 listings (eBay, Sep 19, 2026). Sold prices usually close lower. Scan your copy in the app for the range on your exact pressing and condition.

Not sure which pressing you have? Photograph the label and RecordScout names it, then shows a current value range for its condition.

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