David Bowie — The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: How to Identify a First Pressing

• Other: The original UK release's RCA Victor catalog number is SF 8287.

• Cover: The cover photo was taken on January 13, 1972, outside Ward's photography studio on Heddon Street, near Regent Street in London, shot on black-and-white film by photographer Brian Ward.
• Cover: The original photograph was black-and-white and was later hand-coloured by illustrator Terry Pastor, producing the iconic colour effect on the official released cover.

• A remaster was released in 2012 to mark the album's 40th anniversary, differing from the 1972 original vinyl in its mastering.

discogs.com returned a 403 this time and could not be accessed; the English Wikipedia entry was used instead, which explicitly gives the UK catalog number SF 8287 — one of the few albums in this batch for which a specific catalog number could be verified. The US catalog number was not verified this time.

• Read the runout (the smooth area between the last groove and the label) with the disc tilted under a lamp: matrix numbers, stamper codes and mastering initials are the strongest evidence.
• Label details change between pressing plants and years: rim text, logo style, address, "Manufactured by" wording.
• Cover printing shows the plant and era: printer credit, catalog number position, barcode presence.
• Match all three. A first-press disc in a later cover, or the reverse, is common.

Shoot the label straight on in even light, then the runout with the disc tilted so the etched text catches the light (a phone torch from the side works). Add the front and back cover, the spine, and any inner sleeve or insert. The app reads the label and cover; the runout photo is what confirms the pressing.