The Rolling Stones — Exile on Main St.: How to Identify a First Pressing

• Cover: The cover image is an outtake from photographer Robert Frank's 1958 photo book 'The Americans' that was not included in the book, titled 'Tattoo Parlor', depicting a collage of circus performers/sideshow figures; the cover design is by John Van Hamersveld and Norman Seeff.
• Insert: The first pressing came with 12 tear-off postcards, using photos of the band taken by Norman Seeff.
• Cover: The gatefold's inner spread and back cover feature a collage of photos of the band and crew taken by Robert Frank, along with other unused outtakes from 'The Americans'.
• Other: Released on May 12, 1972, by Rolling Stones Records as a double album.

• The 1994 Virgin Records remastered reissue (Collector's Edition CD) tried to recreate several elements of the original vinyl packaging in its own packaging (including a miniature reproduction of the postcard insert); although this description concerns the CD edition, it shows that later reissues differ from the 1971/72 original vinyl in packaging detail. In 2010, Universal released another new remaster (an expanded edition with 10 additional tracks). Because it could not be confirmed whether all of these reissues include the complete vinyl postcard insert, the specific vinyl-edition differences are marked as unverified.

Discogs could not be accessed (403). The catalog number (e.g. COC 2-2900) does not appear in accessible sources such as Wikipedia, so a number recalled from memory was not used — it is marked as unverified throughout to avoid fabrication.

• 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.