**Pink Floyd Animals Vinyl at 50: 1977 First Pressing, Value and Best Edition** > Animals turns 50 in January 2027. How to tell a 1977 Harvest SHVL 815 or Columbia JC 34474 first pressing, what yours is worth, and remix vs remaster. Source: https://vinylai.app/guides/pink-floyd-animals-vinyl-value-guide/ · updated: 2026-10-12 [Home](https://vinylai.app/) › [Guides](https://vinylai.app/guides/) › Pink Floyd Animals Vinyl at 50: 1977 First Pressing, Value and Best Edition ![Pink Floyd Animals Vinyl at 50: 1977 First Pressing, Value and Best Edition](https://vinylai.app/images/articles/pink-floyd-animals-vinyl-value-guide/featured.png) Buying & Selling # Pink Floyd Animals Vinyl at 50: 1977 First Pressing, Value and Best Edition **Pink Floyd's Animals turns 50 on 21 January 2027.** The original came out in the UK on Harvest as **SHVL 815** and in the US on Columbia as **JC 34474**. Both were pressed in enormous numbers, so most 1977 copies are worth listening-copy money. The exceptions are early UK pressings in top condition. You can tell a UK first pressing by the dead wax (it starts at `SHVL 815 A-2U`), the thick matt gatefold with a wide spine and no barcode, and the round-cornered lyric inner sleeve. To listen, choose between the 2016 remaster of the original mix and the 2018 remix, released in 2022. By VinylAI Editorial Updated October 12, 2026 ## Key Takeaways - The UK original is Harvest SHVL 815 (21 January 1977); the US original is Columbia JC 34474. Both are common: about 25,300 Discogs users list the UK pressing and 22,200 the US one. - UK first pressings have runouts starting at A-2U/B-2U, a thick matt gatefold with a wide spine and fold-under edge, no barcode, and a round-cornered cardboard lyric inner sleeve. A 1980 reissue has the same sleeve, so check the runout (A-5 and later). - US first pressings have AL 34474 / BL 34474 runouts with a plant letter (P Pitman, T Terre Haute, S Santa Maria) and no barcode on the cover. Barcoded covers are later. - To listen: the 2016 PFRLP10 remaster (Bernie Grundman, from the original analogue tapes) keeps the 1977 mix; the 2018 remix (PFRLP28, out 16 September 2022) is a new stereo mix. ## Animals turns 50 Harvest released *Animals* in the UK on 21 January 1977. Wikipedia and Discogs give that date, though some sources, including several anniversary articles, say 23 January. Columbia followed in the US in February. It is the album with the inflatable pig between the chimneys of Battersea Power Station. It sits between *Wish You Were Here* and *The Wall*, and for years it was treated as the overlooked one. That is no longer true of its search interest: demand for **Pink Floyd Animals vinyl** has been rising through 2026 ahead of the anniversary. As of 12 October 2026, Pink Floyd had not announced a 50th-anniversary edition. The band's news page lists other catalogue projects, but nothing for *Animals*. The most recent official versions remain the 2016 remaster and the 2018 remix, released in 2022. If a new edition is announced, it will join the comparison below. This guide covers the two original pressings collectors argue about, UK Harvest and US Columbia, and how to identify each from the record in your hands. It also lists the reissues that are easy to confuse with an original, what a copy is really worth, and which edition to buy if you simply want to hear it. ## UK Harvest vs US Columbia first pressings Pink Floyd were signed to EMI's Harvest label in Britain and most of the world, and to Columbia in North America. So *Animals* has two parallel originals, made from different lacquers in different factories. | | UK original | US original | | --- | --- | --- | | Label and catalogue | Harvest SHVL 815 (EMI number 0C 064-98 434 on the back) | Columbia JC 34474 | | Released | 21 January 1977 | February 1977 | | Sleeve | Matt, thick card gatefold, wide spine, front edge sealed with a fold-under | Gatefold | | Inner sleeve | Top-opening cardboard lyric sleeve with rounded corners and a thumb cut-out | Printed cardboard lyric sleeve | | Runout, side A | `SHVL 815 A-2U` on the earliest copies | `AL 34474-2G` and similar, with a plant letter | | Barcode on cover | None | None on early copies | | Discogs users who own it | about 25,300 | about 22,200 | Which is "better" is an old argument. On the Steve Hoffman forum's long-running Animals thread, one collector wrote that a UK 3U/2U copy "sounds excellent, much better than an early US copy". Others defend US and Japanese copies. Treat that as listener opinion, not measurement. For value, the UK first pressing is the one collectors chase more, partly because the British sleeve and inner are the reference package. Both pressings sold in huge numbers, and that sets the ceiling on value for ordinary copies. Our [Pink Floyd vinyl collection guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/pink-floyd-vinyl-album-collection/) puts *Animals* in the context of the whole catalogue. ## How to identify a 1977 UK original Start with the sleeve, then confirm with the runout, because a 1980 reissue copies the sleeve almost exactly. 1. **Catalogue number:** SHVL 815 on the cover and labels. The EMI international number 0C 064-98 434 is printed, partly boxed, on the back cover. 2. **Sleeve:** a matt, thick cardboard gatefold with a wide spine, the front opening edge sealed with a fold-under, and no barcode. The printer's code `7701 TM` (Garrod & Lofthouse, January 1977) appears on the sleeve. 3. **Inner sleeve:** a top-opening cardboard sleeve printed with the lyrics, with rounded corners and a thumb cut-out along the opening edge. It is easily lost, and a copy without it is incomplete. 4. **Labels:** the custom picture labels, with label matrices `SHVL 815 A` and `SHVL 815 B`. 5. **Runout, the decider:** EMI-pressed copies stamp a matrix ending in a cut number and "U". The earliest run starts at `SHVL 815 A-2U` / `SHVL 815 B-2U`. Small letters at 3 o'clock and digits at 9 o'clock identify the stamper and mother. Discogs documents about forty runout combinations, running up to 4U and 5U. **The 1980 trap:** the UK reissue of around 1980 keeps the catalogue number SHVL 815, the same `7701` printer's code, the thick cover with fold-under and wide spine, and no barcode. Only the dead wax gives it away: `SHVL 815 A-5 HTM` and similar, with HTM for Harry Moss, who cut the later lacquers. Our [guide to runout and matrix numbers](https://vinylai.app/guides/vinyl-runout-matrix-numbers-decoded/) explains the EMI system in detail. ## How to identify a 1977 US original Columbia's *Animals* is catalogue **JC 34474**, with the label matrices `AL 34474` (side A) and `BL 34474` (side B). The early copies share these traits: - **No barcode on the cover.** Discogs notes that later pressings carry one. A 1983 Pitman reissue has `0 7464-34474-1` printed on the back. - **A printed cardboard inner sleeve with the lyrics.** Later US copies came with a black paper lyric sleeve. - **Runouts** like `AL 34474-2G` / `BL 34474-2F`, followed by a letter for the plant: `P` for Pitman, New Jersey, `T` for Terre Haute, Indiana, and `S` for Santa Maria, California. As with every major-label album of the period, the plants pressed simultaneously. None of them is "the" first pressing. - The spine of early copies is marked with the price code `X798`. Canada had its own JC 34474, pressed at CBS's Don Mills plant, with hand-etched runouts like `AL 34474-1B-2G`. If the label says JC 34474 and the cover has no barcode, you have a 1977-era North American copy. The runout tells you which plant pressed it. Our [first pressing identification guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/first-pressing-identification/) shows the same method for any Columbia album of the decade. ## Other 1977 pressings, including pink vinyl Outside Britain and North America, EMI's national companies issued *Animals* under their own numbers in 1977: - **Germany:** Harvest 1C 064-98 434, pressed by EMI Electrola, with a cardboard lyric inner sleeve. - **Netherlands:** Harvest 5C 062-98434, made by EMI-Bovema. - **France:** Harvest 2C 068-98434, pressed by Pathé Marconi at Chatou. - **Italy:** 3C 064-98434. **Spain:** 10C 066-98434. **Sweden:** 7C 064-98434. - **Japan:** CBS/Sony 25AP 340, list price ¥2,500, with an English lyric inner sleeve and a Japanese insert. On the Hoffman forum, opinions on it split sharply. The ones that interest collectors most are the **1977 limited pink vinyl pressings**. In Germany, a "Farbige Pressung, Limitierte Sonderauflage" on catalogue 1C 064-98 434 had runouts referring to the Dutch 5C 062-98434 number. In France, the pink edition carries a **Y** suffix (2C 068-98434Y) on the spine and back. It came with a large shrink sticker reading "Disque rose - Tirage limité" and lacquers cut by Jean-Claude Pellé, whose name is etched in the runout. These are period colour pressings, not modern variants, so check the runout before paying a collector's price for one. Our [coloured vinyl guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/colored-vinyl-guide/) explains how to tell a period colour pressing from a later one. ## Reissues: 1980s, 1997, the 2016 remaster and the 2022 remix Discogs lists 233 vinyl versions of *Animals*. The table below picks out the first issues by country, the two 1977 pink pressings, the reissues that look like originals, and the modern editions. The runout column shows side A. | Year | Country | Label and catalogue no. | Format | Runout (side A) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1977 | Canada | [Columbia JC 34474](https://www.discogs.com/release/3541589) | LP / Album / Don Mills Pressing | `AL 34474-1B-2G:` | | 1977 | France | [Harvest 2C 068-98434](https://www.discogs.com/release/7528509) | LP / Album / Stereo / Gatefold | `9 8 4 34- B 21 M 6 315802 1` | | 1977 | France | [Harvest 2C 068-98434Y](https://www.discogs.com/release/2111019) | LP / Album / Limited Edition / Stereo / Pink, Gatefold | `98434 A 21 M6 315801 1 Pellé` | | 1977 | Germany | [Harvest 1C 064-98 434](https://www.discogs.com/release/768254) | LP / Album / Stereo / Gatefold | `98434-A-0` | | 1977 | Germany | [Harvest 1C 064-98 434](https://www.discogs.com/release/1214184) | LP / Album / Limited Edition / Stereo / Pink, Gatefold | `5C062-98434-A1135574-4-1` | | 1977 | Japan | [CBS/Sony 25AP 340](https://www.discogs.com/release/2436741) | LP / Album / Stereo / Gatefold | `25AP 340A1 1 B 23` | | 1977 | Netherlands | [Harvest 5C 062-98434](https://www.discogs.com/release/431249) | LP / Album / Gatefold | `98434 A` | | 1977 | UK | [Harvest SHVL 815](https://www.discogs.com/release/391322) | LP / Album / Stereo / Gatefold | `SHVL 815 A-2U GHP 8` | | 1977 | US | [Columbia JC 34474](https://www.discogs.com/release/495664) | LP / Album / Stereo / 1st Press, Gatefold | `AL 34474-2G` | | 1977 | US | [Columbia JC 34474](https://www.discogs.com/release/6803674) | LP / Album / Stereo / Terre Haute Pressing, Gatefold, | `AL 34474-2E 1 T o 10` | | 1980 | UK | [Harvest SHVL 815](https://www.discogs.com/release/8886397) | LP / Album / Reissue / Gatefold | `SHVL 815 A-5 HTM` | | 1983 | US | [Columbia JC 34474](https://www.discogs.com/release/8147225) | LP / Album / Reissue / Pitman Pressing, Gatefold | `P (HXPY) AL-34474-G2D` | | 2016 | Europe | [Pink Floyd Records PFRLP10](https://www.discogs.com/release/9359985) | LP / Album / Reissue / Remastered / Stereo / 180g, Gatefold | `BG 0190295996963-A 17203 1A` | | 2016 | US | [Pink Floyd Records PFRLP10](https://www.discogs.com/release/9431705) | LP / Album / Reissue / Remastered / Stereo / Gatefold, 180 Gram, "17203" | `88875184271-A BG H2 17203 2A` | | 2022 | Europe | [Pink Floyd Records PFRLP28](https://www.discogs.com/release/24512732) | LP / Album / Reissue / Stereo / Gatefold, 180g | `0190295600532-A BG 24762 5A` | | 2022 | Europe | [Pink Floyd Records PFR28D](https://www.discogs.com/release/24735206) | LP / Album / Reissue / Stereo | `24762 5A BG ▽ 0190295600550 A` | | 2025 | Worldwide | [Columbia 88875184271](https://www.discogs.com/release/33601785) | LP / Album / Reissue / Remastered / Stereo / Gatefold, 180 Gram | `17827 5A BG LI ▽ 88875184271-A C` | Source: Discogs database, checked 2026-10-12. 17 of 233 vinyl releases of this title are shown, oldest first. Reading the table: the **1980 UK** and **1983 US** rows are the reissues most often sold as originals. Check their runouts against the earliest UK and US rows. In **1997** EMI issued a remastered limited-edition LP, catalogue EMD 1116. The two modern editions answer different questions: - **2016 remaster, PFRLP10.** 180g, remastered from the original analogue tapes by Bernie Grundman with James Guthrie and Joel Plante, and pressed at Record Industry in the Netherlands. It keeps the **1977 mix**. A 2025 Columbia/Sony pressing, 88875184271, comes from the same remaster. - **2018 remix, PFRLP28.** Released on 16 September 2022 with a 28-page booklet. It is a **new stereo mix**, and the cover was re-photographed. The Deluxe box, PFR28D (7 October 2022), adds a Blu-ray and DVD with the first 5.1 mix of the album and the 1977 original stereo mix in high resolution. ## What your copy is worth Most 1977 copies of *Animals* are common records. About 25,300 Discogs users list the UK SHVL 815 original and about 22,200 the US JC 34474, and those are only the copies someone bothered to catalogue. As a rule of thumb, a played copy of either sells for listening-copy money, often less than a new 180g reissue. The marketplace has plenty of alternatives. What lifts a copy above that: - **An early UK stamper in top condition.** This is the documented high end. A UK copy described as mint, with the A-2U matrix and the wide spine, sold for **£706** on eBay on 25 February 2012, according to the Popsike archive. That is an outlier for an exceptional copy, not what a typical copy fetches. - **Completeness.** The lyric inner sleeve is part of the record. Without it, a UK or US original is incomplete. - **The 1977 pink vinyl pressings** from Germany and France, which are scarcer than the black ones. - **Condition, above all.** *Animals* is long tracks with quiet passages, where surface noise is obvious. Grade honestly with our [vinyl grading guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/vinyl-grading-guide/). A copy is not worth more just because it is "from 1977" or because the plant letter is P rather than T. To see what copies are being offered for today, look at our market card: [Pink Floyd – Animals (UK Harvest SHVL 815) on VinylAI Market](https://vinylai.app/market/pink-floyd-animals-391322/). ## Best pressing to listen to Decide first which mix you want, then which copy. | If you want… | Buy | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | The 1977 mix on a new record | 2016 remaster, PFRLP10 (or the 2025 pressing 88875184271) | Remastered from the original analogue tapes by Bernie Grundman, 180g, easy to find new. | | The new mix | 2018 remix, PFRLP28 | A fresh stereo mix released in 2022. Get the PFR28D box if you also want 5.1. | | The original record | A clean UK SHVL 815 with early runouts, or a clean US JC 34474 | The original lacquers. Condition matters more than country. | | A collector piece | An early UK copy, complete and near mint, or a 1977 pink pressing | The copies that actually command a premium. | On the Hoffman forum, opinions on which original sounds best go both ways, and the Japanese pressing divides people most. If you are buying second-hand, buy condition first and country second. A quiet US copy beats a noisy UK one every time you play it. Not sure what you have? Photograph the label and the VinylAI app identifies the exact pressing, from SHVL 815 to PFRLP28, and adds it to your collection. ## Related guides - [What Makes a Vinyl Record Valuable — and Which Ones Are Worth Most](https://vinylai.app/guides/most-valuable-vinyl-records/) - [Steely Dan Aja on Vinyl at 50: Every Pressing Compared, Best Sounding and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/steely-dan-aja-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Michael Jackson Bad Vinyl at 40: 1987 Original, Value and Which Pressing to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/michael-jackson-bad-vinyl-value-guide/) - [OK Computer Vinyl at 30: 1997 First Pressing vs Reissues, Value and OKNOTOK](https://vinylai.app/guides/ok-computer-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Hotel California Vinyl at 50: First Pressing, Value and Which Edition to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/hotel-california-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Back in Black Vinyl Value Guide: How to Spot a 1980 Original and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/back-in-black-vinyl-value-guide/) Find vinyl for sale on VinylAI Market - [Browse Rock vinyl for sale →](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/rock/) - [Browse Pop vinyl for sale →](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/pop/) - [Browse Electronic vinyl for sale →](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/electronic/) Table of Contents - Animals turns 50 - UK Harvest vs US Columbia first pressings - How to identify a 1977 UK original - How to identify a 1977 US original - Other 1977 pressings, including pink vinyl - Reissues: 1980s, 1997, the 2016 remaster and the 2022 remix - What your copy is worth - Best pressing to listen to Related Articles - [What Makes a Vinyl Record Valuable — and Which Ones Are Worth Most](https://vinylai.app/guides/most-valuable-vinyl-records/) - [Steely Dan Aja on Vinyl at 50: Every Pressing Compared, Best Sounding and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/steely-dan-aja-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Michael Jackson Bad Vinyl at 40: 1987 Original, Value and Which Pressing to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/michael-jackson-bad-vinyl-value-guide/) - [OK Computer Vinyl at 30: 1997 First Pressing vs Reissues, Value and OKNOTOK](https://vinylai.app/guides/ok-computer-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Hotel California Vinyl at 50: First Pressing, Value and Which Edition to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/hotel-california-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Back in Black Vinyl Value Guide: How to Spot a 1980 Original and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/back-in-black-vinyl-value-guide/) Vinyl Marketplace - [Rock vinyl for sale](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/rock/) - [Pop vinyl for sale](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/pop/) - [Electronic vinyl for sale](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/electronic/) Download VinylAI Scan barcodes, find stores, track your collection. [Get the App](https://vinylai.app/download/) Free on iOS and Android ## FAQ: pink floyd animals vinyl Is there an original Pink Floyd vinyl album titled "Animals"? Yes. *Animals* is Pink Floyd's tenth studio album, released on vinyl on 21 January 1977 in the UK on Harvest (SHVL 815) and in February 1977 in the US on Columbia (JC 34474). Both originals came in a gatefold with a printed lyric inner sleeve. It has been reissued many times since, most recently as the 2016 remaster (PFRLP10) and the 2018 remix released in 2022 (PFRLP28). What is Pink Floyd's most valuable vinyl record? Among the studio albums, the usual answer is the 1967 UK mono first pressing of *The Piper at the Gates of Dawn* (Columbia SX 6157). A collector-press roundup published in December 2025 said early UK mono copies "can sell for several thousand dollars", and a UK dealer says mint copies reach £1,000 and more. Acetates and test pressings can be rarer still, but they seldom sell in public. Ordinary 1970s copies, *Animals* included, are common. What is the rarest Pink Floyd album? For commercially released albums, collectors point to the early UK pressings of the 1960s, above all the first UK mono pressing of *The Piper at the Gates of Dawn*, which is hard to find complete and in top condition. Among 1970s titles, limited colour pressings such as the 1977 pink *Animals* issued in Germany and France are scarcer than the standard black vinyl. Promotional items and test pressings are rarer than any retail album. Is Pink Floyd vinyl worth anything? Some of it is. Early UK pressings of the 1960s albums, complete first pressings in top condition, and limited editions can be worth real money. Most 1970s Pink Floyd LPs were pressed in millions, though, and a played copy of *Animals*, *Wish You Were Here* or *The Dark Side of the Moon* is usually worth listening-copy money. Condition, completeness and the exact pressing, read from the runout, decide the rest. How can I tell if my Animals vinyl is a first pressing? For a UK copy, check the runout. The earliest EMI pressings read SHVL 815 A-2U and B-2U, while a 1980 reissue with the same sleeve reads A-5 or later, with HTM for cutter Harry Moss. For a US copy, look for JC 34474 with AL/BL 34474 runouts and a plant letter (P, T or S), and no barcode on the cover. A complete copy also has its printed lyric inner sleeve. Should I buy the Animals 2018 remix or the 2016 remaster? Buy the 2016 remaster (PFRLP10) if you want the original 1977 mix on new vinyl. Bernie Grundman remastered it from the analogue tapes. Buy the 2018 remix (PFRLP28, released 16 September 2022) if you want a new stereo mix and the re-photographed cover. The PFR28D deluxe box adds 5.1 and the original stereo mix on Blu-ray and DVD, so it covers both. ## Get the VinylAI App Scan barcodes, find stores, track your collection, and connect with vinyl lovers worldwide. [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6755653864?pt=127157325&ct=vinylaiseo_cta&mt=8&utm_source=vinylai_website&utm_medium=cta_section&utm_campaign=organic) [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vastflow.vinylai&utm_source=vinylai_website&utm_medium=cta_section&utm_campaign=organic) Free on iOS & Android. No account required. Table of Contents - Animals turns 50 - UK Harvest vs US Columbia first pressings - How to identify a 1977 UK original - How to identify a 1977 US original - Other 1977 pressings, including pink vinyl - Reissues: 1980s, 1997, the 2016 remaster and the 2022 remix - What your copy is worth - Best pressing to listen to --- HTML version: https://vinylai.app/guides/pink-floyd-animals-vinyl-value-guide/ Structured data for this site: https://vinylai.app/api/v1/openapi.json · https://vinylai.app/llms.txt Free to quote and reuse with a link back to the source URL above (CC BY 4.0).