Counterfeit Guide

Blue Note Records — 1500 Series Jazz Pressings

BLP 1500–1599

Last updated June 4, 2026

The most counterfeited jazz label in history. Originals pressed at Plastylite in Hackensack, NJ. The definitive identifier is the ear-shaped 'P' (Plastylite logo) in the dead wax. Labels are deep blue with the Blue Note logo in white. Distributed by either Lexington Ave (earliest) or Liberty (later) address on the label.

3 Tells That Reveal a Fake

1. 1

   Dead wax Plastylite 'ear': genuine original pressings have an ear-shaped 'P' symbol hand-etched into the dead wax. This is the single most important authenticator. Its absence definitively rules out a true original pressing. Note: some later legitimate reissues also carry it — cross-reference with the label address.

2. 2

   Label address: the very earliest pressings list '767 Lexington Avenue, New York' on the label. Later 1500-series pressings show '43 West 61st Street'. Any other address marks it as a reissue. Counterfeits routinely get the address wrong or print both addresses simultaneously.

3. 3

   Van Gelder stamp: Rudy Van Gelder mastered all originals and hand-etched 'RVG' into the dead wax. This etch mark is difficult to fake convincingly — on originals it has a characteristic forward-leaning cursive style with variable pressure. Machine-stamped or photocopied 'RVG' marks found on fakes appear uniform and lack the natural line variation of hand engraving.