Which Rolling Stones albums are faked most
The targets combine high value with famously complex packaging.
- Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones COC 59100, 1971) — the Andy Warhol working-zip gatefold is the prime target.
- Exile on Main St (Rolling Stones COC 69100, 1972) — the gatefold with twelve postcards is reproduced.
- Let It Bleed (Decca SKL 5025, 1969) — the gatefold and poster are faked.
- Beggars Banquet (Decca SKL 4955, 1968) — the withdrawn 'toilet wall' cover is the most valuable and most copied variant.
Decca and London label details to check
Early Stones on UK Decca used the red-and-silver 'unboxed' and later 'boxed' Decca designs, while US copies appeared on London. The exact label generation must match the catalogue number and the year. Counterfeit Decca labels often use the wrong shade of red, mis-set the silver text, or carry credits from a later reissue. Check the 'Made in England' rim text, the publishing credits and the catalogue layout for accuracy.
On Rolling Stones Records-era titles, the famous tongue-and-lips logo and the Atlantic/WEA distribution credits must be correct for the pressing. Fakes frequently get the logo colour, the rim text or the catalogue format wrong, or pair a first-pressing sleeve with a later-pressing label. Always confirm the label variant matches the documented original for that catalogue number.
The Sticky Fingers zip and insert differences
The original Sticky Fingers gatefold has a real, working metal zip designed by Andy Warhol's studio, opening to reveal printed underwear. Genuine first pressings have a specific zip type and the inner sleeve printing characteristic of 1971 production. Counterfeits often use a cheaper modern zip, a zip that sits at the wrong position, or a non-functional decorative zip; the underwear printing and board quality are also frequently off.
Exile on Main St originally included twelve perforated postcards — fakes either omit them, supply modern reprints on the wrong paper, or include the wrong number. Let It Bleed's poster and Beggars Banquet's withdrawn toilet-wall gatefold are similarly targeted; the genuine toilet cover has period-correct printing and board, while reproductions show pixelation, thin stock and incorrect colour. The completeness and quality of inserts is one of the fastest Stones authenticity checks.
Matrix numbers and dead-wax tells
Genuine UK Decca pressings carry matrix numbers in the dead wax derived from the catalogue, for example SKL 5025 family codes for Let It Bleed, often with tax-code letters and stamper information. Many UK pressings also carry cutting-engineer etchings. Rolling Stones Records titles such as Sticky Fingers (COC 59100) and Exile (COC 69100) show their own matrix families with stamper details.
Counterfeits typically show matrix numbers that are too clean, in the wrong font or depth, or that don't correspond to any documented first pressing. A photographically reproduced run-out looks soft or printed rather than crisply incised. Always cross-reference the full matrix and any etchings against documented run-out photographs for the exact pressing you believe you have.
Current market value of genuine pressings
A clean working-zip Sticky Fingers UK first pressing sells for around £40-£120, with mint copies and certain variants higher. A complete Exile on Main St with all twelve postcards runs £40-£100, Let It Bleed with poster £40-£100, and a standard Beggars Banquet £30-£80. The genuine withdrawn toilet-wall Beggars Banquet, however, commands £400-£1,500 or more, which is why it is so heavily faked.
As always, an unusually cheap 'complete' copy, a withdrawn variant offered without strong evidence, or a sealed copy at a bargain price should be treated with suspicion. The packaging premium is exactly what counterfeiters target.