The target era
The first Abba titles released on CD by Atlantic were Greatest Hits Vol 2 and Greatest Hits. Due to the lack of copyright information on the discs, it is unclear when exactly they were first released but it appears to have been during 1983.
These discs are now highly collectable but four known variations of each exist, all of which have widely differing values.
The first versions of the two discs was pressed on behalf of Atlantic by PolyGram in West Germany. Like European Polydor and Polar pressings, these early versions featured a brightly coloured coated face.
The distinctive original pressing of Greatest Hits Volume 1
The pattern used is nicknamed the “target” design because of its apparent resemblance to a practice shooting target. All early Warner label CDs pressed up by PolyGram employed variations on this design with different colours denoting different labels and different styles of music.
In the case of Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits Vol 2, the “target” is bright green with red lines, denoting a pop release on Atlantic.
All Target CDs have become incredibly collectable and tend to fetch significant prices in online auctions, although values can vary slightly depending on whether or not the CD case has a barcode or not. Copies originally packaged in a longbox don’t feature a barcode and can demand a slight premium.
Even without a barcode, the two Abba Target CDs can generally achieve up to $100 on auction sites such as eBay. That said, prospective purchasers shouldn’t get involved in frenzied bidding for these titles as they regularly appear for sale.
First issued: 1984 Reissue: 1986 Deleted: 1985 |
Abba on CD 
I’m fairly certain the two Greatest Hits CDs were released no earlier than 1984. That’s the earliest anyone I know can remember them. I don’t think I was aware of GH1 until I got it at an import store in 1986.