For many people, vinyl records are just old forms of music that your parents have stored up in the attic. What you might not realize, however, is that some of these old records can be worth quite a lot. So what records should you look for in your collection to make some cash?
The most expensive vinyl record ever made is Once Upon a Time in Shaolin by Wu-Tang Clan, which was sold for $2 million in 2015, and only one copy was made. Most extremely expensive vinyl records are rare vintages, however, with unique details like handwritten song titles and low serial numbers.
This article will look at fifteen of the most expensive records in the world, including how much they are valued at or sold for, and exploring what exactly makes them so valuable.
What Makes a Vinyl Record Expensive?
Believe it or not, vinyl records have been sold for millions of dollars. Considering they weren’t particularly expensive during their heydey and continue to be relatively affordable during their current resurgence, this might seem unrealistic. After all, vinyl records aren’t made of particularly expensive materials.
However, it turns out that the price of a record is completely dependent on scarcity, condition, and how much the buyer wants it, explains Paste Magazine.
Many highly-valued records command such a high asking price because they’re simply incredibly difficult to get your hands on. These include records produced in small quantities, rare early records from bands that later became popular, and records with controversial cover art that were quickly pulled from the market. Little details also make a difference, like serial numbers or handwritten notes.
Although not rare, mint condition records of incredibly popular albums and singles are extremely valuable as well. Of course, some vinyl records are incredibly expensive for no real discernible reason. Record collectors and authoritative sites often can’t fully explain why a specific record has become such a hot commodity.
Ultimately, a record is only as valuable as what someone is willing to pay for it, so some strange titles may go for large sums of money.
This list is by no means exhaustive. Vinyl collectors debate about the true value of different records, so it’s difficult to get a definitive answer on what these records are worth. Nonetheless, let’s take a closer look at some of the most expensive records in the world.
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin – Wu-Tang Clan
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin holds the title of the most expensive album – or work of music for that matter – ever sold. The pioneering hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan recorded it in secret over six years, pressing only a single copy. When the album was auctioned off in 2015, it came with a contract stipulating that the buyer cannot sell or make any money from the album until 2103, although it can be released to the public for free.
The album was created as a work of art to comment on the cheapening of music through streaming services and piracy. It comes in a jewel-encrusted box with leather-bound liner notes and a Wu-Tang Clan seal. When the album was shipped to New York City for its auction, it was detained at JFK Airport for hours while security tried to figure out what exactly it was. Shortly after, Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli placed a winning bid of $2 million.
The real controversy begins here, however, because Shkreli is a bit of a pariah, having raised prices on an anti-HIV drug over 5,000%. Wu-Tang Clan fans were horrified that the album had ended up in Shkreli’s hands, especially after he said he considered destroying it in an interview. Shkreli was soon sentenced to twenty years in federal prison in a shocking twist, and much of his property was seized.
As far as we know, explains HMV, the government still has the record (source).
The White Album – The Beatles
While this album makes this list because of one specific copy, but really, any copy of the first UK pressing of The White Album is worth a pretty penny. However, there are massive debates online about its value, but according to Louder Sound, you’re looking at a range of $1000 to $24,000. Serial numbers make a big difference with this album, as the lower the number, the more it’s worth.
The Beatles themselves owned the first four copies of the album. Ringo Starr specifically got a copy 0000001, which he kept in a bank vault for over 35 years. In 2015, however, he auctioned it off for his charity, Lotus Foundation. While estimates placed the value at around $200,000, it fetched $790,000 at the auction. Whether it was an especially passionate collector or just someone wanting to contribute to charity, it’s certainly an eye-watering amount of money.
If you don’t have an extra couple of hundreds of thousands to spare, you can still get your hands on this album on vinyl. Amazon.com offers a reasonably-priced two-disc version of The White Album (link to Amazon), with remastered sound guided by the album’s original session tapes.
That’ll Be the Day/in Spite of All the Danger – The Quarrymen
If you’re not familiar with this band, don’t worry; most people aren’t. Yet somehow, their 1958 demo recording of an original song titled “In Spite of All the Danger” and a cover of Buddy Holly’s song “That’ll Be The Day” is valued at $345,000. A single copy of this record exists and is privately owned. As far as we know, there are no plans to make the record available to the public.
The Quarrymen is one of the earliest forms of The Beatles, consisting of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison. They were also joined by Colin Hanton on drums and John Lowe on the piano. “In Spite of all the Danger” was written by McCartney and Harrison and is one of their earliest collaborations. John Lowe owned the sole copy of this record until 1981, when McCartney purchased it for an undisclosed amount.
The fact that this album is not even officially by The Beatles should be an indication of how people feel about the band. Records by the Fab Four are some of the most coveted in the world, with collectors devoting their lives to owning a tiny piece of the band that changed music forever.
My Happiness – Elvis Presley
The story of My Happiness by Elvis Presley is actually also a story of Jack White, best-known for his band The White Stripes. White is a huge vinyl collector, especially of low-fi recordings. When the opportunity to purchase one of The King’s earliest-known pressings recorded at the famous Sun Studios in Memphis before Presley was a sensation came up, White jumped at the chance. He purchased the record without fanfare for $300,000 in January 2015.
While the story would end there for many other collectors, White decided to use his purchase for the good of all, detailed Digital Trends. Through his label, Third Man, White released a limited edition facsimile of this early Presley recording. Since Third Man specializes in unique pieces of vinyl and vintage recording techniques, White made sure to release a version of My Happiness that was accurate to the original.
White preserved all the scratches and pops on the record, so listeners feel like they’re listening to the record pressed in Memphis all those years ago. Going a step further, White even sold the record with a brown paper bag for a sleeve to make it authentic to how Presley likely carried his copy out of the studio.
Double Fantasy – John Lennon and Yoko Ono
This rare vinyl probably has the saddest backstory on this list. Double Fantasy is John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s fifth album together, released only a month before John’s death. Different sources offer different values for this record, with Readers Digest UK placing it at over $480,000 (source). However, this value only applies to one signed copy of this record, which sold in 1999 for $150,000.
This particular copy of Double Fantasy is so valuable because it is likely the last record Lennon ever signed. On December 8, 1980, Mark David Chapman got Lennon to sign this album outside his New York City apartment. Only five hours later, Chapman returned and shot Lennon, killing the former member of the Beatles. This particular copy of the album not only has Lennon’s last autograph but also still has Chapman’s fingerprints on it.
This chilling backstory serves as an example that records represent more than just the music contained on them. They’re truly a part of history, no matter how grim it may be, and collectors are willing to pay heavily for the privilege to have a part of it.
Yesterday & Today – The Beatles
Surely by now, it’s become clear that Beatles albums are some of the most valuable in the world. Yesterday & Today is no exception, although the reason it has become so valuable is pretty funny. This compilation album was released in 1966, exclusively in North America and Japan, making it relatively rare. However, the album became even more valuable when a controversy with the cover art led the original version to be recalled.
On the original cover art for this album, John, Paul, George, and Ringo are shown wearing lab coats and posing with dismembered doll parts, and pieces of raw meat draped all over them. We will probably never know the reason for this very strange photo, especially as the album art for a compilation album. Nonetheless, it makes sense why it would need to be replaced. The second version that was released instead showed the Fab Four posing on a suitcase.
Although the record company recalled the albums with the controversial cover, some were still purchased before. These copies are now incredibly sought after, with a mint edition copy of the album selling for $125,000 at a 2013 auction.
Till There Was You – The Beatles
This lesser-known Beatles record is a great example of how tiny details make all the difference to vinyl collectors. Considered the ultimate collector’s items for Beatles fans, “Till There Was You,” along with the B-side track “Hello Little Girl,” is a ten-inch acetate that was recorded by the Fab Four as a demo for EMI. EMI was clearly impressed, and the record is now known as the one that launched the band’s career.
The vinyl features handwritten notes from the band’s manager, Brian Epstein, where the band is listed as both “John Lennon & The Beatles” and “Paul McCartney & The Beatles.” The song titles are also written out in Epstein’s handwriting, with “Hello Little Girl” charmingly misspelled as “Hullo.” Details like this add a personal touch to the record that reminds you of just how early on in the career of these superstars this album was recorded.
The record was found in the attic of Liverpool resident and musician Les Maguire, who ran in the same circles as The Beatles and somehow took possession of the demo. In 2016, it was sold to an unnamed buyer for £77,500, roughly $106,000. It’s crazy to think that without this record, the world might have never gotten to know The Beatles.
Caustic Window – Aphex Twin
While most of the records on this list are truly vintage, Caustic Window was recorded in the mid-90s and planned to be released in 1996. For some reason, however, Aphex Twin (real name: Richard D. James) decided not to release the album. A few test pressings were produced before he came to this decision, however, but nothing came of it for many years.
In 2014, one of these test pressings surfaced and was put up for sale. In a very modern twist, fans came together to buy the album via a Kickstarter campaign. It was then distributed digitally and received quite a bit of critical praise. Despite being recorded in the 1990s, James seemed to have produced a thoroughly modern electronic dance album. While it may not have been right at the time, it certainly landed in 2014.
To make this story even more modern, the original vinyl was later sold on eBay to the creator of the videogame Minecraft, Markus Persson. Persson is a notorious big spender and accordingly dropped $46,000 to own the only known copy of this incredibly rare album. It’s unclear what the actual value of the record was before Persson bought it, but his willingness to spend so much has made this record famous.
The Black Album – Prince
The Black Album is Prince’s sixteenth album and was intended to bring Prince back to his funk roots after becoming more and more pop-oriented in recent years. It was named for its aesthetic, an all-black sleeve with no title or artwork anywhere in sight. Just weeks before the album was supposed to be released in 1994.
However, Prince changed his mind. He had become convinced the record was evil, explains Business Insider, and wanted it destroyed (source).
Apparently, Prince experienced a spiritual epiphany and decided that the album was dangerous to release to the public, having been influenced by a creepy entity named Spook Electric. He had all copies taken off the market and destroyed, but early promotional copies were given out to radio stations still existed. The album quickly became one of the world’s most bootlegged albums.
Although you’ll find different prices for copies of the album in different places, in April 2016, an original promo copy was sold for $15,000. A year later, five more press copies in pristine condition were discovered in Canada, one of which sold for a jaw-dropping $42,298.
Alcohol and Jake Blues – Tommy Johnson
Although perhaps not a household name, Tommy Johnson was one of the most popular Delta Blues singers during the 1920s and 1930s. Alcohol and Jake Blues was released in 1930 with Paramount Records and was the last time that Johnson ever recorded, believing he’d signed away his rights to do so. It’s unknown whether or not Paramount had a hand in this misunderstanding, but it helped to make copies of this album extremely rare.
There are only two copies of this record in the world, and, interestingly, the same man owns both. In 2013, John Tefteller purchased the second copy of Alcohol and Jake Blues for $37,100 on eBay. He explained that he purchased the second copy because it was in better condition than the copy he already owned.
All of Johnson’s records with Paramount are extremely valuable, according to Vinyl of the Day, so if you ever stumble across one, hold on to it (source).
’Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) – Frank Wilson
This record is another great example of how scarcity drives up the price of an album, despite the popularity of the original song. In 2009, a rare 45-rpm copy of this track sold for $37,000 to an unknown buyer in the UK. The song was recorded by American soul singer and Motown producer Frank Wilson, who wrote hits for superstars like Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and The Supremes. Despite this, his name is relatively unrecognizable to the general public.
So why is this rare vinyl worth so much? Wilson recorded this track seemingly on a whim, deciding to try his hand at performing instead of producing. Two hundred fifty (250) demos were pressed, but soon after, Wilson decided that he’d rather focus on producing and had the records destroyed.
Rumor has it that this decision was likely influenced by Wilson’s boss at Motown, Berry Gordon. Supposedly, Gordon did not want his star producer to be distracted by a recording career. Whether that’s true or not, when the records were destroyed, some of them slipped through the cracks. The exact amount of copies left is not known, but various sources put it at around five.
Only two are known about; however – the one sold in 2009 and one that Gordy supposedly owns himself. Wilson eventually left Motown and became a minister, leaving “‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” even more valuable, as he never recorded for the label again.
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan
Most Bob Dylan fans are probably familiar with his popular 1963 album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Although it’s a relatively popular album that’s likely in the collection of at least one person you know, certain copies of this album can be worth up to $35,000. So what exactly sets these copies apart? Funnily enough, we can attribute the high value of some of these albums to an error at Columbia Records.
When Columbia Records initially released this album, they erroneously included four songs that were not intended for release. While they quickly recalled the albums when they realized their error, a small number got out, explains Work and Money. These versions include rare versions of “Gamblin’ Willies’ Dead Man’s Head,” “Talkin’ John Birch Blues,” “Rocks and Gravel,” and “Let Me Die in My Footsteps.”
The popularity of this record speaks to another overall truth in vinyl collecting – anything different makes a record valuable. Although the inclusion of those extra songs technically makes the record “incorrect,” collectors enjoy getting their hands on items like these because they’re unique and unlikely to be owned by many people.
The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico
Although this rare record is one of the most valuable in the world, it was once sold along with two other records for just 75 cents at a New York City yard sale. When Canadian record collector Warren Hill inspected his latest purchase, however, he realized that the vinyl was different from the common version of the album with Andy Warhol’s iconic banana cover. This version was in a plain brown sleeve and featured handwritten labels.
What Hill had actually purchased was one of the acetate test pressings made of the album in 1966 that contained earlier versions of popular songs like “Heroin” and different mixes that wouldn’t appear on the final cut of the album. Even cooler? When this album was recorded, Andy Warhol was the band’s manager, so it’s likely he played a role in getting that exact record into someone’s hands.
As far as we know, only one other copy of this album exists and belongs to the Velvet Underground’s drummer, Moe Tucker. With an original purchase price of 75 cents, Hill was bound to get an incredible return on investment when he placed the album for sale on eBay. We can assume he wasn’t disappointed when it sold for $25,200.
Street Fighting Man/No Expectations – The Rolling Stones
This rare vinyl is another example of how controversial cover art can create highly valuable collectors’ records. The Rolling Stones released this record in 1968 without a second thought about the cover art, which featured black and white photos of police stomping on a protestor at a political riot that had broken out earlier that year in the United States.
While the cover wasn’t tame by any means, the Stones were a rock and roll band and didn’t see a serious problem.
Unfortunately for the band, further political unrest made the cover seem in poor taste. The same month that the album was released, August 1968, the infamous Chicago Democratic National Convention erupted into a violent, bloody riot. There was a heavy police presence and reports of brutality, making the cover of “Street Fighting Man” look rather insensitive.
The Rolling Stone’s label decided to pull the album from shelves and destroy all copies with this cover.
Of course, they were not able to destroy every copy. Work and Money estimate that around eighteen copies made their way into the world. One of these copies sold at a 2011 auction for a whopping $17,000.
God Save the Queen/No Feeling – The Sex Pistols
The story of this rare vinyl is as punk rock as the band that recorded it. In March of 1977, the Sex Pistols signed with popular UK record label A&M Records and quickly recorded their version of “God Save The Queen,” with “No Feeling” on the B-side. The story of this record gets interesting, however, because A&M Records broke the contract with the band only six days after signing them, ordering all 25,000 copies of the record to be destroyed.
It turns out the Sex Pistols were not exactly ideal clients. Bassist and vocalist Sid Vicious smashed up a toilet, cutting his foot and getting blood all over the label’s corporate office, and Johnny Rotten was extremely rude to the office staff. While this seems to make sense for a punk rock band, A&M simply was not having it. “God Save The Queen” was eventually released later in the year with Virgin Records, but it contained a different B-side.
Luckily for collectors, a few records escaped A&M’s cull. It’s unclear exactly how many survived, although Digital Trends puts it at nine, the amount is small enough that the remaining copies are extremely valuable. Sources estimate these original albums to be worth between $10,000 and $20,000. Overall, it’s quite a fitting story for one of the most iconic punk bands of all time.
Final Thoughts
Although the prices may seem wild, vinyl collectors are willing to invest serious amounts of money into rare albums. Prices are driven up by scarcity, with little details like handwritten notes and serial numbers making all the difference.
While records like Once Upon a Time in Shaolin were designed to bring in lots of money and controversy, most of the artists on this list could never have imagined single copies of their albums would sell for so much.
As with all industries, supply and demand are the greatest factors in the pricing of these rare records.