Whether you’re a vinyl virgin or seasoned collector, bagging a bargain is always one of the joys of entering the vinyl-verse. But what happens when we venture into the big boy’s game and start paying serious bucks for vinyl? Let’s take a peek at some of the priciest vinyl that you will probably never get your hands on…
The Beatles - The White Album: $790,000
We are kicking off our list with a classic and certainly not a cheap one. Members of The Beatles and executives of the band received special, serial-numbered versions of the White Album when first released.
They are all extremely rare and valuable, but the record numbered 0000001 is in fact the rarest of the bunch. Originally owned by Ringo Starr, this record was sold at auction for a whopping $790,000 in 2015.
Bob Dylan - The Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan: $35,000
Bob Dylan is easily one of the most iconic and influential artists of all time and the original U.S only pressing of his second studio album The Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan is worth some serious cash.
This pressing features four songs that weren’t initially intended for release and should you happen to stumble across this prized piece you could flog it for at least $35,000.
What happens when we venture into the big boy’s game and start paying serious bucks for vinyl?
Elvis Presley - 'My Happiness': $300,000
In 2015, well-known rock and roller Jack White (The White Stripes and Raconteurs) quietly purchased the one-off pressing of Elvis’ 'My Happiness' for $300,000.
As opposed to being selfish with this rare gem, White had the record professionally reproduced and released it especially for Record Store Day.
The Quarrymen - 'That’ll Be The Day/In Spite of Anger': $250,000
This 78-rpm acetate of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s pre-Beatles band, The Quarrymen, playing 'That’ll Be The Day' and 'In Spite of Anger' is completely one of a kind.
Record Collector Magazine valued this gem at $250,000. The original copy lives proudly in McCartney’s personal record collection.
The original 'That’ll Be The Day' lives proudly in McCartney’s personal record collection.
Aphex Twin - Caustic Window: $46,000
One of five extremely rare test pressings of Aphex Twin's early abandoned 90’s album Caustic Window was purchased for $46,000 in 2015.
The big baller who purchased the disc was none other than Minecraft creator Markus Persson.
The Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen: $20,000
Only nine out of 25,000-run pressings of 'God Save The Queen' survived The Sex Pistols' short-lived time (6 days to be precise) at A&M Records after they were axed for their outrageous behaviour.
Talk about rock and roll! The nine pressings that survived the demolition are estimated to be worth up to $20,000.
Tommy Johnson - Alcohol and Jake Blues: $37,000
This 78-rpm blues record raked in over $37,000 at auction in 2013.
An Oregon-based record collector, John Tefteller, went all out for this super rare copy despite already owning the record but later explained that the one he purchased at auction was in much better condition than the one he already had and that it was worth every single penny.
Wu-Tang Clan - Once Upon A Time in Shaolin: $2 Million
And last but certainly by no means least is Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon A Time in Shaolin which was flogged for $2 million in 2015. The buyer of this impressively priced, one-off album was controversial Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli. Shkreli paid the asking price of $2 million to become the owner but has since been convicted for securities frauds which led to the US feds confiscating this pricey piece.
So who knows, this one of a kind could be put up for auction at some point in the future? Best get saving those pennies!
