These desired albums are some of the most expensive vinyl records of all time.
Records are experiencing a real renaissance. This is not really recent news. Vinyl sales figures have been rising for years and are now even catching up with CD sales. But the focus is now also increasingly on older vinyl albums, which are very rare and for this reason are becoming more valuable every year.
Australian insurance company Noble Oak, together with Ian Shirley, editor of the Record Collector‘s Rare Record Price Guide, has compiled a list of the most valuable records in the world.
Explore the 10 best from this list here!
The 10 Most Valuable Vinyl Records in the World
These are the 10 most valuable vinyl records:
1. The Quarrymen – ‘That’ll Be The Day’/‘In Spite Of All The Danger’
| Format: 78 RPM
Released: 1958 Country: UK Label: Kensington Catalogue Number: None Value: $354,000 |
This record was paid for by a ski group in Liverpool in 1958. The Canteros – then with members Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison – shared the record for a while, until McCartney finally bought it from Duff Lowe in 1981.
2. The Beatles – ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’
| Format: LP
Released: 1967 Country: US Label: Capitol Catalogue Number: SMAS 2653 Value: $123,900 |
To celebrate Christmas 1967, a special cover of this Beatles LP was printed with the Capitol Records executives on the cover. Only 100 copies were made and distributed to the executives and a few lucky people.
3. Frank Wilson – ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’/‘Sweeter As The Days Go By’
| Format: 7″ Single
Released: 1965 Country: US Label: Soul Catalogue Number: S 35019 Value: $44,250 |
All promo copies of this album were destroyed on the orders of Motown’s Berry Gordy so that Wilson could concentrate on producing the music. Only three copies remain, making this album the holy grail for Northern Soul fans.
4. Darrell Banks – ‘Open The Door To Your Heart’/‘Our Love (Is In The Pocket)’
| Format: 7″ Single
Released: 1966 Country: UK Label: London Catalogue Number: HL 10070 Value: $26,550 |
Only one known copy of this disc appeared. After a small run of promotional copies was printed and distributed, the single was withdrawn after a lawsuit gave Stateside Records the right to publish it in the UK.
5. Dark – ‘Dark Round The Edges’
| Format: LP
Released: 1972 Country: UK Label: SIS Catalogue Number: SR 0102S Value: $17,700 |
This progressive rock band from Northampton celebrated their breakthrough by pressing 64 records to give away to family and friends. The twelve most valuable copies have a colour cover and a photo insert.
6. Sex Pistols – ‘God Save The Queen’/‘No Feelings’
| Format: 7″ Single
Released: 1977 Country: UK Label: A&M Catalogue Number: AMS 7284 Value: $17,700 |
Copies of this album were removed and destroyed after the Sex Pistols were expelled from the label for bad behaviour. Rumour has it that there are only 50 copies left in the world.
7. The Beatles – ‘The Beatles’ (White Album)
| Format: 2-LP
Released: 1968 Country: UK Label: Apple Catalogue Number: PMC/PCS 7067/8 Value: $17,700 |
This classic 2-LP set was produced in an elegant pop-art case designed by Richard Hamilton. A number has been stamped on the front of each copy and any copy numbered below 100 is very valuable, regardless of its condition.
8. Junior McCants – ‘Try Me For Your New Love’/‘She Wrote It I Read It’
| Format: 7″ Single
Released: 1967 Country: US Label: King Catalogue Number: 45 6106 Value: $15,930 |
There are only a few promo copies of this album – the release was cancelled after Junior’s tragic death from a brain tumour.
9. The Beatles – ‘Yesterday And Today’
| Format: LP
Released: 1966 Country: US Label: Capitol Catalogue Number: ST 2553 Value: $14,160 |
It is almost impossible to find this record in its original sleeve. The cover, which featured boys in aprons covered in flesh and decapitated dolls, was so controversial that the records were quickly removed and another cover was pasted onto the reissue.
10. The Rolling Stones – ‘Street Fighting Man’/‘No Expectations’
| Format: 7″ Single
Released: 1968 Country: US Label: London Catalogue Number: 45 909 Value: $14,160 |
The brutal artwork on the cover of this album was particularly controversial as it was released at a time of political and cultural unrest around the world. It was quickly withdrawn in favour of alternative art, but copies of the original cover are still in circulation and their value has risen dramatically.
Click here to see the full list of the most valuable records in the world.