From Spanish to Japanese, and everything in between
Music can be a valuable asset. Some records are worth a lot of money, and rare copies have been sold for absolute fortunes. While the vast majority of them come from famous music artists, there are also some more underground cult recordings that will definitely break the bank if you buy them.
In this gallery, we list some of the records that fetched the most money. Some were sold on places such as Discogs (a music community, marketplace, and collector's website), at auction, or by other means. Click on to find out which rare records are worth a fortune.
All amounts are in US dollars.
The US promo-only advance LP version of Bruce Springsteen's 1975 album sold for $5,617.97 on Discogs.
Hardcore records can also sell for thousands. The rare copies of the band's first 7" EP, pressed on cream vinyl are worth a small fortune. The last one sold on Discogs fetched $6,000.
'Rubber Band' was Bowie's 1966 promo single, which was released by Decca. One of these sold for $6,389.53.
There are a few different presses of Pink Floyd's debut studio album from 1967. Some of them are pretty valuable, with one fetching $6,500 on Discogs.
This is AC/DC's first single, featuring the band's first singer, Dave Evans. A copy of the 1974 New Zealand-pressed single sold for a whopping $7,000.
This Larry Clinton 7" promo single pressed by Dynamo in 1965 fetched $7,333.33 on Discogs.
The original release by Leathür Records of Mötley Crüe's 1981 debut album is worth a small fortune. One copy was sold for $9,000.
Featuring one of the most iconic album covers of all time, the East Coast pressing of 'The Velvet Underground & Nico' is pretty valuable. One copy fetched $9,795.92 on Discogs.
The Norwegian electronic duo released 100 copies of 'Melody A.M.' in 2001. A buyer spent $10,465.1 on one of these copies.
A limited edition of 500 copies of the Misfits single 'Cough/Cool' on side A and 'She' on side B is a valuable collector's record. The last known sold copy went for $13,157.9.
The German band Can also has an entry on this list. The version of their 1969 album with a liberty sticker on the back fetched $13,953.5 on Discogs.
If you happen to own a promotional release of Pink Floyd's 1970 album with red vinyl and white labels, then you've got yourself a treasure. The price tag? A copy sold for $14,423.1.
There are a couple of valuable versions of this Prince album. A copy of the original 1987 Canadian pressing, which was pulled before release, was sold on Discogs for a whopping $25,000.
The French composer makes an entry on this list with his sixth studio album, of which a single vinyl copy was pressed. In 1983, the record was auctioned in France for approximately $14,000 (the equivalent of more than $33,000 today).
Only a few test pressings were made of this album by Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin under the name 'Caustic Window.' One of these copies sold on eBay for $46,300.
A one-sided acetate version of The Beatles' first single is worth an estimated $50,000–$100,000.
This one was not a vinyl record, but a tape. The tape of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's 1968 Woburn Music Festival performance was sold at Christie's for just under $60,000.
How much would you pay to own the earliest known tape of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards rehearsing? One bidder paid over $60,000 for it at auction.
There are only two copies of this 1966 Northern soul classic, one of which was sold for over $120,000 in 2020.
The 1966 US copies of this album with the "butcher sleeve" are pretty valuable. One sealed copy was sold for $125,000 in 2016.
The Quarrymen was John Lennon's band before The Beatles. The only copy of this vinyl is owned by Paul McCartney, who sold a limited number of reissues. As for the original one, it's estimated to be worth over $240,000.
If you happen to have a copy of this album signed by the band, then you've got yourself a vinyl treasure. In 2013, a signed copy sold for $290,500.
In 2015, musician Jack White paid $300,000 for an acetate of Elvis Presley's first-ever recording. He then reissued the single through his label.
The first copy of The Beatles' homonymous record, best known as the 'White Album,' was owned by Ringo Starr. The Beatles' drummer then sold it in 2015 for $790,000.
Not an album as such, but a one-off recording of Bob Dylan's famous song 'Blowin' in the Wind,' fetched $1.8 million at auction in 2022.
Only one CD copy of the hip hop group's 2005 album 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' was made. It was sold at auction for $2 million.
The lucky bidder was American businessman Martin Shkreli. The album was however seized by the US Department of Justice as part of a forfeiture. 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' was then sold for a whopping $4 million!
Sources: (Discogs) (Record Collector) (The New York Times)
See also: These are the most expensive concert tickets ever sold
Rare records that are worth a fortune
Do you own any of them?
MUSIC Albums
Music can be a valuable asset. Some records are worth a lot of money, and rare copies have been sold for absolute fortunes. While the vast majority of them come from famous music artists, there are also some more underground cult recordings that will definitely break the bank if you buy them.
In this gallery, we list some of the records that fetched the most money. Some were sold on places such as Discogs (a music community, marketplace, and collector's website), at auction, or by other means. Click on to find out which rare records are worth a fortune.
All amounts are in US dollars.