The thrill of chasing is no stranger to you if you collect vinyl records. You never know what could be found at a record shop, thrift store, or garage sale, but you hope to find the one-in-a-million pressings you ever wished to have. This could be a record that spins you back into your parent’s living room, nostalgia for your love life, or other remarkable memories you grew up listening to. For you, it’s simply a spectacle of value and rarity.
For vinyl record collectors, this is a “near-religious experience,” but finding those personal pressings is the most captivating experience. Collectors have the most valuable records these days to cherish the music their beautiful memories are tied to.
Apart from sentimental value, some vinyls are so rare that their financial value is unspeakable, and they are sold at astronomical prices. Rare or original pressings exist but have a limited production run because of their special colors and designs. A certain amount of time is also associated with the rarest pressings. Below, discover some of the most valuable records to date that avid collectors may be willing to splash thousands of dollars on.
Most Valuable Vinyl Records
John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy (1980)
The 1980 album ‘Double Fantasy’ by John Lennon and Yoko Ono has a tragic and infamous history among the most valuable records. This particular copy has been steeped in notoriety and was once owned by a man named Mark Chapman. This album was signed by an ex-Beatle outside a Dakota building apartment. A few hours later, Chapman was waiting to commit the most heinous act in the music industry: shooting John Lennon four times, who passed away on the way to the hospital. This haunting and staggering music piece was auctioned for $900,000.
The Beatles: The Beatles (The White Album) (1968)
The Beatles’ self-titled double LP (affectionately dubbed ‘The White Album’ by fans) had a unique numbering system on its release and holds a special place in the rarest vinyl records. Each copy came with an individual number. The very first copy, bearing the number 0000001, was owned by the band’s drummer, Ringo Starr. Ringo decided to leave the band with prized possessions, which led to a remarkable auction at Julien’s Live Auction in 2015. The album was auctioned for a staggering $790,000. Other copies of ‘The White Album’ are also precious.
The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles is easily one of the most valuable records. To date, it continues to make the collector’s day. A copy of the record with the signatures of four band members, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, sold for a staggering $290,500 in Texas. At an auction held at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, an anonymous person from the Midwest bought an extraordinary piece of music history.
The Beatles: Yesterday and Today (1966)
The US release by The Beatles ‘Yesterday and Today’ holds a distinctive place among rare and valuable records. It was released in 1966 and earned the nickname “The Butcher Album” because of its original cover art. The imagery portrayed all four band members wearing white laboratory coats, surrounded by raw meat and dismembered baby dolls. It proved unsettling for the album, and initial pressings were removed from store shelves to replace the album cover with band photographs in a more commercially acceptable way. That is why the original Butcher album has value for Beatle collectors. 2016 a collector purchased a copy of The Beatles for an impressive $125,000. It shows music enthusiasts are willing to pay an extraordinary amount for cherishing albums.
David Bowie: The Next Day (2013)
It’s not less than a surprise that David Bowie’s 2013 album ‘The Next Day’ secured a place in this elite list of the most valuable records. ‘The Next Day’ was released in 2019 as part of the Unicef Blue Vinyl series on blue wax to raise money for charity, along with 15 other records limited to only 15 copies. As often happens, multiple copies went to the resale market, ranging in price from £5,000 to a jaw-dropping £35,000. This shows how the unexpected entry of David Bowie’s late-period offerings, such as ‘The Next Day,’ gained exclusivity and invaluable records.
Prince: The Black Album (1987)
Prince’s hard-funk curiosity “The Black Album” is a prominent album on our list. It was initially scheduled to be released in 1987, but Prince’s spiritual revelations deemed the tracks “too evil,” leading to the destruction of copies. The album has plain black artwork that lacks a title, credits, or even the artist’s name, which stands out with the only identifier, the number ‘1-25677’, on its cover. Although it was later released officially in 1994, destroyed copies gained rare status. A scarce 1987 U.S. first pressing of Prince’s ‘The Black Album’ sold at a strikingly staggering $42,298 at Boston-based RR Auction. This sum underscores the value of owning original copies.
Dark Round the Edges by Dark
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw some of the rarest vinyl records of progressive bands. Dark Round the Edges by Dark was a limited edition with a run of only 62 copies. This is the rarest version in a colored gatefold sleeve. This is a 1972 edition rare copy valued at over $12,000.
Wrapping up
Love for rare pressings has its following. Collectors want to add everything to the collectibles they wish to have. This could be about sentimental value or financial value. They search record stores, garage sales, or any other way to find rare pressings.
If you also have one and want to change its home, you can search for its value and get a fair payment.
Expanding the collection of records is one of the joys every collector wants to experience. You never know what you may find in your search.