In the world of vinyl collecting, certain records stand out not just for their musical content but also for their significant monetary value. In this article, we present the top 100 most valuable vinyl records that every collector should aspire to own. From rare pressings to limited editions and iconic releases, each record on our list represents a prized gem in the realm of music memorabilia. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just starting your journey, join us as we explore these coveted vinyl treasures, offering insights into their historical significance and the factors that contribute to their extraordinary value.
Table of Contents
- 1. ‘God Save the Queen’ – Sex Pistols
- 2. Supernatural Girl – Ferris Wheel
- 3. ‘Love Me Do’ – The Beatles
- 4. Ummagumma – Pink Floyd
- 5. Would You Believe – Billy Nicholls
- 6. Melody A.M. – Röyksopp
- 7. Yes – Pet Shop Boys
- 8. ‘Love My Stuff’/’Jersey Bull Blues’ – Charley Patton
- 9. David Bowie – David Bowie
- 10. The Love Cycle – Forever Amber
- 11. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
- 12. ‘Gorilla Biscuits’ – Gorilla Biscuits
- 13. Chung King Can Suck It
- 14. Growers of Mushroom – Leaf Hound
- 15. ‘You’re the Best’ – LaRom André Baker
- 16. ‘Love is Strange’ – Wings
- 17. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
- 18. Overdrive – Phafner
- 19. ‘Heartache Souvenirs’ / ‘Chicken Shack’ – William Powell
- 20. ‘Ever Again’ / ‘Next to You’ – Bernie Williams
- 22. Black Album – Prince
- 23. Metaphysical Animation – Metaphysical Animation
- 24. Negative Approach – Negative Approach
- 25. ‘Equidity Funk’ – Mistafide
- 26. Wil Malone – Wil Malone
- 27. ‘Equidity Funk’ – Mistafide
- 28. Led Zeppelin (Deluxe Edition) – Led Zeppelin
- 29. Frutti Per Kagua – Capitolo 6
- 30. Cold Cuts – Nicholas Greenwood
- 32. Melody A.M. (Special Edition) – Röyksopp
- 33. Monster Movie – CAN
- 34. Meddle – Pink Floyd
- 35. Love is the Key – Dynamic Five
- 36. Growers of Mushroom – Leaf Hound
- 38. Monster Movie (Made in a Castle with Better Equipment) – CAN
- 39. Just Another Diamond Day – Vashti Bunyan
- 40. ‘Pay to Cum!’ – Bad Brains
- 41. Mammut – Mammut
- 44. Sex Drive – Necros
- 45. Analogy – Analogy
- 46. Pre-Flight – Room
- 47. Monster Movie (Remastered) – CAN
- 48. ‘I Beat You’ / ‘No No’s’ – Vicious Visions
- 50. An Ideal for Living – Joy Division
- 51. Song of a Gypsy – Damon
- 52. ‘Malted Milk’ / ‘Milkcows Calf Blues’ – Robert Johnson
- 53. ‘The Atrocity’ / ‘Good Procedures’ – Opus
- 54. ‘That’s Why I Love You’ / ‘Did My Baby Call?’ – The Professionals
- 55. An Invisible World Revealed – Krokodil
- 56. ‘Believe It or Not’ – Nabay
- 57. Swaddling Songs – Mellow Candle
- 58. ‘Lonely Every Day’ – The Golden Earrings
- 59. ‘Endless Memory’ – Roy Panton
- 60. ‘Love Buzz’ / ‘Big Cheese’ – Nirvana
- 61. Estrelando Embaixador – Tribo Massahi
- 62. Mirkwood – Mirkwood
- 63. ‘I Really Love You’ – Jimmy Burns
- 64. ‘Do You Get the Message?’ / ‘The Other Side’ – The Grey Imprint
- 65. Ethiopian Modern Instrumentals Hits – Various Artists
- 66. ‘Be My Fortune Teller’ / ‘I Just Wanna Be’ – East ft. Prince
- 67. The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
- 68. Music Emporium – Music Emporium
- 69. ‘Hand in Glove’ – The Smiths
- 70. ‘I Wanted to Tell You’ / ‘You Said’ – Little Nicky Soul
- 71. ‘Anarchy in the UK’ – Sex Pistols
- 73. Tom Prehn Kvartet – Tom Prehn Kvartet
- 74. ‘Baby Your Phrasing is Bad’ / ‘A Woman of Distinction’ – Caleb Quaye
- 75. Through You – The Contents Are
- 76. ‘Mouth A Massey’ / ‘Ska Beat’ – Alton Ellis
- 77. Mystic Beauty – Reggie Andrews and the Fellowship
- 78. ‘King of Fuh’ – Brute Force
- 79. Damned Damned Damned – The Damned
- 80. Pleure et Applaudit – Jean Debuffet
- Runners Up
- 81. Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
- 82. The Who Sell Out – The Who
- 83. Bleach – Nirvana
- 84. ‘Science Friction’ / ‘She’s So Square’ – XTC
- 85. ‘That’ll be the Day’ / ‘In Spite of All the Danger’ – The Quarrymen
- 86. Diamond Dogs – David Bowie
- 87. Reverbaration (Doubt) – The Thirteenth Floor Elevators
- 88. Legacy of Brutality – Misfits
- 89. Waltzes by Johann Strauss, Jr. – Century Symphony Orchestra
- 90. The Caine Mutiny – Max Steiner
- 91. ‘Pride (in the name of love)’ – U2
- 93. Blue Note 1568 – Hank Mobley
- 94. ‘Lafayette Blues’ / ‘Sugar Never Tasted So Good’ – The White Stripes
- 95. Stonewall – Stonewall
- 96. Yesterday and Today – The Beatles
- 97. Street Fighting Man – The Rolling Stones
- 98. ‘Stormy Weather’ – The Five Sharps
- 100. ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ – Frank Wilson
- Final Tones
- FAQs Top 100 Most Valuable Vinyl Records
1. ‘God Save the Queen’ – Sex Pistols
Average sale price: $16000
Vinyl record famously sold for $16125.18 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7″ single
Record label: A&M Records
Soon moved over to the record company Virgin where they released their debut vinyl record album.
2. Supernatural Girl – Ferris Wheel
Average sale price: $15000
Vinyl record famously sold for $15007.77 in 2015
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP, Album, Mono
Record label: Nicro
3. ‘Love Me Do’ – The Beatles
Average sale price: $15000
Famously sold for $14845.17 in 2017
Vinyl record type: 7 inch promotional single
Record label: Parlophone
Judging by the Beatles legacy, this will be an immensely valuable record, almost more than any Beatles album in full length.
4. Ummagumma – Pink Floyd
Average sale price: $14000
Famously sold for $13845.84
Vinyl record type: Double LP Album
Record label: Odeon
Still attempting to find their feet after Barrett’s death, this album is notable to record collectors for being split equally between live and studio efforts.
5. Would You Believe – Billy Nicholls
Average sale price: $10000
Famously sold for $9851.06
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Immediate
Beguiling record companies with a watery and psychedelic sound.
6. Melody A.M. – Röyksopp
Average sale price: $8000
Famously sold for $8025.04 in 2001
Vinyl record type: Double Vinyl LP
Record label: Wall of Sound
With songs recorded in all manner of ways, this was a defining point for the late 90s/early 00s electronic music.
7. Yes – Pet Shop Boys
Average sale price: $7500
Famously sold for $7544.09 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 11×12 inch LP
Record label: Parlophone
80s great comeback in a big way on this side of the millennial divide.
8. ‘Love My Stuff’/’Jersey Bull Blues’ – Charley Patton
Average sale price: $7000
Famously sold for $7089.36 in 2017
Vinyl record type: 10″ mono single on shellac
Record label: Vocalion
A rare record by the late and great blues legend.
9. David Bowie – David Bowie
Average sale price: $6500
Famously sold for $6669.56 in 2016
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Philips
The eponymous album from the late and great Bowie understandably fetches a pretty penny.
10. The Love Cycle – Forever Amber
Average sale price: $6400
Famously sold for $6399.69 in 2017
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Advance
A long-forgotten psychedelic gem from Forever Amber, like other psych oddities, fetches a fair price today.
11. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
Average sale price: $6200
Famously sold for $6250 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 4 x Vinyl LP
Record label: Atlantic
This particular record, though very much plagiarised, still earns a big buck.
12. ‘Gorilla Biscuits’ – Gorilla Biscuits
Average sale price: $6000
Famously sold for $6164.88
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Revelation Records.
Yet another record to fetch an obscene price tag when put on the market – you would think people would learn!
13. Chung King Can Suck It
Average sale price: $6000
Famously sold for $6138.33
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Revelation Records
Another hardcore punk release from fabled independent label Revelation Records at the forefront of the genre.
14. Growers of Mushroom – Leaf Hound
Average sale price: $6000
Famously sold for $6082.77
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Decca Records
Almost any psychedelic oddity from the original psych era is going to fetch a penny.
15. ‘You’re the Best’ – LaRom André Baker
Average sale price: $6000
Famously sold for $6000 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: The Record Company
A veritable dance classic from an original era of disco and funk.
16. ‘Love is Strange’ – Wings
Average sale price: $5500
Famously sold for $5624.99 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Parlophone
It is no white album and no doubt this would not be as much without McCartney’s face on it, not to mention the classic black Parlophone Records label.
17. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Average sale price: $5500
Famously sold for $5500 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Columbia
Famous man of the people, known simply as ‘The Boss’, on one of his most famous recording efforts.
18. Overdrive – Phafner
Average sale price: $5500
Famously sold for $5500 in 2016
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Dragon Records
Another psychedelic rock nugget typically forgotten in the sands of time is brought to light by price.
19. ‘Heartache Souvenirs’ / ‘Chicken Shack’ – William Powell
Average sale price: $5500
Famously sold for $5449.36 in 2015
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Power-House Records
Oft neglected – ill seen, ill said.
20. ‘Ever Again’ / ‘Next to You’ – Bernie Williams
Average sale price: $5300
Famously sold for $5317.90
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Bell Records
Former baseball player Bernie Williams shows us the ropes of writing a top song.
21. Speed, Glue & Shinki – Speed, Glue & Shinki
Average sale price: $5200
Famously sold for $5217.68 in 2017
Vinyl record type: Double Vinyl LP
Record label: Atlantic Records
Close business partners with Capitol Records, it is shocking that they would have released something like this but we are all too thankful for it.
22. Black Album – Prince
Average sale price: $5200
Famously sold for $5203.47
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Warner Bros. Records
Legendary scrapped album from veritable polymath and critical and commercial darling Prince.
Average sale price: $5000
Famously sold for $5000 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Double LP
Record label: Self Released
24. Negative Approach – Negative Approach
Average sale price: $5000
Famously sold for $5000 in 2017
Vinyl record type: 7 inch EP
Record label: Touch and Go
American hardcore punk band make use of unsettling imagery from The Exorcist on their tainted album cover, and, fair enough, they get their dastardly point across.
25. ‘Equidity Funk’ – Mistafide
Average sale price: $5000
Famously sold for $4911.57 in 2009
Vinyl record type: 12″ single
Record label: Land of Hits
Such a label certainly has a reputation to live up to with a title like that, though they excel with flying colors.
26. Wil Malone – Wil Malone
Average sale price: $5000
Famously sold for $4910.66 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Fontana
27. ‘Equidity Funk’ – Mistafide
Average sale price: $5000
Famously sold for $4909.92 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 12 inch single
Record label: Land of Hits
Presumably, a different pressing of the single sees it fetch a similar price when put up for private auction, with the seller no doubt bowing down in mirth.
28. Led Zeppelin (Deluxe Edition) – Led Zeppelin
Average sale price: $5000
Famously sold for $4892.08
Vinyl record type: Quadruple Vinyl LP
Record label: Atlantic Records
29. Frutti Per Kagua – Capitolo 6
Average sale price: $4500
Famously sold for $4699.58 in 2017
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: It Records
A fine example of the oft neglected progressive rock music that flourished out of Italy in the 70s, in very much the same vein as a more popular band like Area.
30. Cold Cuts – Nicholas Greenwood
Average sale price: $4500
Famously sold for $4657.21 in 2014
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Kingdom Records
Another solid and warm example of some of the progressive rock that flourished through the UK underground in the early 70s.
31. Sahib Shihaband & The Danish Radio Jazz Group – Sahib Shihaband & The Danish Radio Jazz Group
Average sale price:$4500
Famously sold for $4597.30 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Oktav
32. Melody A.M. (Special Edition) – Röyksopp
Average sale price:$4500
Famously sold for $4534.47 in 2003
Vinyl record type: Double Vinyl LP
Record label: Wall of Sound
33. Monster Movie – CAN
Average sale price: $4500
Famously sold for $4499.99
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Music Factory
Though better known for their output from the third album onwards, this debut album featured very highly in people’s sights with regards to the price fetched at auction.
34. Meddle – Pink Floyd
Average sale price: $4400
Famously sold for $4400 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: EMI
Key transitional period for the band, between their previous psychedelic freakouts and their more conceptual progressive rock eventuality.
35. Love is the Key – Dynamic Five
Average sale price: $4250
Famously sold for $4250 in 2016
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: United Artist Records
A little-known example of the late period fusion of disco and funk to crown it off before people eventually got sick of it.
36. Growers of Mushroom – Leaf Hound
Average sale price: $4000
Famously sold for $4224.76 in 2016
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Decca
37. ‘I’ll Be on My Way’ – Bob & Fred
Average sale price: $4000
Famously sold for $4190.51 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Big Mack
38. Monster Movie (Made in a Castle with Better Equipment) – CAN
Average sale price: $4100
Famously sold for $4100 in 2017
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: United Artists
Only a few copies remain of this version of the release, with very few people actually having heard it in its full form.
39. Just Another Diamond Day – Vashti Bunyan
Average sale price: $4000
Famously sold for $4039.01 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Philips
Songs do not come much sweeter, so this will definitely be the most valuable record to many in terms of sincerity.
40. ‘Pay to Cum!’ – Bad Brains
Average sale price: $4000
Famously sold for $4000 in 2017
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Bad Brain Records
One of the original progenitors of hardcore punk, they paved the way for so many African Americans who wanted to live outside the box which society prescribed them.
41. Mammut – Mammut
Average sale price: $4000
Famously sold for $3913.77 in 2016
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Mouse Trick Track Music
A highly charged and original release from this seminal Icelandic rock band formed in the country’s capital Reykjavik.
42. ‘Liza Jane’ – Davie Jones & The King Bees
Average sale price: $4000
Famously sold for $3859.58 in 1978
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Decca
Adjusted for inflation, this album sold for around $17538.36. Yikes! Whoever owns this bad boy is surely laughing now, or at least spinning pleasantly in their grave.
43. ‘Liza Jane’ – Davie Jones & The King Bees
Average sale price: $3800
Famously sold for $3800.58 in 1964
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Vocalion Pop
What I presume is the original pressing of this tune fetches even more when, again, adjusted for inflation: $36,323.25. Woah!
44. Sex Drive – Necros
Average sale price: $3800
Famously sold for $3800 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch EP
Record label: Touch and Go Records
Another rollicking release from legendary hardcore punk label Touch and Go here fetching more than any hardcore punk fan can afford.
45. Analogy – Analogy
Average sale price: $3800
Famously sold for $3757.29 in 2015
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: DischiProduzioniVentotto
46. Pre-Flight – Room
Average sale price: $3800
Famously sold for $3729.74 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Deram
47. Monster Movie (Remastered) – CAN
Average sale price: $3700
Famously sold for $3698 in 2007
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Spoon Records
48. ‘I Beat You’ / ‘No No’s’ – Vicious Visions
Average sale price: $3700
Famously sold for $3684.71 in 2014
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Self released
49. Uganda Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffaloes
Average sale price: $3600
Famously sold for $3569.94 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Toshiba Records
50. An Ideal for Living – Joy Division
Average sale price: $3500
Famously sold for $3515.62 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch EP
Record label: Enigma
Original EP by the now legendary and tote bag touted post-punk band Joy Division. The album makes heavy use of Hitler youth imagery, heavily alluding to the original inspiration of the band’s name which came from a part of certain concentration camps dedicated to prostitution and the like. Yikes!
51. Song of a Gypsy – Damon
Average sale price: $3500
Famously sold for $3500 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Ankh
A psychedelic and country infused record that is often neglected, even despite the clearly interesting use of disparate genres and stylistic elements.
52. ‘Malted Milk’ / ‘Milkcows Calf Blues’ – Robert Johnson
Average sale price: $3500
Famously sold for $3500 in 2017
Vinyl record type: 10 inch shellac
Record label: Vocalion
This blues legend and progenitor needs no introduction, nor does this seminal record label.
53. ‘The Atrocity’ / ‘Good Procedures’ – Opus
Average sale price: $3500
Famously sold for $3500 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Catatonic Records
This is music and it sold for a ridiculous amount of money when put up for auction.
54. ‘That’s Why I Love You’ / ‘Did My Baby Call?’ – The Professionals
Average sale price: $3500
Famously sold for $3500 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Groove City Records
55. An Invisible World Revealed – Krokodil
Average sale price: $3500
Famously sold for $3500 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: United Artists Records
This is music and it sold for a ridiculous amount of money when put up for auction.
56. ‘Believe It or Not’ – Nabay
Average sale price: $3500
Famously sold for $3465.94 in 2017
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Impact Records
Logo is a bullet going through the name of the label, signifying impact. Nice!
57. Swaddling Songs – Mellow Candle
Average sale price: $3400
Famously sold for $3422.09 in 2017
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Deram
Presumably, another long-lost psychedelic and/or progressive rock nugget whose price might or might not be indicative of its worth as actual music.
58. ‘Lonely Every Day’ – The Golden Earrings
Average sale price: $3400
Famously sold for $3388 in 2015
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Polydor
59. ‘Endless Memory’ – Roy Panton
Average sale price: $3300
Famously sold for $4423.69 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Bronco
This is music and it sold for a ridiculous amount of money when put up for auction.
60. ‘Love Buzz’ / ‘Big Cheese’ – Nirvana
Average sale price: $3300
Famously sold for $3300 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Sub Pop
An original pressing of Nirvana’s first single was always going to fetch a pretty penny on the used records market.
61. Estrelando Embaixador – Tribo Massahi
Average sale price: $3300
Famously sold for $3300 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: River’s
Now reissued, the original still costs a veritable ton to purchase.
62. Mirkwood – Mirkwood
Average sale price: $3300
Famously sold for $3292.48
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Flams Ltd.
This is music and it sold for a ridiculous amount of money when put up for auction.
63. ‘I Really Love You’ – Jimmy Burns
Average sale price: $3300
Famously sold for $3285.78 in 2016
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Erica Records
Seriously, who wants a record enough to pay so much for it? Is it not boggling?
64. ‘Do You Get the Message?’ / ‘The Other Side’ – The Grey Imprint
Average sale price: $3300
Famously sold for $3267.76 in 2016
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Clear Hill Records
65. Ethiopian Modern Instrumentals Hits – Various Artists
Average sale price: $3300
Famously sold for $3267.72 in 2015
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Amha Records
It is quite tough to go wrong with Ethiopian music, lord knows the Ethiopiques compilations that have been coming out over the past few decades have shown us this.
66. ‘Be My Fortune Teller’ / ‘I Just Wanna Be’ – East ft. Prince
Average sale price: $3300
Famously sold for $3250 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Polydor
67. The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
Average sale price: $3200
Famously sold for $3242.31 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Harvest
Kind of remarkable that it has taken this long to surface, though it is one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, not exactly a rarity.
68. Music Emporium – Music Emporium
Average sale price: $3200
Famously sold for $3200 in 2016
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Sentinel
69. ‘Hand in Glove’ – The Smiths
Average sale price: $3200
Famously sold for $3166.86 in 2015
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Rouch Trade Records
Fantastic early single by the late and great exemplars of 80s indie pop, far better than the album version in my humble opinion.
70. ‘I Wanted to Tell You’ / ‘You Said’ – Little Nicky Soul
Average sale price: $3100
Famously sold for $3124.26 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Shee Records
71. ‘Anarchy in the UK’ – Sex Pistols
Average sale price: $3100
Famously sold for $3120.99 in 2017
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: EMI
Progenitors of British punk the Sex Pistols’s second single or so features far further down the list.
72. ‘A Man of My Word’ / ‘Linda’ – Salt & Pepper
Average sale price: $3100
Famously sold for $3100 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Heatwave
This is music and it sold for a ridiculous amount of money when put up for auction.
73. Tom Prehn Kvartet – Tom Prehn Kvartet
Average sale price: $3000
Famously sold for $3049.15 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: V 58
Some call this music, I call it overpriced.
74. ‘Baby Your Phrasing is Bad’ / ‘A Woman of Distinction’ – Caleb Quaye
Average sale price: $3000
Famously sold for $3007.85
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Philips
Like basically every other record on this list, it should not have sold for such a price, no matter how good the music is.
75. Through You – The Contents Are
Average sale price: $3000
Famously sold for $3000 in 2015
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Rok Records
One of the more infuriating band names on this list.
76. ‘Mouth A Massey’ / ‘Ska Beat’ – Alton Ellis
Average sale price: $3000
Famously sold for $3000 in 2015
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Pat’s Records
77. Mystic Beauty – Reggie Andrews and the Fellowship
Average sale price: $3000
Famously sold for $3000 in 2018
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: H.M.E.
Certain aspect of this release make it feel almost like a deep fake of an album. Weird!
78. ‘King of Fuh’ – Brute Force
Average sale price: $3000
Famously sold for $2926.02
Vinyl record type: 7 inch single
Record label: Apple Records
One of few releases that were ever sent forth into the world from the late Apple Records established by none other than the Beatles.
79. Damned Damned Damned – The Damned
Average sale price: $3000
Famously sold for $2920.57 in 2015
Vinyl record type: Vinyl LP
Record label: Stiff Records
Now legendary released from original British punk personalities the Damned.
80. Pleure et Applaudit – Jean Debuffet
Average sale price: $2900
Famously sold for $2883.40 in 2018
Vinyl record type: 10 inch
Record label: Galleria Del Cavallino Venise
This is music and it sold for a ridiculous amount of money when put up for auction.
Runners Up
Though not quite as valuable, these records are certainly going to fill your pockets somewhat
81. Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
Easily the biggest-selling jazz album of all time, it can still fetch a price, and is well worth a listen, replete with interesting ideas that are still an inspiration to many musicians operating today!
82. The Who Sell Out – The Who
Seeing as only 1000 copies were originally made of the Who’s third album, this record will fetch at least a $1000 when put up for auction.
Get amongst it! There are many fine tracks on here too, well worth exploring even if you have no interest in bastardizing your finances for a copy.
83. Bleach – Nirvana
This band needs no introduction, though perhaps their neglected debut album does.
All too often the limelight falls on Nevermind, but there are still some interesting themes explored in the previous record Bleach, more inclined toward sludge than the sophom*ore’s polish.
84. ‘Science Friction’ / ‘She’s So Square’ – XTC
Now legendary pop band XTC first released this in the late 70s / early 80s in a limited run of 50. Pretty darn rare and worth a fortune if you can get your hands on a copy.
I personally prefer their work as the Dukes of Stratosphear (wherein their inhabited imaginary identities from a lost era) but that is just my own penchant for original-era psychedelia shining through.
85. ‘That’ll be the Day’ / ‘In Spite of All the Danger’ – The Quarrymen
The first recording project of the Beatles, need we say more!
86. Diamond Dogs – David Bowie
Mind you, only the original pressing featuring Bowie’s dog bollocks.
87. Reverbaration (Doubt) – The Thirteenth Floor Elevators
Some exemplary moments of the original era psychedelic are on display here in their most tectonic and atomic form.
88. Legacy of Brutality – Misfits
Allegedly only 16 copies exist of this legendary compilation album wherein lead singer Glen Danzig overdubbed over all of the instrumental parts of his bandmates so that he would not have to pay them royalties. Not very punk if you ask me.
89. Waltzes by Johann Strauss, Jr. – Century Symphony Orchestra
What might have been forgotten by the masses is saved by the fact that the cover art was drawn by a little-known artist called Andy Warhol, years before he would catapult into the upper reaches of cultural influence himself.
90. The Caine Mutiny – Max Steiner
Scrapped soundtrack record that scarcely saw the light of day.
91. ‘Pride (in the name of love)’ – U2
Ultra rare Australian edition of the single released in a batch of only 50.
92. Xanadu – Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra
Highly sought after picture disc vinyl of the soundtrack to the film of the same name that is otherwise universally slandered. This has no effect whatsoever on the price it fetches at auction, however.
93. Blue Note 1568 – Hank Mobley
A particularly rare version of this album bears a slight difference from the usual in that Blue Note allegedly ran out of labels when pressing it.
94. ‘Lafayette Blues’ / ‘Sugar Never Tasted So Good’ – The White Stripes
A rare swirly print single with a cover hand painted by the owner of Italy Records, Dave Buick. Being an early single, no one could have foreseen just how big the band would become from here on out.
95. Stonewall – Stonewall
Do not be afraid if you have not heard of this obscure psychedelic rock act from the 70s. Their only release was sent forth into the world without their knowledge by a label that was a tax scam operated by the mob.
96. Yesterday and Today – The Beatles
The original cover featured the band in butcher’s garbs holding bloodied effigies of headless baby dolls. This was soon scrapped after public outrage.
97. Street Fighting Man – The Rolling Stones
The original artwork for this was censored by the record label, featuring a police officer standing powerfully over an injured protestor, which caught flack because of a contemporaneous incident relating to police brutality and rioting.
98. ‘Stormy Weather’ – The Five Sharps
Most famous, perhaps, for being featured in an episode of Pawn Stars, this record still fetches an unholy amount at auction precisely because there are only three copies known to exist in the whole world.
99. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico
Believed to be one of the most influential albums of the 20th century, original mono pressings of the record are, of course, going to fetch a big sum at auction.
100. ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ – Frank Wilson
Finally, this is one of the rarest of the so-called Northern Soul tracks in circulation. When all of the original pressings were ordered to be destroyed, two were kept and now only two originals remain.
Final Tones
So, there you have it!
Hopefully, you are now feeling a little more confident in navigating the top 100 most valuable vinyl records, able to discern and decipher which of yours will be worth the most money when you put them up for auction.
FAQs Top 100 Most Valuable Vinyl Records
What is the rarest 45 record?
Though there is not just one holistic record that is considered the absolute rarest, there are certainly some that, by the sheer lack of copies, are sure contenders for the title. Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ is easily one of the rarest, for example. All of the original copies were ordered to be destroyed, though the person who was supposed to do the destroying saved two which are now the only ones known to exist.
What old vinyl records are worth the most money?
The ones that are the rarest typically. However, this is not always the case, for you could have an extremely rare release by a band that no one has ever heard of. Such a self-release would not be worth much despite its rarity because it would not be as sought after as an original pressing of a Beatles’ record. You will want a fairly popular album by a relatively well-known band from a pressing that is little known or little owned.
How do I find out what my vinyl records are worth?
A quick Google search through a database like Discogs is bound to bring you closer to the information that you seek. Often, you will get an intuitive sense of how much a record is worth purely from experience, accruing enough through exchange over time that you can feel it out yourself. Still, if you are looking to sell records regularly, you will want to be specific, which is where such databases can come in and be incredibly useful.
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