Want to learn about some rare records on vinyl? Wonder whether you might have any yourself?
Then step forth and hear the good word!
| Release | Worth When Last Sold |
| Once Upon a Time in Shaolin – Wu-Tang Clan | $2,000,000 |
| The White Album – the Beatles | $900,000 |
| “My Happiness”/”That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” – Elvis Presley | $300,000 |
| “God Save the Queen” – the Sex Pistols | $200,000 |
| Yesterday and Today – the Beatles | $125,000 |
| “That’s All Right”/”Blue Moon of Kentucky” – Elvis Presley | $85,000 |
| “Til There Was You” – the Beatles | $77,500 |
| “Ask Me Why”/”Anna” – the Beatles | $35,000 |
| The Black Album – Prince | $27,500 |
| “Street Fighting Man”/”No Expectations” – the Rolling Stones | $17,000 |
| Dark Round the Edges – Dark | $16,000 |
| Diamond Dogs – David Bowie | $3550 |
| Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin | $2000 |
| “Travelin’ Riverside Blues” – Robert Johnson | $1500 |
| Erotica – Madonna | $1000 |
| Electric Ladyland – The Jimi Hendrix Experience | $350 |
| “I’ve Been Loving You” – Elton John | $100 |
| The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan | Undisclosed |
| “That’ll Be the Day”/”In Spite of All the Danger” – the Quarrymen | Undisclosed |
| Bleach – Nirvana | Undisclosed |
| “Peaches”/”Go, Buddy, Go” – the Stranglers | $1800 |
| Motörhead – Motörhead | $2000 |
| “Sherry Darling”/”Independence Day” – Bruce Springsteen | $2500 |
| “November The Second” – Morrissey | $3000 |
| Music For The Masses – Depeche Mode | $5000 |
| “Midsummer Night’s Scene”/”Sara Crazy Child” by John’s Children | $5000 |
| An Ideal For Living – Joy Division | $5500 |
| Hank Mobley – Hank Mobley | $5000 |
| “Bohemian Rhapsody”/”I’m In Love With My Car” – Queen | $6000 |
| Melody AM – Röyksopp | $10,000 |
1. Yesterday and Today by the Beatles
Price Last Sold: $125,000
Rarity: Pretty rare
As far as rare records vinyl go, this is fairly rare and was incredibly controversial in its time for reasons that should be obvious. These limited pressings were quickly pulled from the shelves and replaced with a more sanitary photo of the Beatles sitting around not doing all that much.
2. Once Upon a Time in Shaolin by the Wu-Tang Clan
Price Last Sold: $2,000,000
Rarity: One-of-a-kind
The legendary hip-hop group only printed one copy of this album, stipulating that the owner was not allowed to release the recording into the world until 2103. The book about it (pictured below) is incredibly fascinating.
3. The Black Album by Prince
Price Last Sold: $27,500
Rarity: Considerably rare
Originally intended for release in 1987, Prince deemed the content too dark and ordered all the copies to be destroyed. Those that remain of the original are now worth a pretty penny.
4. Til’ There Was You by the Beatles
Price Last Sold: $77,500
Rarity: Very rare
This one is so rare that there aren’t even pictures of it! This is a very early demo of the Beatles performing “Til’ There Was You” and “Hello Little Girl”, originally given to Les Maguire, drummer for Gerry and the Pacemakers.
5. Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin
Price Last Sold: $2000
Rarity: Fairly rare
This is one of those rare vinyl records that it feels like everyone knows about, hence why it isn’t one of the most valuable records on this list. The sleeve wasn’t always adorned with red text – instead, the first UK pressings were printed with turquoise text. Some record collectors go nuts for it!
6. Diamond Dogs by David Bowie
Price Last Sold: $3550
Rarity: Fairly rare
The original cover for this record featured Bowie’s metamorphosis into a dog with all of the anatomically correct parts. The RCA record label didn’t quite approve, hence why all new copies do not feature such adornments.
7. The White Album
Price Last Sold: $900,000
Rarity: Near infinite
Now this really is a rare vinyl record. Sure, first pressings sell for a tidy sum, but one of the Beatles’ original copies? Those can sell for extortionate amounts, with or without the blessings of the Apple record label.
8. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan
Price Last Sold: Undisclosed
Rarity: Fairly rare
There exist such original copies of this album that feature four entirely unreleased songs, songs that were replaced by four different songs that were recorded after the album’s completion and that were neglected from certain copies by error.
9. “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols
Price Last Sold: $20,000
Rarity: Quite rare
The band’s loutish antics meant that they were so frequently dropped from labels that they were not often able to release any music on vinyl. Thus, there are many different versions of this single which can go for a pretty penny when put up for sale.
10. Electric Ladyland
Price Last Sold: $200
Rarity: Not uncommon
Original copies of this album featured Hendrix on the cover surrounded by a bunch of naked women, though this was changed very quickly.
Still, Hendrix’s popularity at the time means this isn’t all that rare in general.
11. “My Happiness”/”That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” by Elvis Presley
Price Last Sold: $300,000
Rarity: One-of-a-kind
A rare demo of a song that Presley recorded for his mother at Sun Records is a perfect showcase of his raw talent far before his debut album.
12. Dark Round the Edges by Dark
Price Last Sold: $16,000
Rarity: Fairly rare
The oft-neglected progressive-rock band Dark released this album with three covers, and, since there were only a few copies of some covers, they can fetch a considerably sum when put up for sale.
13. “That’ll Be the Day”/”In Spite of All the Danger” by the Quarrymen
Price Last Sold: Undisclosed
Rarity: Extremely rare
Original pressings of the Quarrymen acetates are extremely rare – there are only a handful around – hence the rarity, you see.
14. Erotica by Madonna
Price Last Sold: $2000
Rarity: Not uncommon
Original copies of this album featured a cover that heavily implied Madonna performing fellatio which proved altogether too much for her label.
15. “That’s All Right”/”Blue Moon of Kentucky” by Elvis Presley
Price Last Sold: $85,000
Rarity: Rather rare
So, while the previous single by Elvis is effectively the first thing he ever recorded, this was the tune that launched him into the public consciousness. A rare original acetate of the song is, thus, worth a large amount when put up for auction.
16. “Ask Me Why”/”Anna” by the Beatles
Price Last Sold: $35,000
Rarity: Incredibly rare
This promo single is quite a deep cut even for the most dedicated Beatles fan. Only five were ever pressed, none of which were even commercially released.
17. “Street Fighting Man”/”No Expectations” by the Rolling Stones
Price Last Sold: $17,000
Rarity: Fairly rare
No strangers to controversy, the Rolling Stones were often asked to fit into the same boxes as their contemporaries the Beatles despite the fact they were inherently very different bands. This album originally featured an image of police brutality which simply did not fly with the label in the end.
18. “Travelin’ Riverside Blues” by Robert Johnson
Price Last Sold: $1500
Rarity: Difficult to find
Now revered as a genius and innovator, at the time people scarcely what they had on their hands with Robert Johnson. Original copies of his 1930s recordings are quite difficult to find, so if you have one, clutch it tight and never let it go.
19. Bleach by Nirvana
Price Last Sold: Undisclosed
Rarity: Pretty rare
Nirvana’s first album didn’t achieve anywhere near the same success as its successor Nevermind, so only 1000 copies were printed, all in white. These copies, thus, go for quite the sum when put up for sale.
20. “I’ve Been Loving You” by Elton John
Price Last Sold: $3000
Rarity: Fairly rare
Relatively unknown at the time of this release – his first single – it has gone on, obviously, to garner greater attention in posterity owing to this massive success and presence as a household name throughout Western songwriting.
21. “Peaches”/”Go, Buddy, Go” by the Stranglers
Price Last Sold: $1800
Rarity: Rather rare
Pairing one of the greatest post-punk basslines of all time with some altogether silly lyrics about a sexually frustrated mind on the beach, the original sleeve photo of the band was considered too similar to their contemporaries the Sex Pistols and so was dropped.
22. Motörhead by Motörhead
Price Last Sold: $2000
Rarity: Rather rare
For no surprising reason, the original covers of their debut album have been avoided by many for their brazen repurposing of the swastika. Still, considering their relative outsider status at this time, records can go for a whole bunch of cash.
23. “Sherry, Darling”/”Independence Day” by Bruce Springsteen
Price Last Sold: $2500
Rarity: Extremely rare
Taken from Springsteen’s popular fifth studio album The River, these songs were originally released on a limited promotional single which has quickly faded into obscurity.
24. “November the Second” by Morrissey
Price Last Sold: $3000
Rarity: Really rare
When a dance remix of his 1990 single “November Spawned a Monster” came out, Morrissey was unimpressed. Despite this, it was incredibly popular, though still rare, hence it’s worth today.
25. Music for the Masses by Depeche Mode
Price Last Sold: $5000
Rarity: Extremely rare
The budget reissue of this LP that came out in 1990 only received 12 pressings, making it one of the rarest, yet most popular, albums in circulation today, bearing what many believe to be the originally intended album cover for the release.
26. “Midsummer Night’s Scene”/”Sara Crazy Child” by John’s Children
Price Last Sold: $5000
Rarity: Near impossible to find
Before T. Rex, Marc Bolan was an essential part of the mod-rock band John’s Children, though they failed to take off in quite the same way as his Glam Rock efforts.
27. An Ideal for Living by Joy Division
Price Last Sold: $5500
Rarity: Pretty rare
Featuring a drumming Hitler Youth on an album called An Ideal for Living and naming your band after the prostitution wing of a concentration camp wouldn’t usually win you many fans, but it did for this here band whose legacy continues on to this very day.
28. Hank Mobley by Hank Mobley
Price Last Sold: $5000
Rarity: Really rare
The initial pressing only featured a load of 300 to 1,000 copies, a shockingly small amount considering the label’s reputation and previous relationship with Hank.
29. “Bohemian Rhapsody”/”I’m In Love With My Car” by Queen
Price Last Sold: $6000
Rarity: Really rare
In 1978, record label EMI won a Queen’s Award For Industry for which they held a fancy award ceremony at London’s Selfridges Hotel. EMI general manager Paul Watts decided to have a special blue-vinyl edition of Queen’s best-known recording distributed at the event.
30. Melody AM by Röyksopp
Price Last Sold: $10,000
Rarity: Really rare
Persuading infamous street artist to hand spray a unique pressing of their debut album, the album was released in a batch of 100 hand-numbered records.
Final Tones
So, there you have it! Hopefully, you are now feeling ready and able to buy some rare records and sell your own that you might otherwise have had lurking around.
FAQs Rare Records Vinyl
What is the rarest vinyl record?
This was a demo that he recorded for $4 at Sun Records in Memphis (now $40 or so when adjusted for inflation), mostly as a gift for his mother.
What vintage vinyl is worth money?
Massive artists like, say, Michael Jackson are often not in the running for these kinds of things – being one of the biggest-selling recording artists in the world (Thriller being the biggest-selling album of all time), it is unlikely that any of his albums, especially Thriller, will ever be rare enough to be worth anything.
Are there any vinyl records worth money?
Indeed, in fact, there are plenty. The trick is knowing where to look and what to look for. This kind of task is made acres easier by sites like Discogs. Online vinyl stores such as this have become incredibly popular even for those who already have a physical vinyl store.
What is the hardest vinyl record to find?
It is widely believed that, today, original copies of The Black Album are the rarest vinyl records you can still find out in the wild. It’s not even known how many copies are still out there, though almost all that have been sold were promo copies that had already been sent to journalists and radio stations.
