The 20 Most Valuable Records In The World

[Kris Holmes]

Out of interest for rare records sake.....

As chosen by Ian Shirley for The Word.

1: The Quarrymen That'll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger (1958 UK private press 78rpm, £150,000)

Only one copy in existence, and Paul McCartney owns it. He repressed a batch in 1981 on 45 and 78 for friends, and even the repress goes for £10,000.

2: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967 USA Capitol SMAS 2653, LP, £62,000)

Around 100 copies in existence. Artwork features the faces of various Capitol execs pasted over those of the Beatles and some of the historical figures on the cover.

3: Son House Dry Spell Blues Pts. 1 & 2 (1930 USA Paramount 12990 10'' 78, £31,000)

Any Son House 78 on Paramount is worth a small fortune.

4: Willie Brown - M&O Blues/Future Blues (1930 USA Paramount 13090 10'' 78, £15,500)

Of the six sides Willie Brown recorded for Paramount, these are the only two where original copies are known to still exist.

5: Skip James Cherry Ball Blues/Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues (1931 USA Paramount 13065 10'' 78, £15,400)

Said to be near impossible to find in playable condition.

6: Jackie Brenston Rocket 88/Come Back To Where You Belong (1951 USA Chess 1458 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only six copies pressed on 45.

7: The Prisonaires There Is Love In You/What'll You Do Next (1954 USA Sun 207 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only three known copies.

8: Joe Hill Louis Boogie In The Park (1950 USA Phillips 9001 10'' 78rpm, £7,500)

First release on Sam Phillips' first label, pre-Sun.

9: Sex Pistols God Save The Queen/No Feelings (1977 UK A&M AMS 7284 7'' 45rpm, £7,500)

Infamous UK punk grail.

10: The Beatles The Beatles (1968 UK Apple PCM/PCS 7067/68 individually-numbered 2LP, £7,000)

Mint low-number copies of The White Album are highly sought after. I think no. 0000011 went for something near £7k relatively recently. Four of the first five numbered copies (but not no. 0000001, so rumour has it) are/were owned by The Beatles themselves.

11: Daniel Augusta Hunt Lonesome Old Jail/Greyhound Blues (1953 USA Sun 183 7'' 45rpm, £6,200)e

Scooped by John Tefteller on eBay in 2009 for $10,000. Even Sam Phillips himself didn't think this existed on 45.

12: Queen Bohemian Rhapsody/I'm In Love With My Car (1978 UK EMI 2375 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

200 copies on blue vinyl, given away to execs and journalists at a dinner to mark EMI Int'l winning the Queen's Award For Industry in 1978.

13: John's Children A Midsummer Night's Scene/Sara Crazy Child (1967 UK Track 604005 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

Withdrawn 45 from Marc Bolan's stint with John's Children is a grail for both psych- and Bolan-collectros.

14: The Beatles Please Please Me (1963 UK Parlophone PCS 3042 LP, £3,000)

Mint mono copies with the black/gold label are scarce, and mint stereo copies are scarcer still.

15: Billy Nicholls Would You Believe? (1968 UK Immediate IMPC 009 LP, £3,000)

Only 100 finished copies entered circulation before Immediate went bust.

16: Washboard Sam Diggin' My Potatoes/Bright Eyes (1953 USA Chess 1545 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Re-recorded version of his 1939 hit.

17: Turner Moore I'll Be Leaving You/I Love You Tenderly (1959 USA Mel-O-Tone 1147 7''45rpm, £3,000)

Rockabilly grail.

18: Tinkerbell's Fairydust s/t (1969 UK Decca LK/SLK 5028 LP, £3,000)

UK psych grail that never got a full release because the band was dropped. A handful of finished copies made it out into the world.

19: John Lennon Unfinished Music No.1 (1968 UK Apple APCOR 2 LP, £3,000)

Stereo copies fetch £500, but the withdrawn mono pressing goes for six times that amount.

20: David Bowie Space Oddity/Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud (1969 UK Philips BF1801 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Stereo copy with picture cover it's the cover that commands the price.

Discuss..................

Seems pretty rock, funny that no Northern 45s make it over 3k? No Shrine? Frank Wilson?

Edited December 7, 2010 by Kris Holmes

[George G]

Discuss, eh?

OK then -

A bunch of Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame/Hard Rock Cafe wankers mixed with some genuine legendary rarities.

I'm sure we all would like to find the Sgt Pepper cover in the local junk shop but other than some "I must have EVERYTHING" wealthy Beatles collector, who cares?

I understand the value of LP cover variants but in terms of collectable records, the value is in owning an original pressing of a record for which a comparable issue can never be found. That's why blues 78s are some of the heaviest hitters. There is no master tape or second pressing. The sound of an original 78 played on proper equipment is unique.

So for original issue 45s. No MP3 or CD comp sounds quite the same, even if taken from an original.

There are several US garage 45s that have sold (or would sell) for over 3000 quid - Denise, Beer, Psychotrons, Vikings, Keggs, Graveyard Five, etc.

There are also many private pressed psych/heavy rock LPs (from US, UK) that also exceed 3000

BTW the Daniel Augusta Hunt bought for $10K was trashed - and the first discovered copy in the market, the most valuable Sun 45 by far.

[Guest john s]

Completely pointless list, as George has pointed out.

And the last decent stereo 'Please Please Me' on ebay went for over £10,000, not the £3k specified here - so even more pointless!

[Mrtag]

Out of interest for rare records sake.....

As chosen by Ian Shirley for The Word.

1: The Quarrymen - That'll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger (1958 UK private press 78rpm, £150,000)

Only one copy in existence, and Paul McCartney owns it. He repressed a batch in 1981 on 45 and 78 for friends, and even the repress goes for £10,000.

2: The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967 USA Capitol SMAS 2653, LP, £62,000)

Around 100 copies in existence. Artwork features the faces of various Capitol execs pasted over those of the Beatles and some of the historical figures on the cover.

3: Son House - Dry Spell Blues Pts. 1 & 2 (1930 USA Paramount 12990 10'' 78, £31,000)

Any Son House 78 on Paramount is worth a small fortune.

4: Willie Brown - M&O Blues/Future Blues (1930 USA Paramount 13090 10'' 78, £15,500)

Of the six sides Willie Brown recorded for Paramount, these are the only two where original copies are known to still exist.

5: Skip James - Cherry Ball Blues/Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues (1931 USA Paramount 13065 10'' 78, £15,400)

Said to be near impossible to find in playable condition.

6: Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88/Come Back To Where You Belong (1951 USA Chess 1458 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only six copies pressed on 45.

7: The Prisonaires - There Is Love In You/What'll You Do Next (1954 USA Sun 207 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only three known copies.

8: Joe Hill Louis - Boogie In The Park (1950 USA Phillips 9001 10'' 78rpm, £7,500)

First release on Sam Phillips' first label, pre-Sun.

9: Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen/No Feelings (1977 UK A&M AMS 7284 7'' 45rpm, £7,500)

Infamous UK punk grail.

10: The Beatles - The Beatles (1968 UK Apple PCM/PCS 7067/68 individually-numbered 2LP, £7,000)

Mint low-number copies of The White Album are highly sought after. I think no. 0000011 went for something near £7k relatively recently. Four of the first five numbered copies (but not no. 0000001, so rumour has it) are/were owned by The Beatles themselves.

11: Daniel Augusta Hunt - Lonesome Old Jail/Greyhound Blues (1953 USA Sun 183 7'' 45rpm, £6,200)e

Scooped by John Tefteller on eBay in 2009 for $10,000. Even Sam Phillips himself didn't think this existed on 45.

12: Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody/I'm In Love With My Car (1978 UK EMI 2375 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

200 copies on blue vinyl, given away to execs and journalists at a dinner to mark EMI Int'l winning the Queen's Award For Industry in 1978.

13: John's Children - A Midsummer Night's Scene/Sara Crazy Child (1967 UK Track 604005 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

Withdrawn 45 from Marc Bolan's stint with John's Children is a grail for both psych- and Bolan-collectros.

14: The Beatles - Please Please Me (1963 UK Parlophone PCS 3042 LP, £3,000)

Mint mono copies with the black/gold label are scarce, and mint stereo copies are scarcer still.

15: Billy Nicholls - Would You Believe? (1968 UK Immediate IMPC 009 LP, £3,000)

Only 100 finished copies entered circulation before Immediate went bust.

16: Washboard Sam - Diggin' My Potatoes/Bright Eyes (1953 USA Chess 1545 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Re-recorded version of his 1939 hit.

17: Turner Moore - I'll Be Leaving You/I Love You Tenderly (1959 USA Mel-O-Tone 1147 7''45rpm, £3,000)

Rockabilly grail.

18: Tinkerbell's Fairydust - s/t (1969 UK Decca LK/SLK 5028 LP, £3,000)

UK psych grail that never got a full release because the band was dropped. A handful of finished copies made it out into the world.

19: John Lennon - Unfinished Music No.1 (1968 UK Apple APCOR 2 LP, £3,000)

Stereo copies fetch £500, but the withdrawn mono pressing goes for six times that amount.

20: David Bowie - Space Oddity/Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud (1969 UK Philips BF1801 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Stereo copy with picture cover - it's the cover that commands the price.

Discuss..................

Seems pretty rock, funny that no Northern 45s make it over 3k? No Shrine? Frank Wilson?

According To This List Frank Wilson Would Be No4 And Don Gardner No8 Plus Others

[bri pinch]

THINK THIS LIST WAS IN THE RECORD COOLECTOR MAGAZINE, BACK IN THE 90T'S....AS SAID EARLIER COMPLETELY POINTLESS TODAY, BUT I ASUME THAT THE TOP RECORDS WILL STILL BE ROCK RECORDS THO'

BRI PINCH

[George G]

THINK THIS LIST WAS IN THE RECORD COOLECTOR MAGAZINE, BACK IN THE 90T'S....AS SAID EARLIER COMPLETELY POINTLESS TODAY, BUT I ASUME THAT THE TOP RECORDS WILL STILL BE ROCK RECORDS THO'

BRI PINCH

FWIW the D.A. Hunt 45 was found/sold in the past 12-18 months. A lot of these are the same oldies that have been flogged for years.

[George G]

I also think the Quarrymen acetate is irrevelant to any discussion - 1) It's an acetate 2) Only one made (don't know that it's true but you have trust the surviving Q-mens statements) 3) It will probably never be sold on an open market, even when Macca passes it will go somewhere.

In order for a record to have value, it has to be sold in a documentable transaction.

So what are the biggest sales for soul records?

Frank Wilson - $38K

Jr. McCants - $15K

J.D. Bryant - $10K and $9+K

Magnetics (bonnie) $8K

???????

[Dave Abbott]

I also think the Quarrymen acetate is irrevelant to any discussion - 1) It's an acetate 2) Only one made (don't know that it's true but you have trust the surviving Q-mens statements) 3) It will probably never be sold on an open market, even when Macca passes it will go somewhere.

In order for a record to have value, it has to be sold in a documentable transaction.

So what are the biggest sales for soul records?

Frank Wilson - $38K

Jr. McCants - $15K

J.D. Bryant - $10K and $9+K

Magnetics (bonnie) $8K

???????

Mello Souls at £10K just pips Jr McCants.

[Pomonkey]

Re the garage 45 suggestions 2 Psychotrons (great record!) changed hands in private deals last year, a Beer went through ebay not too long ago, a Denise & Co went to Barry Wickham for $10k after the ebay auction was pulled. And if anyone ever puts up a Gregg Barr I'll be maxing out my credit card if needs be

Edited December 7, 2010 by pomonkey

[Shsdave]

Mello Souls at £10K just pips Jr McCants.

Didn't the Mello Souls sell recently for £14K Dave ?

[Dave Abbott]

Didn't the Mello Souls sell recently for £14K Dave ?

actually, yes Dave, that has been the figured mentioned (substantionated?) - so deffo takes 2nd place

[Hammie]

Thought the PROPHETS - ONE GOLD PIECE -SHRINE

was aquired by a well known Dj for a five figure sum.

Anyone have any details on this ?

[Wiggyflat]

Did a house clearance a few weeks ago and found a load of Canadian Beatles Lp's (8 or 9) along with that Unfinished Business Lp.Unfortunately just checked the Pepper and no executives.Found a load of reel to reel tapes as well fom Canadian radio which are marked Doors and Jefferson Airplane. I need a machine that plays these though.....on a soul note there was one solitary single by Eric Mercury.Anybody want the John Lennon Lp???

Edited December 7, 2010 by wiggyflat

[Guest I KNOW NOTHING]

WHERE IS BOB DYLANs FREEWHEELING WITH THE 4 EXTRA TRACKS. THATS ABOUT 30K

[Garethx]

Or indeed the Velvet Underground 'N. Dolph' acetate?

[Sweeney]

Or the Rolling Stones 'Street Fighting Man' US Picture Sleeve that went for £9650 in 2007?

[Chalky]

Didn't the Mello Souls sell recently for £14K Dave ?

no it was less than that.

[Dave Thorley]

As with all of these list you are relying on the complier knowing everything, which he clearly doesn't, as most of us don't. Or as is often the case a publication asks someone to put together a list and someone says ' ask so and so, he is an expert in this' the said person takes up the challenge, but in reality his depth of knowledge is mainly in one area. He then does a scant bit of reseach, which is often only to support what he already thought he knew and you end up with these ill informed lists, as above.

The list then quickly gets dismissed or is reused time and time again, depending on the readership. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.

Edited December 8, 2010 by Dave Thorley

[KevH]

Re the garage 45 suggestions 2 Psychotrons (great record!) changed hands in private deals last year, a Beer went through ebay not too long ago, a Denise & Co went to Barry Wickham for $10k after the ebay auction was pulled. And if anyone ever puts up a Gregg Barr I'll be maxing out my credit card if needs be

Would Junius Bugs Hughes get into 19th place?

[paup-ine]

Out of interest for rare records sake.....

As chosen by Ian Shirley for The Word.

1: The Quarrymen That'll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger (1958 UK private press 78rpm, £150,000)

Only one copy in existence, and Paul McCartney owns it. He repressed a batch in 1981 on 45 and 78 for friends, and even the repress goes for £10,000.

2: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967 USA Capitol SMAS 2653, LP, £62,000)

Around 100 copies in existence. Artwork features the faces of various Capitol execs pasted over those of the Beatles and some of the historical figures on the cover.

3: Son House Dry Spell Blues Pts. 1 & 2 (1930 USA Paramount 12990 10'' 78, £31,000)

Any Son House 78 on Paramount is worth a small fortune.

4: Willie Brown - M&O Blues/Future Blues (1930 USA Paramount 13090 10'' 78, £15,500)

Of the six sides Willie Brown recorded for Paramount, these are the only two where original copies are known to still exist.

5: Skip James Cherry Ball Blues/Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues (1931 USA Paramount 13065 10'' 78, £15,400)

Said to be near impossible to find in playable condition.

6: Jackie Brenston Rocket 88/Come Back To Where You Belong (1951 USA Chess 1458 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only six copies pressed on 45.

7: The Prisonaires There Is Love In You/What'll You Do Next (1954 USA Sun 207 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only three known copies.

8: Joe Hill Louis Boogie In The Park (1950 USA Phillips 9001 10'' 78rpm, £7,500)

First release on Sam Phillips' first label, pre-Sun.

9: Sex Pistols God Save The Queen/No Feelings (1977 UK A&M AMS 7284 7'' 45rpm, £7,500)

Infamous UK punk grail.

10: The Beatles The Beatles (1968 UK Apple PCM/PCS 7067/68 individually-numbered 2LP, £7,000)

Mint low-number copies of The White Album are highly sought after. I think no. 0000011 went for something near £7k relatively recently. Four of the first five numbered copies (but not no. 0000001, so rumour has it) are/were owned by The Beatles themselves.

11: Daniel Augusta Hunt Lonesome Old Jail/Greyhound Blues (1953 USA Sun 183 7'' 45rpm, £6,200)e

Scooped by John Tefteller on eBay in 2009 for $10,000. Even Sam Phillips himself didn't think this existed on 45.

12: Queen Bohemian Rhapsody/I'm In Love With My Car (1978 UK EMI 2375 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

200 copies on blue vinyl, given away to execs and journalists at a dinner to mark EMI Int'l winning the Queen's Award For Industry in 1978.

13: John's Children A Midsummer Night's Scene/Sara Crazy Child (1967 UK Track 604005 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

Withdrawn 45 from Marc Bolan's stint with John's Children is a grail for both psych- and Bolan-collectros.

14: The Beatles Please Please Me (1963 UK Parlophone PCS 3042 LP, £3,000)

Mint mono copies with the black/gold label are scarce, and mint stereo copies are scarcer still.

15: Billy Nicholls Would You Believe? (1968 UK Immediate IMPC 009 LP, £3,000)

Only 100 finished copies entered circulation before Immediate went bust.

16: Washboard Sam Diggin' My Potatoes/Bright Eyes (1953 USA Chess 1545 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Re-recorded version of his 1939 hit.

17: Turner Moore I'll Be Leaving You/I Love You Tenderly (1959 USA Mel-O-Tone 1147 7''45rpm, £3,000)

Rockabilly grail.

18: Tinkerbell's Fairydust s/t (1969 UK Decca LK/SLK 5028 LP, £3,000)

UK psych grail that never got a full release because the band was dropped. A handful of finished copies made it out into the world.

19: John Lennon Unfinished Music No.1 (1968 UK Apple APCOR 2 LP, £3,000)

Stereo copies fetch £500, but the withdrawn mono pressing goes for six times that amount.

20: David Bowie Space Oddity/Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud (1969 UK Philips BF1801 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Stereo copy with picture cover it's the cover that commands the price.

Discuss..................

Seems pretty rock, funny that no Northern 45s make it over 3k? No Shrine? Frank Wilson?

really?? i've got this in the attic..it can';t be that rare if i have a copy

P

Edited December 8, 2010 by paup-ine

[Pomonkey]

<<>>> Haha I wish mate, at one point had 3 mint copies of that filed together

How much did the Velvet Underground alternate version of their 1st lp go for, close to 6 figures not 5, and bought at the 26th St flea market for what, $10 or so, hard to beat that one

[Jaco]

really?? i've got this in the attic..it can';t be that rare if i have a copy

P

You will have the single issued on Virgin.

It was originally scheduled to be issued on A & M but most copies were destroyed when the lads had their contracted with A & M cancelled due to certain "misdemeanours" in the A & M offices and a ruck with somebody connected to the label.

Only a handful are said to exist and therefore "holy grail" is an apt description.

[paup-ine]

You will have the single issued on Virgin.

It was originally scheduled to be issued on A & M but most copies were destroyed when the lads had their contracted with A & M cancelled due to certain "misdemeanours" in the A & M offices and a ruck with somebody connected to the label.

Only a handful are said to exist and therefore "holy grail" is an apt description.

Oh I see that makes sense thanks

P

[George G]

<<>>> Haha I wish mate, at one point had 3 mint copies of that filed together

How much did the Velvet Underground alternate version of their 1st lp go for, close to 6 figures not 5, and bought at the 26th St flea market for what, $10 or so, hard to beat that one

Sold for under $30K. The first sale at $100K was to a fake bidder and it was relisted. The first sale results were apparently newsworthy enough to make onto a top of the hour network radio newscast!

[George G]

You will have the single issued on Virgin.

It was originally scheduled to be issued on A & M but most copies were destroyed when the lads had their contracted with A & M cancelled due to certain "misdemeanours" in the A & M offices and a ruck with somebody connected to the label.

Only a handful are said to exist and therefore "holy grail" is an apt description.

And booted (or more accurately, 'counterfeited') a couple times.

[George G]

Re the garage 45 suggestions 2 Psychotrons (great record!) changed hands in private deals last year, a Beer went through ebay not too long ago, a Denise & Co went to Barry Wickham for $10k after the ebay auction was pulled. And if anyone ever puts up a Gregg Barr I'll be maxing out my credit card if needs be

Additional copies of Beer, Denise, and G5 have changed hands in the past couple years. Beer for much more than the eBay sale (it was in better shape as well). I knew a guy who had the Greg Barr 45. I remember hearing it in his record room. I dunno what happened to it, that was 25 years ago.

[Garethx]

<<>>> Haha I wish mate, at one point had 3 mint copies of that filed together

How much did the Velvet Underground alternate version of their 1st lp go for, close to 6 figures not 5, and bought at the 26th St flea market for what, $10 or so, hard to beat that one

Bought for 75 cents at the Chelsea flea market.

[Guest theoriginator56]

Out of interest for rare records sake.....

As chosen by Ian Shirley for The Word.

1: The Quarrymen - That'll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger (1958 UK private press 78rpm, £150,000)

Only one copy in existence, and Paul McCartney owns it. He repressed a batch in 1981 on 45 and 78 for friends, and even the repress goes for £10,000.

2: The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967 USA Capitol SMAS 2653, LP, £62,000)

Around 100 copies in existence. Artwork features the faces of various Capitol execs pasted over those of the Beatles and some of the historical figures on the cover.

3: Son House - Dry Spell Blues Pts. 1 & 2 (1930 USA Paramount 12990 10'' 78, £31,000)

Any Son House 78 on Paramount is worth a small fortune.

4: Willie Brown - M&O Blues/Future Blues (1930 USA Paramount 13090 10'' 78, £15,500)

Of the six sides Willie Brown recorded for Paramount, these are the only two where original copies are known to still exist.

5: Skip James - Cherry Ball Blues/Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues (1931 USA Paramount 13065 10'' 78, £15,400)

Said to be near impossible to find in playable condition.

6: Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88/Come Back To Where You Belong (1951 USA Chess 1458 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only six copies pressed on 45.

7: The Prisonaires - There Is Love In You/What'll You Do Next (1954 USA Sun 207 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only three known copies.

8: Joe Hill Louis - Boogie In The Park (1950 USA Phillips 9001 10'' 78rpm, £7,500)

First release on Sam Phillips' first label, pre-Sun.

9: Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen/No Feelings (1977 UK A&M AMS 7284 7'' 45rpm, £7,500)

Infamous UK punk grail.

10: The Beatles - The Beatles (1968 UK Apple PCM/PCS 7067/68 individually-numbered 2LP, £7,000)

Mint low-number copies of The White Album are highly sought after. I think no. 0000011 went for something near £7k relatively recently. Four of the first five numbered copies (but not no. 0000001, so rumour has it) are/were owned by The Beatles themselves.

11: Daniel Augusta Hunt - Lonesome Old Jail/Greyhound Blues (1953 USA Sun 183 7'' 45rpm, £6,200)e

Scooped by John Tefteller on eBay in 2009 for $10,000. Even Sam Phillips himself didn't think this existed on 45.

12: Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody/I'm In Love With My Car (1978 UK EMI 2375 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

200 copies on blue vinyl, given away to execs and journalists at a dinner to mark EMI Int'l winning the Queen's Award For Industry in 1978.

13: John's Children - A Midsummer Night's Scene/Sara Crazy Child (1967 UK Track 604005 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

Withdrawn 45 from Marc Bolan's stint with John's Children is a grail for both psych- and Bolan-collectros.

14: The Beatles - Please Please Me (1963 UK Parlophone PCS 3042 LP, £3,000)

Mint mono copies with the black/gold label are scarce, and mint stereo copies are scarcer still.

15: Billy Nicholls - Would You Believe? (1968 UK Immediate IMPC 009 LP, £3,000)

Only 100 finished copies entered circulation before Immediate went bust.

16: Washboard Sam - Diggin' My Potatoes/Bright Eyes (1953 USA Chess 1545 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Re-recorded version of his 1939 hit.

17: Turner Moore - I'll Be Leaving You/I Love You Tenderly (1959 USA Mel-O-Tone 1147 7''45rpm, £3,000)

Rockabilly grail.

18: Tinkerbell's Fairydust - s/t (1969 UK Decca LK/SLK 5028 LP, £3,000)

UK psych grail that never got a full release because the band was dropped. A handful of finished copies made it out into the world.

19: John Lennon - Unfinished Music No.1 (1968 UK Apple APCOR 2 LP, £3,000)

Stereo copies fetch £500, but the withdrawn mono pressing goes for six times that amount.

20: David Bowie - Space Oddity/Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud (1969 UK Philips BF1801 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Stereo copy with picture cover - it's the cover that commands the price.

Discuss..................

Seems pretty rock, funny that no Northern 45s make it over 3k? No Shrine? Frank Wilson?

or roy brown sat night uk london mark lamar may have a copy? foun a copy of this local boot fair 1986 30pence (gospel)

a 78rpm robert jonson?

[Kris Holmes]

I guess I just expected something a bit broader from the editor of Record Collector magazine. After all, they've run northern soul lists in the past etc.

[Pomonkey]

Allegedly a G5 was coming to WFMU this year but didn't see if so, know another Denise was amusingly found right after the ebay one but dinked, don't know if that ever got flipped, from your comment guess 1 or 2 more finally surfaced too. As to George's comment that he was in the presence of a Greg Barr.....aaaagh!! (cue explosion until I can steal the Tardis to go back 25 years).

[Ady Croasdell]

In my pop dealing days I had #s 13 and 15 and nearly bought a Pistols for £100. A rarer one was my vinyl test press of Plastic Ono Band What's The New Mary Jane on Apple.

[Ady Croasdell]

I also acted as agent for flogging the first Stones acetate for £5000 about 25 years ago, there were meant to have been 3-5 cut.

[Lost Soul]

Out of interest for rare records sake.....

As chosen by Ian Shirley for The Word.

1: The Quarrymen – That'll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger (1958 UK private press 78rpm, £150,000)

Only one copy in existence, and Paul McCartney owns it. He repressed a batch in 1981 on 45 and 78 for friends, and even the repress goes for £10,000.

2: The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967 USA Capitol SMAS 2653, LP, £62,000)

Around 100 copies in existence. Artwork features the faces of various Capitol execs pasted over those of the Beatles and some of the historical figures on the cover.

3: Son House – Dry Spell Blues Pts. 1 & 2 (1930 USA Paramount 12990 10'' 78, £31,000)

Any Son House 78 on Paramount is worth a small fortune.

4: Willie Brown - M&O Blues/Future Blues (1930 USA Paramount 13090 10'' 78, £15,500)

Of the six sides Willie Brown recorded for Paramount, these are the only two where original copies are known to still exist.

5: Skip James – Cherry Ball Blues/Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues (1931 USA Paramount 13065 10'' 78, £15,400)

Said to be near impossible to find in playable condition.

6: Jackie Brenston – Rocket 88/Come Back To Where You Belong (1951 USA Chess 1458 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only six copies pressed on 45.

7: The Prisonaires – There Is Love In You/What'll You Do Next (1954 USA Sun 207 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)

Only three known copies.

8: Joe Hill Louis – Boogie In The Park (1950 USA Phillips 9001 10'' 78rpm, £7,500)

First release on Sam Phillips' first label, pre-Sun.

9: Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen/No Feelings (1977 UK A&M AMS 7284 7'' 45rpm, £7,500)

Infamous UK punk grail.

10: The Beatles – The Beatles (1968 UK Apple PCM/PCS 7067/68 individually-numbered 2LP, £7,000)

Mint low-number copies of The White Album are highly sought after. I think no. 0000011 went for something near £7k relatively recently. Four of the first five numbered copies (but not no. 0000001, so rumour has it) are/were owned by The Beatles themselves.

11: Daniel Augusta Hunt – Lonesome Old Jail/Greyhound Blues (1953 USA Sun 183 7'' 45rpm, £6,200)e

Scooped by John Tefteller on eBay in 2009 for $10,000. Even Sam Phillips himself didn't think this existed on 45.

12: Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody/I'm In Love With My Car (1978 UK EMI 2375 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

200 copies on blue vinyl, given away to execs and journalists at a dinner to mark EMI Int'l winning the Queen's Award For Industry in 1978.

13: John's Children – A Midsummer Night's Scene/Sara Crazy Child (1967 UK Track 604005 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

Withdrawn 45 from Marc Bolan's stint with John's Children is a grail for both psych- and Bolan-collectros.

14: The Beatles – Please Please Me (1963 UK Parlophone PCS 3042 LP, £3,000)

Mint mono copies with the black/gold label are scarce, and mint stereo copies are scarcer still.

15: Billy Nicholls – Would You Believe? (1968 UK Immediate IMPC 009 LP, £3,000)

Only 100 finished copies entered circulation before Immediate went bust.

16: Washboard Sam – Diggin' My Potatoes/Bright Eyes (1953 USA Chess 1545 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Re-recorded version of his 1939 hit.

17: Turner Moore – I'll Be Leaving You/I Love You Tenderly (1959 USA Mel-O-Tone 1147 7''45rpm, £3,000)

Rockabilly grail.

18: Tinkerbell's Fairydust – s/t (1969 UK Decca LK/SLK 5028 LP, £3,000)

UK psych grail that never got a full release because the band was dropped. A handful of finished copies made it out into the world.

19: John Lennon – Unfinished Music No.1 (1968 UK Apple APCOR 2 LP, £3,000)

Stereo copies fetch £500, but the withdrawn mono pressing goes for six times that amount.

20: David Bowie – Space Oddity/Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud (1969 UK Philips BF1801 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)

Stereo copy with picture cover – it's the cover that commands the price.

Discuss..................

Seems pretty rock, funny that no Northern 45s make it over 3k? No Shrine? Frank Wilson?

The records you mention in the list above are small change!

The one below is worth your entire list added together many times over!

The most expensive record ever sold (to my knowledge) is the infamous copy of the 'Double Fantasy' LP by John Lennon.

The record was signed by John Lennon at 1 west, 72nd st, (The Dakota), New York, on the 8th December 1980. The LP was signed for Mark David Chapman (the security Guard, who then murdered Lennon, shortly after the record was signed).

The record sold at auction for a cool $850.000 (over three quarters of a million!).

The album John Lennon autographed for his killer Mark David Chapman on the day he was murdered is up for sale.

The current owner has decided to sell the signed Double Fantasy record for a staggering $850,000 (£567,000) after receiving death threats since purchasing the LP ... (who said that owning your ultimate collectable 'grail' record could make you happy).

Incidentally, (from your list) - I had the record below in my 'record fair' days in the mid 1980's.

13: John's Children – A Midsummer Night's Scene/Sara Crazy Child (1967 UK Track 604005 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)

Withdrawn 45 from Marc Bolan's stint with John's Children is a grail for both psych- and Bolan-collectros.

I'd had it listed in Record Collector Magazine on numerous occasions, with no offers, or interest at all.

It was on my wall display stand for a couple of years, travelling every Saturday and Sunday to record fairs thoughout the UK with very little interest, (other than people asking) "is that really the price for that record" etc....

I ended up selling it at the Griffin Hotel Record Fair in Leeds (on a very quiet cold Sunday) for £125 quid and 4 copies of David Bowie's Ashes To Ashes (with the individual sets of stamps, that were worth about £20 each at the time). The record sold to a T-Rex collector, that also came from Leeds and had written many articles on Bolan/T-Rex for Record Collector Magazine, fan club stuff, etc... (my copy also had the 'Factory Sample' stamp on the label).

If we only had ebay then eh?

It just goes to show, that ANY item is worth no more, or no less, than what someone is prepared to pay for it, at that given time.

A quick little story for you (to substantiate the worth/value of records)...

There was once a 'wants' ad in Record Collector. A Guy wanted a copy of Bobby Goldsboro's 'Honey' (A simple UK chart single from the late 70's, nothing rare at all). He said in his advert, that he would pay up to £50.00 for the record (it was basically a £1.50 record).

In the coming months people started advertising the Bobby Goldsboro disc for £50 (as they had seen, and word had got round, that someone had advertised for the record at the said price, and they had assumed that £50 had to be it's current value right? - WRONG).

It turned out that the guy's wife had just died, and he knew nothing about records or thier values, he just wanted a copy desperately to play at his wife's funeral. (obviously after losing his wife, the record had such a sentimental value to him that £50 was neither here or there).

He probably walked in to WH Smith's and asked for the record, was told it was deleted and no longer available, and most likely the sales assistant had pointed him to the magazine stand, and told him that record collector was his best bet.

However, this does not, or never will mean the record is worth £50. (it was still only a £1.50 record). It was only ever worth £50 to ONE person at that particular time in his life, and once he had a copy, the record was only worth what any other ex-chart record was worth at that time (£1 - £1.50) Unless someone else wanted it so desperately, and didn't have a clue where to buy second hand records...

Well that's my 2p's worth.

Take Care all (I did some great dance moves at the weekend, sadly on the ice outside, not the dance floor) . Be careful...

Jools

Edited December 9, 2010 by Lost Soul

[Pomonkey]

My introduction to record dealing happened at the ripe old age of 15 in a classroom in Buckinghamshire, was talked into trading my copy of the Sex Pistols on A&M for a couple of similar genre 45's by - still remember his name - Robert Mance who then promptly informed me that the 45 was already "rare" - although had no concept of that in those days - and I'd fucked up royally. No idea what he did with it but do remember his other knowledge wasn't up to his record dealing acumen as he was crap when it came to our exams the next year, but still growl every time I see a copy of it going for $$$'s must admit.

[Raremusicdirect]

Not really interested in the records featured in this list ; any merit as pointed to in top 20 Northern Soul tunes (by known value)......unless its been done already ? Not a rarity by value debate, just a pure list of 20 by value paid

[Tai-pan]

Not really interested in the records featured in this list ; any merit as pointed to in top 20 Northern Soul tunes (by known value)......unless its been done already ? Not a rarity by value debate, just a pure list of 20 by value paid

Top 30 by value??

Don't think they'll be too much debate about the top 5,

Frank Wilson - Soul - £20k

COD's - Kellmac - £15K

Mello Souls - Mello - £12k

Don Garner - Sedgrick £8k

Junior McCants - King £7k

Gets a bit tricky with next 15 (6 to 20) but I suspect it would readsomething like this, (most in that £6k to £3k space),

Counts - Shrine

Prophets - Shrine

Magnetics - Bonnie

Cavaliers - Shrine

Precisions - Drew

Combinations - Kellmac

Stanley Evans - Phil La Soul

Bobby Wisdom - Out A Site

Kell Osborne - Highland

Margaret Little - Genebro

Ernestine Eady - Phil La Soul

Little John - Gogate

Jimmy & Sundials - V-Tone

Little Johnny Hamilton - Dore

Swans - Dore

Closely followed by the next 10 (21 to 30)

Ester Grant - Wildstone

Larry Clinton - Dynamo (Issue)

William Powell - Powerhouse

Damon Fox - Fairmount

Frank Beverley - Rouser

Joseph Webster - Crow

Florescent Smog - Wig

Extremes - 4 J

Saints - Wig Wam

Arthur Willis - Mars LaTour

[George G]

There was once a 'wants' ad in Record Collector. A Guy wanted a copy of Bobby Goldsboro's 'Honey' (A simple UK chart single from the late 70's, nothing rare at all). He said in his advert, that he would pay up to £50.00 for the record (it was basically a £1.50 record).

This is the most disturbing thing I've ever read here

- anyone who would offer 50 quid for "Honey" is a deranged psychopath. I imagine it used as "Stuck In The Middle With You" in "Resevoir Dogs"

[George G]

Top 30 by value??

Don't think they'll be too much debate about the top 5,

Frank Wilson - Soul - £20k

COD's - Kellmac - £15K

Mello Souls - Mello - £12k

Don Garner - Sedgrick £8k

Junior McCants - King £7k

Gets a bit tricky with next 15 (6 to 20) but I suspect it would readsomething like this, (most in that £6k to £3k space),

Counts - Shrine

Prophets - Shrine

Magnetics - Bonnie

Cavaliers - Shrine

Precisions - Drew

Combinations - Kellmac

Stanley Evans - Phil La Soul

Bobby Wisdom - Out A Site

Kell Osborne - Highland

Margaret Little - Genebro

Ernestine Eady - Phil La Soul

Little John - Gogate

Jimmy & Sundials - V-Tone

Little Johnny Hamilton - Dore

Swans - Dore

Closely followed by the next 10 (21 to 30)

Ester Grant - Wildstone

Larry Clinton - Dynamo (Issue)

William Powell - Powerhouse

Damon Fox - Fairmount

Frank Beverley - Rouser

Joseph Webster - Crow

Florescent Smog - Wig

Extremes - 4 J

Saints - Wig Wam

Arthur Willis - Mars LaTour

Very interesting to a non-Soulie record nerd like me.

How about - Inspirations (Breakthrough) ?

Eddie Parker (Awake) two sales at $7K - ish

[Lost Soul]

There was once a 'wants' ad in Record Collector. A Guy wanted a copy of Bobby Goldsboro's 'Honey' (A simple UK chart single from the late 70's, nothing rare at all). He said in his advert, that he would pay up to £50.00 for the record (it was basically a £1.50 record).

This is the most disturbing thing I've ever read here

- anyone who would offer 50 quid for "Honey" is a deranged psychopath. I imagine it used as "Stuck In The Middle With You" in "Resevoir Dogs"

Why don't you read and quote the full post BEFORE you reply! - Then you would understand the man was not 'deranged' His wife had just died, it was there favorite song, and he wanted the record to play at her funeral! So he placed a want's ad in record collector saying he would pay up to £50 for the record. it's all there in my original post!

Edited December 9, 2010 by Lost Soul

[Jnixon]

Bought for 75 cents at the Chelsea flea market.

it went for just over 150,000 usd from memory. my 75,000 bid never touched the sides.

i seem to remember a museum bought it which if correct would have been a relief for the guy from a financial transaction perspective.

Edited December 12, 2010 by JNixon