Most Valuable Vinyl Records Worth Money

These rare vinyl records are worth millions of dollars.

Most Valuable Vinyl Records Worth Money

Ray Cordeiro, Hong Kong's oldest DJ with a vinyl record

Vinyl record culture has come back from near extinction to 41.72-million vinyl record sales in 2021. That's up 51.4 percent from 27.55 million in 2020 and the 16th consecutive year vinyl album sales grew.

While that's a fraction of the world's estimated $16 billion recording-industry revenue (most from cheap digital downloads and streams), some fans are still willing to pop a bit extra for a physical, quality copy of their favorite music that won't vanish when their iPhone melts down.

A healthy chunk of those sales comes from reissues of classic albums by everyone from The Doors to Dylan. However, collectors know the real vinyl money lies in original pressings and rare vinyl records. And so, we've compiled a list of the 35 most valuable vinyl records. They are worth over a combined $2 million and would make the crew from "High Fidelity" drool.

Before We Drop the Needle on This Licorice Pizza

Here's a quick record glossary:

RPM: Stands for "revolutions per minute." This is the speed at which a phonograph turntable revolves a record.

Vinyl: A synthetic plastic polymer, usually the color black, used to make a phonograph record.

Acetate: A metal, lacquer-coated disc that's produced on specialized equipment, often on the fly, for a demonstration recording of a master tape.

Shellac: A record made from a brittle wax between the 1890s and 1950s, often for a disc that plays at 78 rpm.

34. Miles Davis, "Kind of Blue" (Tie)

Year: 1959

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "So What"

Value: $1,000

Bottom Line: Miles Davis, "Kind of Blue"

While it's not this list's priciest record, "Kind of Blue" will always be on the short list of very desirable collector's items. Nothing will knock out your jazz-cat friends like casually tossing an original 1959 pressing of this platter on the turntable.

What you want is Davis' hard-bop classic on Columbia Records' so-called "6-eye label," which sells for about $1,000 on eBay.

Cool, baby, cool.

Fact Check: Miles Davis

Miles Davis retired from performing in the 1970s due to his poor health but returned to the spotlight in 1981, kicking off a decade-long stretch that garnered him the strongest commercial reception of his career.

When Davis began performing and recording again in 1981, he did so in front of sold-out crowds but refused to perform his early work, like "The Birth of Cool."

Davis died in 1991, at 65 years old.

34. Led Zeppelin, "Led Zeppelin" (Tie)

Year: 1969

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Dazed and Confused"

Value: $1,000

Bottom Line: Led Zeppelin, "Led Zeppelin"

The only thing cooler than having Zep's thunderous debut album in your crate of old vinyl is discovering it's a first U.K. pressing of the record.

How can you tell? On the album cover, set against the iconic picture of the Hindenburg disaster, the "Led Zeppelin" lettering and Atlantic Records logo are the color turquoise rather than the orange color found on all later editions.

What's it worth? In nice condition, an easy $1,000.

Fact Check: Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin was hands down the biggest band of the 1970s. They've sold an estimated 200 million-300 million copies of their albums and at one point had six consecutive albums hit the Billboard Hot 200 at No. 1.

Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

33. The Who, "The Who Sell Out"

Year: 1967

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "I Can See for Miles"

Value: $1,100

Bottom Line: The Who, "The Who Sell Out"

Prior to more famous Who concept albums like "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia," there was this LP, presented as a 1960s British "pirate radio" broadcast filled with songs, fake commercials and mock public service announcements. The cover art — featuring Pete Townshend wielding a super-size stick of deodorant and Roger Daltrey in a bathtub full of Heinz baked beans — is worth the price of admission alone.

Released on the Track label, the first 1,000 U.K. pressings of the album (500 in mono, 500 in stereo) included a folded "psychedelic poster" of a colorful butterfly — a perfect addition to your hippie crash-pad decor.

Should you trip upon a copy (with the all-important poster), it’ll sell on eBay for about $1,100.

Fact Check: The Who

The Who at MSG — The Who played all around the world.

Of the four original members of The Who — Roger Daltrey, John Entwisle, Keith Moon and Pete Townshend — only Daltrey and Townshend are still alive.

Moon was 32 years old when he died in 1978 of a drug overdose at his flat in London. Entwistle died in 2002, at 57 years old, in Paradise, Nevada, from a heart attack that was caused by using a large amount of cocaine.

32. Bruce Springsteen, "Last American Hero From Asbury Park N.J."

Year: 1978

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Born to Run"

Value: $2,400

Bottom Line: Bruce Springsteen, "Last American Hero From Asbury Park N.J."

Among the most sought-after Boss records, this LP sampler was exclusive to Japan and contains a compilation of 10 tracks to help promote the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album.

Fortunately for collectors, the problem is none of the included cuts are from said album, but rather plucked from Springsteen's first three LPs.

It's believed less than 100 copies were released, and today sell for as high as $2,400.

Fact Check: Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen had his breakout album with "Born to Run" in 1975, although he wouldn't be the only one to catapult to fame after working on the album.

A little-known engineer on the album, Jimmy Iovine, would become one of the most influential people in the music industry as a producer, and was one of the driving forces behind careers as diverse as U2, Dr. Dre and Tom Petty.

In 2021, Forbes estimated Iovine's net worth at around $1 billion.

31. Nirvana, "Bleach"

Year: 1989

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "About a Girl"

Value: $2,500

Bottom Line: Nirvana, "Bleach"

Chris Novoselic, Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana

Gen Xers, your cherished wax copy of Nirvana's landmark 1991 album "Nevermind" may have big sentimental value, but unless you've got a first pressing in mint condition (unlikely), it ain't worth much.

The Nirvana record that collectors lust after is the band's '89 debut album, "Bleach," on Seattle's grunge-pioneering label, Sub Pop. The priciest editions are the third pressing on red-and-white marbled vinyl and limited to 500 copies. They are about $1,100 in cherry condition.

And the original 1,000-copy issue on white vinyl sold for as much as $2,500.

Fact Check: Nirvana

Nirvana saw its time as band come to a tragic end in 1994, when lead singer Kurt Cobain committed suicide at his Seattle-area home. It was one of the more shocking moments in the history of music.

One of Cobain's bandmates, Dave Grohl, went on to found rock supergroup Foo Fighters several years later, and they have won 15 Grammy Awards (the most of any American band) and sold over 32 million albums worldwide.

29. Madonna, "Erotica" (Tie)

Year: 1992

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Value: $4,000

Bottom Line: Madonna, "Erotica"

Madonna vinyl doesn't usually command big bucks, unless it's this U.K.-pressed picture-disc single featuring an image of the Material Girl sucking on supermodel Naomi Campbell's big toe.

Upon the record's impending release, British royal Sarah, Duchess of York (aka "Fergie"), was embroiled in a tabloid scandal involving a photo of her toes being sucked by an extramarital lover. Warner Bros. Records honchos, not wanting to appear as if they were cashing in on a foot-fetish controversy, withdrew the single.

Yet more than 100 copies went unaccounted for. Depending on the condition, today they sell on eBay for $3,000 to $4,000.

Fact Check: Madonna

Musicians do not get more famous than the point Madonna reached in the early 1990s. Not only was she a best-selling recording artist but she also found herself as the lead in about a dozen movies from the mid-1980s through the early 2000s.

Out of those movies, Madonna's most critically acclaimed role came with the musical "Evita" in 1996, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy.

As of this writing in 2024, she's making her way across the U.S. for her CelebrationTour.

29. Elvis Presley, "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky" (Tie)

Year: 1954

Format: 7-inch vinyl, 45 rpm

Value: $4,000

Bottom Line: Elvis Presley, "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky"

Some Elvis Presley aficionados argue that The King's first commercially released single, recorded at Memphis' Sun Studio, was also the first rock 'n' roll genre record ever made.

Whether you agree or not, there's no denying an original pressing (with Sun catalog number "209" on the label) can be worth a bundle. Copies in good shape average around $1,000, while records in exceptionally clean condition can net up to $4,000.

Thank you, thankyaverymuch.

Fact Check: Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley's life has been turned into a movie several times since his death, most recently in Baz Luhrmann's epic biopic "Elvis" (featuring Austin Butler) and Sophia Coppola's "Priscilla" (with "Saltburn" star Jacob Elordi playing the King.

28. Depeche Mode, "Music for the Masses"

Year: 1987

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Strangelove"

Value: $4,600

Bottom Line: Depeche Mode, "Music for the Masses"

Performance Microphone Singing Night Club Skill Mouth Open Arts Culture and Entertainment

Every 1980s new waver worth their Flock of Seagulls hairdo had this Depeche Mode album back in the day. Yet precious few possess the record in its original U.K. cover sleeve featuring an orange-and-white megaphone.

The band withdrew the cover at the last minute, but a dozen copies survived. In the '90s, they were accidentally shipped to record stores as samples of a planned reissue of the album that was eventually scrapped.

In 2011, former band member Alan Wilder auctioned his personal copy for $4,600. A few others have surfaced on eBay and commanded prices in the same ballpark.

Fact Check: Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, in 2017 and 2018, before finally gaining induction as part of the 2020 class.

Depeche Mode's true legacy as an electronic band can be seen in the groups it influenced. The Killers, Muse, Arcade Fire, Nine Inch Nails, Coldplay, No Doubt and Linkin Park are among the groups who have cited Depeche Mode as one of their main influences.

27. Misfits, "Legacy of Brutality"

Misfits, "Legacy of Brutality" album art

Year: 1986

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Where Eagles Dare"

Value: $5,000

Bottom Line: Misfits, "Legacy of Brutality"

If you like your horror punk rock pressed on limited-edition, pink-colored vinyl, this compilation album by Glenn Danzig and the gang is for you. Only 16 copies of this second-pressing pink platter were made.

Depending on whether the record was kept in cherry condition or accidentally stomped during a living-room mosh pit session, expect to pay between $2,000 and $5,000.

Fact Check: Misfits

Misfits founder Glenn Danzig had an interesting second act to his career. He went on to found bands Samhain and most notably Danzig, and released the hit song "Mother" in 1988 with the latter group.

Glenn Danzig not only created his own bands and wrote his own music. He also did so for other artists, including Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison.

26. Century Symphony Orchestra, "Waltzes by Johann Strauss, Jr."

Year: 1956

Format: 7-inch vinyl, 45 rpm

Value: $5,500

Bottom Line: Century Symphony Orchestra, "Waltzes by Johann Strauss, Jr."

Before Andy Warhol created iconic "pop art" album covers for the likes of the Rolling Stones and Velvet Underground, he was a 1950s artist-for-hire inking cover illustrations for jazz and classical records.

Among those gigs was the cover art for this ultra-rare EP. Of the seven extant copies, one is displayed in Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum, while another sold on eBay in 2012 for nearly $5,500.

Fact Check: Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol's art has become some of the most sought-after and expensive of all time. His 1963 serigraph "Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)" sold for a whopping $105 million in 2013.

Warhol's ideas and creations can still be seen today in pop culture. He founded Interview magazine with British journalist John Wilcock in 1969.

25. David Bowie and Dana Gillespie, "Bowpromo"

Year: 1971

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Oh! You Pretty Things"

Value: $6,000

Bottom Line: David Bowie and Dana Gillespie, "Bowpromo"

In 1971, David Bowie's manager had 500 promo records pressed to help his client and fellow artist Dana Gillespie secure a new deal with RCA Records. Side one included tracks that'd later appear on Bowie's landmark album "Hunky Dory," while the flip side featured Gillespie's songs.

Since the record was solely intended for industry execs, it had a blank white label and came in a plain sleeve. Nowadays, the only way collectors can verify a copy as the real McCoy is by the matrix number "BOWPROMO 1A-1/1B-1" stamped on the record itself, hence the nickname "Bowpromo."

If you can't spare $5,000 to $6,000 for an original, 5,000 reproductions were pressed for a 2017 Record Store Day release that goes for about $30 on eBay.

Fact Check: David Bowie

David Bowie became one of the best-selling musicians of all time. His albums are estimated to have sold over 100 million copies worldwide.

Bowie, who died in 2016 at 69 years old, also had an acting career that spanned over six decades from the 1960s through the 2010s.

24. Max Steiner, "The Caine Mutiny"

Year: 1954

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Value: $6,700

Bottom Line: Max Steiner, "The Caine Mutiny"

The world's rarest movie soundtrack LP is for this classic World War II drama starring Humphrey Bogart and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Herman Wouk. On the first pressing of the album, side one features composer Max Steiner's film score, while side two contains the complete dialogue from the movie's climactic courtroom scene.

A furious Wouk saw the latter as infringement on his intellectual property and threatened to forbid Columbia Pictures from ever making another movie based on his work unless the album was canceled. The studio obliged, but not before an estimated dozen copies landed in the hands of employees.

In 2007, a copy in less-than stellar condition sold on eBay for $6,700.

Fact Check: The Caine Mutiny

"The Caine Mutiny" was one of the most successful films of 1954. Made on a budget of $2 million, the film grossed $21.8 million at the box office, which is equivalent to $229.9 million in 2021.

"The Caine Mutiny" was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Humphrey Bogart), Best Supporting Actor (Tom Tully) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

23. Bob Dylan, "Blood on the Tracks"

Year: 1975

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"

Value: $9,000

Bottom Line: Bob Dylan, "Blood on the Tracks"

"Blood on the Tracks" was one of Bob Dylan's most personal albums. Rolling Stone once ranked it No. 16 of the top 500 greatest albums of all time, and finding a copy in good condition is tricky.

This one, sold on eBay for $9,000, was signed and in near fine condition, originating from the collection of Bob Dylan's manager, Jeff Rosen.

Fact Check: Bob Dylan

The success of "Blood on the Tracks" and the critical acclaim that followed it led Bob Dylan down a surprising path. He became a born-again Christian in the late 1970s and spent several years making contemporary gospel music before returning to popular music in the 1980s.

22. Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), "Xanadu"

Year: 1980

Format: 10-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Value: $9,100

Bottom Line: Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), "Xanadu"

The title track from Olivia Newton-John's 1980 roller-disco musical/fantasy train wreck of a movie, "Xanadu," was pressed on promotional 10-inch picture discs, of which an estimated 20 to 30 copies ever saw the light of day.

Why? It's rumored ONJ didn't like the picture of herself and asked MCA Records to stop the presses. In recent years, copies have sold on eBay for up to $9,100.

Shame on you for doubting Olivia's collectability.

Fact Check: Olivia Newton-John

After the release of "Grease" in 1978 with Olivia Newton-John in one of the two leads, Hollywood was entirely at ONJ's disposal. Made with a budget of just $6 million, "Grease" racked up $366.2 million in box-office sales, which is the equivalent of $1.5 billion in 2022.

In comparison, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" was the highest-grossing film of 2021, bringing in an estimated $1.8 billion at the box office.

21. Queen, "Hot Space"

Year: 1982

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Staying Power," "Under Pressure"

Value: $9,998.88

Bottom Line: Queen, "Hot Space"

"Hot Space," a rare Queen record, was Queen's 10th album and one of their transitional works. It marked a turning point for the legendary band, branching into disco, funk, rhythm and blues, pop and dance music.

The album also featured a legendary collaboration with David Bowie "Under Pressure," which was the 11th song on "Hot Space" and became one of the most popular songs of all time.

The record sold was signed by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, and was confirmed to be authentic by JSA.

Fact Check: Queen

The story of Queen was a hot property in Hollywood for the better part of a decade, with "Borat" star Sacha Baron Cohen first attached to play Freddie Mercury in the film version in 2010, although Cohen later dropped out of the project.

The role of Mercury eventually landed in the lap of "Mr. Robot" star Rami Malek with the release of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 2018. Malek's portrayal garnered widespread acclaim, and he won an Academy Award for Best Actor.

20. Van Halen, "Van Halen" (Debut Album)

Year: 1978

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Runnin' With The Devil"

Value: $9,999

Bottom Line: Van Halen, "Van Halen" (Debut Album)

"Van Halen," the self-titled debut album of Van Halen, was rare to begin with. But one copy that sold on eBay for thousands was signed by all four band members.

It was signed for the original record owner in person, and the seller assured buyers that the album would pass any third-party authentication process.

For that price, it better.

Fact Check: Van Halen

In 1984, the top two albums in the world were Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Van Halen's "1984." Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen had a surprising amount of influence on the success of both.

The Who guitarist Pete Townshend was hired to work on several songs on Jackson's "Thriller" but dropped out and was replaced by Eddie Van Halen, who created the iconic guitar riff for "Beat It" in "about 10 minutes," according to Van Halen, who enjoyed the creative process of working with Jackson so much he refused payment.

19. Rob Zombie, "The Lords of Salem Soundtrack"

Year: 2013

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Value: $10,000

Bottom Line: Rob Zombie, "The Lords of Salem Soundtrack"

This valuable record is unique not because of how old it is, but because of how young it is. Produced for a movie, the soundtrack was only released in vinyl in 2020.

Because it's a limited edition, however, hard rock and metal fans are willing to pay top dollar for a copy.

Fact Check: Rob Zombie

"Lords of Salem" wasn't Rob Zombie's only turn as a director of a Hollywood feature film. Since the release of "House of 100 Corpses" in 2013, Zombie has been the man behind the camera for 10 films.

The most notable of those was probably the reboot of the "Halloween" franchise in 2007. Made for a budget of $15 million, "Halloween" grossed almost $90 million at the box office and spawned a sequel, "Halloween II" in 2009.

18. The White Stripes, "Lafayette Blues"/"Sugar Never Tasted So Good"

Year: 1998

Format: 7-inch vinyl, 45 rpm

Value: $12,700

Bottom Line: The White Stripes, "Lafayette Blues"/"Sugar Never Tasted So Good"

Jack White makes his second appearance on this list, though this time not as a rare-record buyer (see Elvis Presley's "My Happiness").

In 1998, the up-and-coming White Stripes had 15 numbered copies of this single pressed on red-and-white vinyl to sell for $6 at one of their Detroit club gigs.

Italy Records founder Dave Buick hand-painted the cover-sleeve artwork for each copy, one of which sold in 2012 on eBay for $12,700.

Fact Check: The White Stripes

One of the strangest things about the success of The White Stripes in the early 2000s was the backstory the band presented for itself — that Jack White and Meg White were brother and sister.

In reality, they were husband and wife. Jack White's surname was originally Gillis, and he took his wife's last name after they were married in 1996.

17. Michael Jackson, "Thriller"

Year: 1982

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Thriller"

Value: $12,999

Bottom Line: Michael Jackson, "Thriller"

Not every old album is worth thousands, but most copies of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album go for a few thousand.

One copy, authenticated by PSA and given a "very good" condition rating, was signed by both Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan, contributing to the item's impressively high price tag.

Fact Check: Michael Jackson

The release of "Thriller" made Michael Jackson arguably the most famous person in the world.

In 1984, Time magazine described Jackson's influence as such: "(Jackson) is a star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too."

After the release of "Thriller" in 1982, Jackson did not release another album until "Bad" in 1987. Jackson, who died in 2009 at 50 years old, has sold an estimated 400 million copies of his albums worldwide.

16. Pink Floyd, "The Wall"

Year: 1979

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Comfortably Numb"

Value: $15,000

Bottom Line: Pink Floyd, "The Wall"

Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Syd Barrett and Richard Wright

Valuable records are dominated by classic bands, including Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd's "The Wall" comes in a particularly unique album cover that resembles an actual brick wall.

One copy on eBay, signed by Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason, sold for $15,000.

And even unsigned copies are worth a hefty sum.

Fact Check: Pink Floyd

"The Wall" wasn't just an album. An accompanying film entitled "Pink Floyd — The Wall" was released in 1982 and directed by Alan Parker, who had one of the more eclectic careers of any director over the last 50 years.

Parker directed other musicals, including "Fame" and "Evita," but he also made hard-hitting dramas based on true stories with "Midnight Express" and "Mississippi Burning."

Parker's film version of "The Wall" won two BAFTA Awards, the British equivalent of the Academy Awards.

14. The Rolling Stones, "Street Fighting Man"/"No Expectations" (Tie)

Year: 1968

Format: 7-inch vinyl, 45 rpm

Value: $17,000

Bottom Line: The Rolling Stones, "Street Fighting Man"/"No Expectations"

Topping the list of pricey Rolling Stones wax is the original 1968 U.S. picture-sleeve version of this feisty single. The front and rear covers feature black-and-white photos of heavy-handed police tactics deployed at demonstration riots that broke out in the U.S. that year.

Normally, this might not be a problem for the bad-boy Stones, but the month of the single's August 1968 release also saw the ugly, infamous riot at the Chicago Democratic National Convention. Record company execs got cold feet over photos that could be deemed offensive and ordered all copies destroyed.

But not before as many as 18 copies escaped into the world. In 2011, one sold at a Bonhams for $17,000.

Fact Check: The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones released the album "Sticky Fingers" in 1971. It was the first of eight consecutive albums from the band that hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard charts.

Where The Rolling Stones have truly cemented their legacy over the years has been on tour. By 2007, the group had four of the top five highest-grossing concert tours of all time.

The Stones are hitting the stage for what may be "the last time" in 2024.

14. Sex Pistols, "God Save the Queen"/”No Feeling” (Tie)

"God Save the Queen"/”No Feeling” album art

Year: 1977

Format: 7-inch vinyl, 45 rpm

Value: $17,000

Bottom Line: Sex Pistols, "God Save the Queen"/”No Feeling”

Only six days after signing to A&M Records, the label abruptly dropped the band after it terrorized the company offices. Bassist Sid Vicious reportedly demolished the office toilet. Meanwhile, lead singer Johnny Rotten is said to have cursed out the A&M brass, and later issued them a death threat. Bad behavior doesn't get any more punk rock than that.

The label had already manufactured 25,000 copies of the Pistols' debut single and quickly ordered them destroyed. But a handful of discs found their way into circulation.

Today, less than 10 copies with the A&M label are known to exist and have fetched up to $17,000.

Fact Check: Sex Pistols

The punk rock image of the Sex Pistols eventually ended in tragedy for one of them.

Bassist and vocalist Sid Vicious' girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, was found dead from a knife wound in a hotel room in New York on Oct. 12, 1978, and Vicious, although he had little recollection of the night in question, was arrested for her murder on Dec. 9, 1978.

Out on bail, Vicious died from a heroin overdose just 29 days later. He was only 21 years old.

13. The Five Sharps, "Stormy Weather"/"Sleepy Cowboy"

Year: 1952

Format: 10-inch vinyl, 78 rpm

Value: $19,000

Bottom Line: The Five Sharps, "Stormy Weather"/"Sleepy Cowboy"

This super-duper rare doo-wop platter attracted mainstream attention in 2016 when it was featured on the reality TV show "Pawn Stars."

The seller asked $25,000, but his record was in poor, damaged shape, and no deal was made.

On the flip side, a choice specimen sold in 2003 for a confirmed price of $19,000.

Fact Check: The Five Sharps

Whoever made money off "Stormy Weather" by The Five Sharps, it sure wasn't the people who sang the song. When the song was recorded in 1952, group members recalled they were paid in soda pop and hot dogs by Jubilee Records.

12. The Velvet Underground, "The Velvet Underground & Nico"

"The Velvet Underground & Nico"album art

Year: 1966

Format: 12-inch acetate, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Heroin"

Value: $25,200

Bottom Line: The Velvet Underground, "The Velvet Underground & Nico"

It's rare a flea-market find turns out to be a gold mine, but that's precisely what happened in 2002 when Canadian record collector Warren Hill paid 75 cents for a copy of the Velvets' debut album at a street sale in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood. Only this wasn't a common reprint of the album featuring Andy Warhol's famed "banana sticker" cover. The disc had handwritten labels and came in a plain brown sleeve.

What Hill held in his hands was an acetate test pressing containing early versions and mixes of songs that in different forms would ultimately appear on the finished album. How scarce is this disc? The only other known copy belongs to the band's drummer, Moe Tucker.

Naturally, Hill auctioned his $.75 platter on eBay and wound up collecting $25,200 — a none too shabby ROI.

Fact Check: The Velvet Underground

Director Todd Haynes has specialized in turning independent films into mainstream hits over the last 30 years. Hhe was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his 2002 film "Far From Heaven," and his 2015 film "Carol" earned six Academy Award nominations.

Haynes' first full-length documentary was released on Apple+ TV in 2021. "The Velvet Underground" tells the story of the rock band from its inception and was released to critical acclaim.

11. Bob Dylan, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan"

Year: 1963

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Songs you should know: "Blowin' in the Wind," "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"

Value: $30,000

Bottom Line: Bob Dylan, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan"

One of rock's most iconic and romantic album covers features Bob Dylan and his lady love walking a wintery New York City street. Were you lucky enough to bag a first pressing of "Freewheelin'," which mistakenly included four songs not intended for release, you've got a hot record on your hands.

Before Columbia Records promptly recalled the erroneous discs, a small number got out. Today, a mono copy is worth about $15,000.

And should you unearth a first-pressing stereo version (only two copies are known to exist), bank on at least $30,000.

Fact Check: Bob Dylan

Consider this Part II of our Todd Haynes retrospective here at Work + Money following our dissection of his 2021 documentary about The Velvet Underground.

Haynes took the biggest swing of his career to that point with the 2007 film "I'm Not There" a nontraditional biopic about Bob Dylan, which featured six different actors portraying versions of Dylan, including Academy Award winners Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and the late Heath Ledger.

10. Frank Wilson, "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)"/"Sweeter As the Days Go By"

Year: 1965

Format: 7-inch vinyl, 45 rpm

Value: $34,000

Bottom Line: Frank Wilson, "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)"/"Sweeter As the Days Go By"

Though Frank Wilson wrote Motown hits for The Supremes, Temptations and Marvin Gaye, as a recording artist he only ever performed on this "Northern Soul" single that won a huge cult following in England.

A couple of hundred copies were pressed. But Motown chief Berry Gordy wasn't keen on one of his prized writers/producers becoming a star in his own right, so Gordy ordered the records destroyed. Only two guaranteed legit copies (and perhaps as many as five total) are known to survive — one of them selling in a 2009 auction for nearly $34,000.

Slip on your dancing shoes and bust a move to the most expensive soul record ever sold.

Fact Check: Frank Wilson

Frank Wilson's success wasn't limited to being a top-flight singer and record producer. After he left Motown Records in 1976, he embarked on a career as a bestselling author.

Wilson became a born-again Christian and wrote several books on masculinity and marriage as it pertained to Christianity. He even appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to promote the books.

Wilson died in 2012 of prostate cancer. He was 71 years old.

9. Tommy Johnson, "Alcohol And Jake Blues"/"Ridin' Horse"

Year: 1930

Format: 10-inch shellac, 78 rpm

Value: $37,100

Bottom Line: Tommy Johnson, "Alcohol And Jake Blues"/"Ridin' Horse"

In 2013, this record by legendary Delta bluesman Tommy Johnson fetched the highest price ever paid for a 78 slab on eBay. The seller, a South Carolina collector, acquired the record years earlier at an estate sale, but had no idea of its extreme rarity until seeing bids skyrocket on his eBay auction.

The winning bid was $37,100, happily paid by well-known blues collector John Tefteller, who also happened to own the only other copy known to exist.

However, according to Tefteller, his record was "in hammered condition," while this new disc is "beautiful." That's a ton of cash to shell out for less crackle and pop.

Fact Check: Tommy Johnson

Tommy Johnson was one of two musicians from his era to have purportedly pushed out different stories that burgeoned their own legends.

Both he and Robert Johnson (no relation) were said to have told people they sold their souls to the devil in exchange for the ability to play the guitar so well.

8. Prince, "The Black Album" (aka "The Funk Bible")

Year: 1987

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Superfunkycalifragisexy"

Value: $42,300

Bottom Line: Prince, "The Black Album" (aka "The Funk Bible")

Typically, it's record companies that cancel albums and singles at the eleventh hour. But in this case, it was the late, great Prince himself who reportedly had a bad experience on MDMA, suddenly decided his own record was "evil" and paid Warner Bros. to recall the entire 500,000-copy run.

By that point, many promo copies were already in circulation. The LP was widely bootlegged. And eventually, in 1994, Prince officially released "The Black Album" on CD.

But that doesn't matter to rare-record hounds. In 2018, an original Canadian vinyl pressing sold for $27,500, while a still-factory-sealed American copy fetched $42,300.

Fact Check: Prince

You would think a musician named Prince would have been self-glossed. Not the case. Prince's birth name was Prince Rogers Nelson, and the Minneapolis native changed the face of music over his lifetime.

One part of Prince's career that might surprise you is that he won an Academy Award in 1984 for Best Original Song Score for the film "Purple Rain," which he also starred in.

The semi-autobiographical film was an enormous hit, and grossed $70.3 million against a budget of approximately $7 million.

7. Aphex Twin, "Caustic Window"

Year: 1994

Format: 12-inch double vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Song you should know: "Fingry"

Value: $46,300

Bottom Line: Aphex Twin, "Caustic Window"

In the early '90s, Grammy Award-winning EDM pioneer Richard James (aka Aphex Twin) abandoned his in-the-works album "Caustic Window" — leaving behind only four test pressings on vinyl.

When a copy appeared on eBay in 2014, "Minecraft" video game creator and billionaire Markus "Notch" Persson pounced.

Fact Check: Aphex Twin

Aphex Twin owns something many of the top-selling music artists in the world don't. His 2014 album "Syro" won a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album.

One of the interesting things about Aphex Twin is the mythology he's created around his own life. At various times over the years, he's claimed to sleep only 2-3 hours per night, lived in a converted bank vault and bought an armored car with a machine gun turret to drive around his native Cornwall.

6. Long Cleve Reed and Little Harvey Hull — Down Home Boys, "Original Stack O' Lee Blues"/"Mama You Don't Know How"

Year: 1927

Format: 10-inch shellac, 78 rpm

Value: $70,000

Bottom Line: Long Cleve Reed and Little Harvey Hull — Down Home Boys, "Original Stack O' Lee Blues"/"Mama You Don't Know How"

Long Cleve Reed, Little Harvey Hull and Sunny Wilson

Old-timey jazz and blues aficionados are perhaps the record-collecting world's most fanatical, and none more so than Maryland's legendary 78 rpm junkie Joe Bussard. Searching for a mega-rare Charlie Patton record that Steve Buscemi's character in the movie "Ghost World" would sever his right arm for? Bussard's got it.

He also possesses what may be the world's most valuable blues slab — the only known copy of obscure artist Reed's version of "Stack O' Lee" on the short-lived Black Patti label.

With a one-of-a-kind item, there's no price precedent, yet Bussard has reportedly turned down an offer as high as $70,000.

Fact Check: Long Cleve Reed and Little Harvey Hull

We don't have a lot of information on the lives of the members of The Down Home Boys — Long Cleve Reed, Little Harvey Hull and Sunny Wilson.

Blues historians posit that Reed and Hull were from northern Mississippi and their time recording music together didn't go past 1927.

In blues history, that's known as the "songster era" that occurred following the Civil War and through the Reconstruction of the United States, when Black musicians began to be able to travel and play music for a living.

5. Rammellzee and K-Rob, "Beat Bop"

Jean-Michel Basquiat cover art for "Beat Bop"

Year: 1983

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Value: $126,000

Bottom Line: Rammellzee and K-Rob, "Beat Bop"

"Beat Bop" is a single by American hip-hop artists Rammellzee and K-Rob. It is one of the most unique records on this list, not only for the music (which influenced many hip-hop artists, including the Beastie Boys) but also for the cover art that was designed by the famed Jean-Michel Basquiat.

This record is actually a first pressing from 1983 that was released by the record label Tartown. That's roughly the album equivalent of a first edition rare book, and it's why "Beat Bop" is considered the "holy grail" of hip-hop vinyl.

Even with some mild cosmetic wear, it went for $8,000 on eBay. A sealed, mint condition copy was sold for an astronomical $126,000 at an auction in 2020.

Fact Check: Rammellzee and K-Rob

Rammellzee legally changed his name to Rammellzee in 1979 and was also a well-known graffiti artist. He first became known by a larger audience thanks to the cult classic film "Wild Style" in 1983. It's not completely known what his original birth name was.

Rammellzee's art didn't just pertain to graffiti. He was also a skilled sculptor. He died in 2010, at 49 years old, in part due to long-term exposure to toxins through his work as an artist.

4. The Beatles, "Yesterday and Today"

Year: 1966

Format: 12-inch vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Songs you should know: "Yesterday," "Day Tripper"

Value: $234,000

Bottom Line: The Beatles, "Yesterday and Today"

The Beatles' ninth album on their U.S. label, Capitol Records, is beloved by collectors thanks to its infamous "butcher cover" showing the band dressed in white smocks, surrounded by decapitated baby dolls and hunks of raw, bloody meat.

Paul McCartney suggested the controversial image, which was a comment on the Vietnam War, but squeamish record store dealers were hearing none of it. Capitol immediately caved and recalled the album a day after its release. Yet many copies made it into the public's hands and nowadays command anywhere from $12,000 to $125,000, depending on condition and whether it's a mono or much-scarcer stereo version.

In May 2019, John Lennon's personal copy of the album — autographed by Lennon, McCartney and Ringo Starr — sold at a Liverpool auction for nearly $234,000.

Fact Check: The Beatles

Malcolm Gladwell's 2008 nonfiction book "Outliers: The Story of Success" includes an interesting passage on The Beatles.

In the book, Gladwell introduces the "10,000 Hour Rule" in which he theorizes if you can spend 10,000 hours practicing any one given thing, you are likely to become an expert at it. He uses The Beatles' early days as a group as an example — the group performed approximately 1,200 times between 1960 to 1964 in Hamburg, Germany.

3. Quarrymen, "In Spite of All the Danger"/"That'll Be The Day"

Year: 1958

Format: 10-inch acetate, 78 rpm

Value: $260,000

Bottom Line: Quarrymen, "In Spite of All the Danger"/"That'll Be The Day"

Behold what some collectors guess might be the world's most valuable record — an acetate grooved with the first songs ever recorded by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. In 1958, before The Beatles, the band was named The Quarrymen. Along with pre-Ringo drummer Colin Hanton and pianist John Lowe, they laid down these two tracks (an original tune, plus a Buddy Holly cover) in a Liverpool studio.

After the songs were pressed to a single disc, the studio master tape was erased. Pianist Lowe was in possession of the record until 1981 when he tried to auction it. But not before McCartney swooped in, bought it for an undisclosed sum, and later had an estimated 50 copies made to give as Christmas gifts to family and friends.

Record Collector magazine values the reproductions at $13,000 and conservatively pegs Macca's singular original disc at $260,000.

Fact Check: Quarrymen

The Quarrymen were the precursor to The Beatles. The group was founded by John Lennon and would include Paul McCartney and a 14-year-old George Harrison, who Lennon originally didn't want in the band because he thought he was too young.

The Quarrymen, formed in 1956, were pared down to just Lennon, McCartney and Harrison after Lennon expressed his desire to point the group toward rock and roll and saw several members leave in protest.

2. Elvis Presley, "My Happiness"/"That's When Your Heartache Begins"

Year: 1953

Format: 10-inch acetate, 78 rpm

Value: $300,000

Bottom Line: Elvis Presley, "My Happiness"/"That's When Your Heartache Begins"

Jack White's lo-fi obsession borders on insufferable. But at least the man has good taste. In 2015, he shelled out a headline-grabbing $300,000 for a one-of-a-kind acetate recorded by an 18-year-old Presley at Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service studio for $4.

"The King" gave the record to his friend Ed Leek, who cherished the disc for more than 60 years until he passed and his daughter sold it to White. Shortly after, White's own Third Man Records label did Elvis fans a solid by reproducing the acetate for a limited-edition 2015 Record Store Day release.

Fact Check: Elvis Presley

The last year of Elvis Presley's life was spent touring and battling a crippling addiction to pharmaceutical drugs — a series of concerts where Presley at different times struggled to perform or stay on melody.

Presley died of a massive drug overdose at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, on either Aug. 6 or Aug. 7, 1977. He was just 42 years old. An autopsy report showed Presley had 14 different drugs in his system, with 10 of those in excessive quantities.

1. The Beatles, "The Beatles" (aka "White Album")

Year: 1968

Format: 12-inch double vinyl, 33-1/3 rpm

Songs you should know: "Revolution 1," "Helter Skelter," "Blackbird"

Value: $790,000

Bottom Line: The Beatles, "The Beatles" (aka "White Album")

In 2015, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr unloaded more than 800 items from his personal collection of musical instruments and memorabilia in a Julien's auction to benefit his Lotus Foundation charity. Among the gems was Starr's original U.K. mono copy of the Beatles' "White Album." Stamped with serial number A0000001, it's the bona fide first copy to come off the factory production line.

It was known the Fab Four themselves received the first four copies of the album. But it had always been assumed John Lennon nabbed the very first pressing, when in fact it was Starr who had copy No. 1, stored in a bank vault for 35 years. Prior, he had the album in his home and actually played it. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Starr said, "Whoever gets it, it will have my fingerprints on it."

Pre-auction estimates pegged the album's sale price at $200,000. But never discount the fervor and deep pockets of Beatles maniacs. Ringo's "White Album" ultimately fetched $790,000 in green, making it the most expensive record(s) ever sold.

Fact Check: The Beatles

Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon

The Beatles have remained relevant in popular culture despite having last played in public together in 1969, when they performed on the rooftop of Apple Corps headquarter in London.

Never was the group's influence today more apparent than in December 2021, with the release of the three-part documentary series "Get Back" on Disney+. It chronicled the making of the 1970 album "Let It Be" and was directed by Academy Award winner Peter Jackson.