The Holy Grails: 4 of the most expensive vinyl records ever sold

At this point, I’m sure you are all aware of my slight obsession with vinyl records (well…. maybe ‘slight’ is an underestimation). I’ve been collecting records for almost two years, and people often ask me roughly how much I pay for my vinyl. Vinyl can be either dirt cheap, or extremely expensive; I’ve paid as little as $1 for some of my records, and I’ve paid up to $60 for others. So really, the price of vinyl tends to be rather unpredictable, unless you purchase brand new records at HMV, and those usually range from about $20-$50.

Recently I read an article on one of my favorite websites, Ultimate Classic Rock, about a signed Beatles record that just sold in auction for $36,665. Don’t worry, my jaw dropped too. But, this article inspired me to do some research and share with you all four of the most expensive vinyl records ever sold. I’m merely doing four because it’s an even number, and a list with five items is just too predictable, so this is just me trying to change up the norm slightly.

Now before you continue reading this blog post, it’s important to keep in mind that rare vinyl is constantly coming up for sale, so it’s hard to say with certainty that the following records are the most expensive records of all time. But surely they are considered to be some of the most expensive records ever sold. Prepare to be shocked everyone, because you’ll be surprised about how much a dedicated collector is willing to pay for just a single vinyl record.

#4: Bob Dylan “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan ($35,000)

(A cover of this album: Sadly, I could not find a photo of the record that sold for $35,000)

I’m sure many of you were expecting to see an artist like Dylan on this list. I mean come on, Bob Dylan is the master! Just about every musician I can think of has been affected by Dylan for his incredible songwriting and musical skills. You have to be a lyrical genius to write a song like ‘Blowin in the Wind’ in ten minutes. Yes, he wrote that song in TEN minutes. Blowin in the Wind is just one of the masterpieces featured on Dylan’s album ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’. At this point, you may be wondering why exactly this particular copy of this album sold for $35,000 but there is a good reason for the cost. Originally, Dylan included four songs ("Rocks and Gravel", "Let Me Die in My Footsteps," "Gamblin' Willie's Dead Man's Hand" and "Talkin' John Birch Blues") that were later removed from the album  so that four other songs that people claimed were “simply too good to leave off’’ could be added. They are: Bob Dylan’s Dream, Master Of War, Girl From The North Country, and Corrina, Corrina. Not only were the songs changed, but the artwork slightly changed as well, and very few copies of this album with the original four songs and artwork remain. In fact, there are only TWO stereo copies of this album in existence, and roughly about 20 mono copies. So the bottom line is, if you come across an original copy of this album, you could easily have a new car parked in your driveway.

#3: The Beatles “Yesterday and Today” ($38,800)

(The original, well-known cover of this album) 

I’m sure none of you are surprised to see the Beatles turn up on this list; they are the quintessential rock n’ roll band. In fact, many believe they are the quintessential band of any   genre. In 1966, the Beatles released one of the most controversial albums covers of all time on their record Yesterday and Today. The cover of the album features every member of the group holding butchered pieces of meat, as well as a bunch of strange and terrifying dolls. Around this time is when The Beatles started to experiment with more than just a little reefer, and this cover clearly reflects that. What is so rare about this album 

is that the record with this hideous 

cover was for sale only for 24 hours, and in very few locations. Now, you have to take in mind
that this was 1966, and our morals and ideas of what is acceptable has greatly evolved to the point where “inappropriate content” barely gets a reaction from most people. But at the time, everyone was shocked by this cover because all of a sudden, these innocent boys from Liverpool, England, are now featuring creepy dolls and bloody pieces of meat on their album cover. You can actually get a copy of Yesterday and Today with the alternative cover for between $150-$7,000 but the copy that sold for $38,800 was sealed and in pristine condition. All I know is that I wouldn’t even pay $50 for that ridiculous cover.

                                                                              (The Disturbing album cover)   

(The original Acetate) 

#2: The Quarrymen “Acetate disk” ($180,000- $200,000)

All of a sudden, we go from Bob Dylan and The Beatles on this list, to a group that I’m sure none of you have ever heard of before now. Even I had no idea who these guys were until I did some research on the group. I was shocked to find out that The Quarrymen was actually John Lennon’s group before the Beatles was formed, and I was flabbergasted. Now before I dive into information about the recording itself, I want to clear up any confusion about what exactly an “Acetate disk” is. Basically an acetate is a type of phonograph record that was commonly used between the 30’s and 50’s, but due to their incredible low quality, they are not commonly used anymore.  So basically, this acetate was a single record that was the Quarrymen’s first ever recording. The 45 contained “That’ll be the Day” and “In Spite Of All the Danger.” Despite the immense value of the record, it will most likely never be sold to the public, primarily for the fact the man who owns it does not have to worry about his financial state. Any guesses of who owns this gem? Sir. Paul McCartney! I don’t need to explain who he is obviously! Originally, the group’s keyboard player John Duff Lowe was in possession of the record until he sold it to Paul McCartney in the 80’s. But Paul McCartney deserves to own this record; it most likely has an immense amount of sentimental attachment to him. Luckily, Paul converted it to digital copies, and shared it with Ringo and George so this incredible recording will never be lost.

                      (Cover of the album: Again, I couldn't find a photo of the holy grail itself) 

#1: John Lennon and Yoko Ono “Double Fantasy” signed five hours before Lennon was assassinated ($400,000)

Here it is everyone, the Holy Grail of all vinyl records. The story behind this record is actually extremely depressing, but also fascinating. So we all know that Lennon was assassinated by a lunatic named Mark David Chapman, but many don’t know that Chapman actually got Lennon to sign his copy of “Double Fantasy” five hours before he returned to Lennon’s New York apartment and killed him. The album was actually considered to be a valuable piece of evidence, and it helped send Chapman to a lifetime in prison with no chance of parole what so ever. But eventually, the album was no longer needed as a piece of evidence, so it was auctioned off nearly 20 years after Lennon’s assignation for $400,000 to a very wealthy and lucky individual. The ironic thing is that I constantly see this regular copies of this record for sale, and usually for less than $5. But it’s an essential piece of music history, and it is absolutely priceless, even to someone who is not a fan of Lennon or the Beatles. But $400,000 is the most that a single vinyl has ever sold for, so this album holds the current title as the most expensive record.

So there you have it everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. Even as a vinyl collector, I was stunned when I realized just how much one single record could be worth. My question for you guys is, if you had $400,000 would you spend it on literally one thing? Like the John Lennon Record?

Stay tuned for more great music posts here on Deep In The Grooves! 

Information at the following website: 

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/most-valuable-records.htm

Photos found here: 

http://lewgoodman.com/020764.html

http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=293286

http://www.beatlesource.com/bs/ao-qmen.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Fantasy

http://www.vinylrecordfair.com/vancouver_vinyl_records.html