Once Upon a Time in Shaolin – Wu-Tang Clan ($4 million)

Wu-Tang Clan went to great lengths to make their 2011 album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin the most valuable vinyl record ever. Only one copy was made, stored in a handcrafted silver and nickel box. Infamous fraudster Martin Shkreli bought the album for $2 million, but when he was jailed the US government seized it. NFT collective PleasrDAO later bought the record for $4 million.

The Beatles (White Album) – The Beatles ($910,000)

Officially a self-titled album but usually dubbed The White Album, The Beatles’ 1968 effort is one of the legendary British band’s most acclaimed works. Drummer Ringo Starr had long owned the first copy of the beloved double record, which was sold by Beverly Hills auctioneers Julien’s in 2015 for the princely sum of $910,000.

Double Fantasy – John Lennon and Yoko One ($900,000)

John Lennon’s final album, 1980’s Double Fantasy, was recorded in conjunction with his wife Yoko Ono, and released a mere three weeks before he was shot dead. Infamously, Lennon’s murderer Mark Chapman asked the ex-Beatle to sign his copy of the LP before shooting him, and this macabre historical artefact was sold at auction in 2020 for $900,000.

My Happiness – Elvis Presley ($300,000)

Any items related to the King of Rock’n’Roll are hugely coveted among collectors, one major fan being singer-songwriter Jack White. In 2015, the former White Stripes figurehead purchased the original pressing of Presley’s first single My Happiness for an eye-popping $300,000. White later created a limited run of precise replicas of this seven-inch single, even recreating the vinyl’s minor imperfections and scratches.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles ($290,500)

The highest-selling of all The Beatles’ original studio albums, 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is widely regarded one of the most innovative and influential rock records of all time. One thing guaranteed to push up the asking price is autographs, hence one copy of the record signed by all four Beatles was sold for $290,500 in 2013, by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas.

Yesterday and Today – The Beatles ($125,000)

One of the great mysteries of rock history is why the cover of The Beatles’ 1966 compilation album Yesterday and Today shows them dressed as butchers, whilst covered in raw meat and dismembered baby dolls. Controversy over this artwork saw it quickly replaced, so original cover copies of the LP are very valuable. In 2016, a sealed mint condition copy fetched $125,000 at auction.

That’s All Right – Elvis Presley ($85,000)

Originally recorded by Arthur Crudup in 1946, That’s All Right earned its place in rock’n’roll history when Elvis Presley covered it in 1954. The track proved to Elvis’ first hit, hence early copies are coveted items today. The original acetate pressing of the seven-inch sold for $85,000 at auction in 2013.

‘Til There Was You – The Beatles ($77,500)

Composed for stage musical The Music Man, ‘Til There Was You covered by The Beatles on their 1963 album With the Beatles. An early demo recording of this was given to Les Maguire, drummer of fellow Liverpool rock’n’roll band Gerry and the Pacemakers. This unique copy fetched $77,500 when put up for auction in 2016.

Caustic Window – Aphex Twin ($46,300)


British electronic music pioneer Aphex Twin might not be generally held in the same esteem as Elvis or The Beatles, but his work means a lot to a select audience. When a copy of his lost 1994 album Caustic Window was found, fans organized a Kickstarter campaign to buy it and digitally release it. The extremely rare record wound up selling for $46,300.

David Bowie – The Next Day ($43,000)

In 2019, three years after rock icon David Bowie’s death, his penultimate studio album The Next Day (first released in 2013) was reissued in a very limited edition blue vinyl as part of a fundraiser for Unicef. Only 50 copies were produced, meaning they fetch a huge sum on the collector’s market: one copy is known to have sold for $43,000.