10 Record Albums That Are Worth a Fortune Today

“Original Stack O’ Lee Blues” by Long “Cleve” Reed & “Little” Harvey Hull (Down Home Boys) (1927)

Your favorite music can reveal a lot about your personality, and owning this record can reveal a lot about your future bank account. Considered one of the earliest blues recordings, “Original Stack O’ Lee Blues,” with the B-side “Mama You Don’t Know How,” by Long “Cleve” Reed and “Little” Harvey Hull is worth upward of $50,000 because it is ultra rare. There’s only one authentic copy known in existence, and if you own it, then you’re sitting on a gold mine!

“Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” by Frank Wilson (1965)

The Holy Grail of northern soul is “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” by Motown Records songwriter and record producer Frank Wilson, which was his only single as a recording artist. As the story goes, before Wilson took a job with Motown, the record label’s founder Berry Gordy didn’t want him to perform anymore and instead just focus on being a songwriter and producer.

However, Wilson had already recorded “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” with the B-side “Sweeter as the Days Go By,” for Motown without Gordy’s approval. When Gordy found out, he halted the record’s pressing. Only six copies were pressed, but Gordy ordered that they be destroyed. Four were, in fact, destroyed, and two re-surfaced in the wild. One of the original copies was sold for £100,000 (approximately $135,000) a few years ago to an English collector, so if you have a copy, you might want to dig it up.

The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan (1963)

Bob Dylan’s second studio album features a funny printing story. Before the album’s release in 1963, Columbia Records decided to withdraw four songs from the original version. In their place would be four different tracks, including “Masters of War” and “Girl from the North Country,” which were recorded after the album was completed. Columbia changed the artwork and released a revised version.

However, a printing company accidentally printed the original track list with the new album. So there is a set (about 25 copies) of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan with a different track listing than what appears on the actual album. If you have this rare version, it could be worth as much as $150,000.

“Alcohol and Jake Blues” by Tommy Johnson (1930)

Recorded and released in 1930, “Alcohol and Jake Blues,” with the B-side “Ridin’ Horse,” is considered rare because there are only two copies known to exist. One is warped and almost not listenable, while the other is in near-mint condition. A private collector owns both and spent $37,100 on the latter.

“Ask Me Why” by The Beatles (1964)

The hardest-to-find record from The Beatles is “Ask Me Why,” with the B-side “Anna.” It was released as a promotional copy single for radio stations in 1964, and there are only 10 known copies in circulation. If you have a near-mint condition copy, you can sell it for around $35,000.

“Love Me Do” by The Beatles (1962)

The “Love Me Do” single, featuring the B-side “P.S. I Love You,” made its debut in 1962 with an initial pressing of only 250 copies. All copies have a typo in the credits. Paul McCartney was credited as Paul “McArtney,” which might be one of the most expensive typos ever. Copies of this rare vinyl single can fetch about $4,000.

“Lonesome Baby” by The Hornets (1953)

Cleveland, Ohio-based doo-wop band The Hornets released “Lonesome Baby,” with the B-side “I Can’t Believe,” in 1953. The record was very slow to catch on, but decades later, it became one of the most sought-after vinyl releases due to its rarity. While music can make you feel younger, the price tag on this will cause some gray hairs—a near-mint copy can fetch up to $18,000 among record collectors.

Musique pour supermarché by Jean Michel Jarre (1983)

In 1983, French electronic music composer Jean Michel Jarre created Musique pour supermarché as additional music for a friend’s supermarket-themed art exhibition. The works were to be auctioned off at the end of the exhibition, and Jarre felt his music should be auctioned too. Only one copy was pressed on vinyl, and the masters were destroyed, which makes it one of the rarest record albums worth money today. The single copy was sold at auction for €15,000 (approximately $17,500). If you have it in your collection, you can sell it for around $20,000 today.

“God Save the Queen” by Sex Pistols (1977)

Back in the late 1970s, the Sex Pistols were one of the most hated bands in the record industry. Their label destroyed 2,500 copies of their 1977 debut single “God Save the Queen,” with the B-side “No Feeling,” after radio stations and record stores in the U.K. and the U.S. refused to play it or sell it because they considered it vulgar. Only nine copies are known to exist, and if you have one, you can fetch a cool $20,000 for it.

“Street Fighting Man” by The Rolling Stones (1968)

The Rolling Stones released the single “Street Fighting Man,” with the B-side “No Expectations,” three days after the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 1968. The single’s cover was also controversial because it was the first that didn’t feature the band on it—instead, it showed a photo of a Black man being beat up by police officers. Needless to say, their record label, London Records, pulled the release due to the backlash and destroyed all copies of the single. However, 10 to 20 copies got out into the wild and could fetch you $17,500 today, if you’re lucky enough to have one.

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Sources:

• Garden and Gun: “Record Keeping”
• Clash Music: “Rare Soul Seven Inch Sells For £100,000”
• Rolling Stone: “Masters of (Bidding) War: Rare Copy of ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’ Sells for $150,000”
• The Vinyl Factory:  “Single 78rpm blues record sells for $37,100 on eBay.”
• Discogs: “The Beatles – Ask Me Why”
• iHeart: “If You Have One Of These Records It Could Be Worth Thousands”
• Long Live Vinyl: “The Most Valuable Vinyl In The World – Part 1”
• Jeanmicheljarre.eu: “Music for Supermarkets”
• NME: “Rare Sex Pistols ‘God Save The Queen’ single sells for almost $20,000 at auction”