Comtemplating playing some of your old records? You might want to think twice. Some original singles, EPs, and LPs can sell for huge sums of money these days, so a look through your vinyl collection could be music to your bank balance if your records are in mint condition.
Click or scroll on to discover some very sought-after records and discover what to look out for on your racks or in the thrift store.
All dollar values in US dollars.
Original pressings of this single (7", 45 RPM) are only worth around $130 now but, with the Beach Boys firmly fixed as rock 'n' roll legends these days, it’s fair to say their early singles will be worth a great deal in years to come.
Singer-songwriter Tori Amos' failed rock debut is highly prized among fans of the piano-playing artist. The 1987 album, which has since been reissued, was panned by the critics and a limited number of LPs were pressed. Mint-condition copies can fetch up to $150 according to discogs.com.
It's not just rock stars and pop sensations who can produce valuable vinyls. Bernard Herrmann's score from the science adventure film Mysterious Island would give you a decent return if you happen to have it lying around, as one copy sold at auction for $192 in 2021. The adventure mystery was considered to be a worldwide success when it was released in 1969 and the soundtrack, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, was much praised by critics.
Released in 2001, this limited edition of Britney's third album features a colored vinyl record, and came with a poster and cardboard inserts. A bona fide collector's item, this extra-special LP is known to sell for up to $285 in mint condition.
Elvis records don’t tend to sell for much, given that most teenagers in 1950s America bought them by the bucketload. However, certain records are worth a fair sum, and several feature in our ranking. Have a look out for mono copies of the King's debut album. These can sell for up to $500.
If you snapped up a vinyl copy of Marilyn Manson's fourth studio album, you're in luck. The double LP from 2003 is worth up to $510 in mint condition and even used copies can fetch several hundred dollars.
Stereo versions of the Queen of Soul's 1967 album Take A Look are few and far between, and collectors have no qualms about paying hundreds of dollars to get their hands on one. People will pay up to $750 for a mint condition specimen.
Jazz aficionados will pay a lot for hard-to-find gems such as this Latin fusion album by vibraphonist Bobby Paunetto. An original pressing from 1965 sells for an average of $994 on discogs.com.
The second pricey Presley vinyl to make an appearance in our round-up, the Moody Blue album debuted on Billboard's charts only a month before the King passed. This red promo LP was one of a few colored versions made for in-house use only, and the highest bidder at Heritage Auctions took it home for $1,016.
The original 1958 pressing of Buddy Holly's That'll Be The Day album, released by Decca Records a year before the rock 'n' roll pioneer was killed in a plane crash, can fetch $1,100 in near-mint condition.
Another one you can’t retire on, but mint copies of Davis’ Kind of Blue LP are worth up to a very respectable $1,250. You're looking for a six-ounce blue vinyl copy (not hard to spot) with a 6-eye label. Columbia switched to a 2-eye label in 1961, making the former versions more valuable.
The debut album of rockabilly band the Rock 'n Roll Trio, this 1956 LP had a big influence on the development of the genre. Exceptionally rare, copies of the first pressing realize prices up to $1,882.
An iconic American punk record, this cult 7" single by the Pagans was released on Neck Reckords in 1977. Only 200 are known to have been pressed, and mint copies are as rare as hen's teeth.
An album for serious collectors only, Amos Milburn's Rockin The Boogie is one of the rarest blues and R&B records in existence. An original copy of the 1955 LP pressed on red vinyl is worth up to $1,750.
Released on obscure Virginia label Megatone back in 1970, this catchy single is considered one of the most desirable soul records. Very few were ever pressed and mint condition copies are worth up to $1,970.
Unopened copies of this Tom Petty album with two original inner sleeves can fetch $2,000 while mint copies go for up to $700, which is no petty cash... Look out for that artwork and you could be in for a treat.
During the 1960s, mods in the north of England created a movement based around non-mainstream Motown-style music called Northern Soul. Collectors pay crazy sums of money for the most sought-after records, which include this 1965 dancefloor-filler by Washington DC's the Cashmeres.
Deathrock band Samhain released a limited-edition gray marbled version of their debut album Initium back in 1984. Only 40 copies were pressed, making this LP super-rare and valuable: collectors will pay up to $2,100 for a copy in reasonably good condition.
Moneyed jazz enthusiasts wouldn't think twice about splashing $1,200 on this much-admired Blue Note classic by trumpeter Lee Morgan, a price that Jazz Collector lists on its website as normal for near-mint editions. Meanwhile, pristine first pressings of the 1957 LP are the most coveted and can sell for as much as $2,100.
Another Blue Note rarity, the debut album of saxophonist J. R. Monterose is top of many a jazz record collector's wishlist. Original 1956 pressings are especially lucrative, realizing up to $2,200 at auction.
Like classic jazz and Northern Soul, rockabilly is another genre that attracts die-hard fans and avid collectors. This early Memphis rockabilly 45 by Jess Hooper with the Daydreamers sold for $2,469 on eBay. We've illustrated this record with the sleeve of a compilation of the Meteor Records label.
First pressings of the Doors' 1970 LP are worth good money: you're looking at around $1,100. But one version with the original dark red Elektra jacket, as well as a typewritten timing sheet included, was selling for $2,500 from a respected seller on discogs.com.
Initial pressings of this 1959 release from experimental jazz artist Sun Ra feature a silk-screen printed cover and are worth a small fortune. In 2016, a mint condition copy sold for just over $2,600.
This 1972 cover by Lou Pride of the James Brown classic It's a Man's World is a Northern Soul favorite. Only 500 copies are known to have been produced, and surviving examples are like gold dust, fetching up to $2,615 apiece.
The first batch of Mötley Crüe's debut studio album was restricted to a limited edition of 900 when it was released in November 1981. These copies, which feature cover typography in black and white rather than red, are worth up to $2,700 apiece.
Back to Northern Soul, this obscure 1960s R&B single by Detroit's George Lemons, who was sentenced to life without parole in 1987 for triple murder and died in prison in 1996, is highly prized among collectors. It has been known to sell on eBay for as much as $2,971.
A mere 100 copies of this doo-wop 45 from 1956 by Syracuse band Rhythm Cadets were pressed, and mint specimens are almost impossible to come by these days. Collectors will part with up to $3,000 to get hold of one.
Enough to make the typical jazz cat go weak at the knees, mint, minimally-scratched copies of this Blue Note LP by legendary trombonist Curtis Fuller are exceedingly valuable. Original mono pressings from 1957 are worth up to $3,100.
A copy of Nirvana's 1989 studio debut won’t pay off your mortgage, and most vinyl editions won’t even cover your cable subscription, but various re-releases are worth a great deal. Look out for the red and white marbled edition, which is worth up to $3,200 in mint condition. Other reissues are also valuable, but this is the pick of the bunch.
Widely regarded as one of the best and rarest garage band albums, Calm Before by the Rising Storm enjoys almost mythical status among vinyl collectors. Mint copies of the 1967 LP go for up to $3,200 at auction.
Before Nirvana got famous, the grunge band released this 1988 7” single on Sub Pop Records. Given only 500 were pressed, the track is revered by dedicated fans who will pay up to $3,269 to add it to their collection.
Stereo copies of this 1961 album by rock 'n' roll artist Del Shannon are extremely thin on the ground – only 80 are thought to have been pressed. This of course makes the LP hugely desirable, and mint condition copies sell for up to $3,700.
Yet another Northern Soul rarity worth big bucks, this uptempo toe-tapper by the Del Tours was released by Starville Records in 1968. Only a handful of copies of the single are known to exist, each of which is worth up to $4,000.
A record with almost legendary status among Northern Soul vinyl collectors, Your Love is Getting Stronger by the Four Voices is as valuable as it is revered. Limited edition copies of the 1977 single with green labeling are most valuable, fetching up to $4,400.
This 1967 classic featuring cover art by Andy Warhol bombed on release, and only 30,000 copies were pressed. Nowadays, rare first pressings are mega-valuable. Look for a copy with a peelable banana sticker covering Eric Emerson's torso. An unpeeled example sold for $4,500 in 2016.
The last word in classic jazz LPs, John Coltrane's Blue Train album is ridiculously collectible. Original deep groove mono pressings of the 1957 Blue Note record are the most esteemed and command the highest prices, going for up to $4,700 a pop.
This album by renowned Delta blues harmonica player Frank Frost is ultra-rare. Very few copies from the original 1962 pressing are known to still exist, and those that do come up for sale achieve prices up to $5,000.
Copies of Bruce Springsteen's first release on Columbia Records are so scarce, collectors will pay up to $5,100 to acquire one. The 7” single was released in very limited numbers back in 1973 before The Boss hit the big time.
Many Rolling Stones fans would rate Let It Bleed among the band's best albums, and what makes this version so special is its multi-colored pressing. It's thought that this design was only created to be given to executives at the London Records label. Experts reckon that there are only two in existence, which explains why this one managed to sell for $5,625 back in 2013.
The most wanted pre-war Blues record in vinyl collectordom, Sweet Home Chicago by Robert Johnson is exactly the sort of thing you wish you could discover in your grandpa's dust-covered collection. Mint copies of the original 78 rpm from 1937 go for up to $6,000.
Due to a printing error, 16 copies of this limited edition version of the Legacy of Brutality LP by New Jersey punk band Misfits turned out pink – the remaining 984 are either white or red. If you have a precious pink copy, it could be worth up to $6,000 today.
A very small number of copies of this classic single by west coast garage rock band the Sloths exist, and only one has come on to the market in recent years. As a result, this 7" is worth up to a whopping $6,700.
Like the other Blue Note classics featured in this round-up, Hank Mobley's eponymous 1957 album is tremendously valuable. Only several hundred copies were printed, some of which feature an error on the label. Mint copies are worth up to $6,885, and possibly more with the label error.
One of the rarest jazz LPs, a very small number of copies of Roland Kirk's 1956 album on King Records were ever pressed. The sole surviving mono mint copy went under the hammer for $6,900 in 2015.
The holy grail of rap records, this early hip-hop single from 1983 influenced everyone from the Beastie Boys to De La Soul, and features cover art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, adding to its cachet. Restricted to a limited release of 500, mint examples are worth up to $8,000 these days.
Elvis' 1961 classic Can't Help Falling in Love sold over a million copies in the US, and the standard 45 rpm singles are easy to come by. The limited edition 33 rpm singles on the other hand are worth a fortune. If you're lucky enough to have a copy with a near-mint condition "hula" sleeve, the sleeve alone can sell for $3,000-$6,000, while on top of that you could get up to $2,000 for the record itself. That could mean an impressive $8,000 for a copy of this rare gem.
A slew of record companies were set up in the 1970s and early 1980s with the sole purpose of producing music that would lose money in order to offset tax. The so-called tax scam records are highly collectible, and the most valuable, Stonewall by Stonewall from 1976, has been known to sell for $14,000 on eBay.
The first Fab Four record to make it onto our list, this was the first Beatles album to be released in the US, featuring songs including Love Me Do and PS I Love You. One version, which was in mint condition with its original Sears wrapping and price sticker, sold for $14,999 on eBay in 2012, while other copies are listed for up to $10,500 on the auction site.
This single sparked controversy for featuring a picture of demonstrators and the police force at a time of considerable civil unrest. Shortly after the single hit stores the record company withdrew it, and it's thought that just 10 to 18 copies of this version exist. One of these singles sold for $17,080 at Bonhams. Beware of counterfeit versions.
US label Vee Jay Records released this compilation album in 1964 pairing the Beatles with yodeling easy listening star Frank Ifield. Only 100 copies of the cover featuring Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr were produced, making this particular version of the LP one of the rarest Beatles albums. In 2012, the record was put on eBay for a starting bid of just $0.99, climbing its way up to a winning bid of $22,269.
The first ever Elvis single, That's All Right was released in July 1954 and popular music was never the same again. Mint condition copies sell for thousands of dollars, but the most valuable feature a misprinted upside-side '207' on the B-side. Meanwhile, a complete set of Elvis' five Sun records 7"s are listed for as much as $32,500 on eBay.
As one of Dylan’s most lauded records, most copies of this are not worth a huge amount. However, certain editions that feature four additional tracks are insanely valuable. Original stereo copies are worth up to an incredible $35,000, and mono copies sell for up to $15,000 in mint condition.
One of the most infamous album covers in music history, this 1966 US compilation originally had a photo of the Fab Four wearing butchers' smocks and draped in decapitated dolls and meat on its front. But it was pulled from stores after just one day and replaced with a much more anodyne photo of the band. So-called 'first state' versions with the original image are hugely valuable and very rare. A sealed copy sold for $125,000 via Heritage Auctions in 2016. 'Second state' pressings with the replacement cover pasted over the original are also very valuable (look for 'File Under: The Beatles' and 'T2553' in the top right corner of the front cover). Once news broke of the switch, many enterprising fans peeled off the replacement cover, with varying degrees of success. These are known as 'third state' copies and are less valuable.
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