Most Unexpected Rarity In Your Collection?

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Inspired by the Let's Active thread:

In the past few months, I've sold a Maow single (early Neko Case band) on eBay for about $65, and a Tindersticks promo CD for almost $80. In neither case did I expect to get anything close to that amount. Has anyone had any similar experiences - something that was just languishing in your collection, quietly accruing in value behind your back?

― mike a (mike a), Thursday, 14 November 2002 18:44 (twenty-three years ago)

I never did sell it but I bought the Dandy Warhols Rule OK from a bargin bin for 5 bucks back int he day. Turns out the sucker was out of print and was going for decent cash on the mailing list and then eBay, but I forget what it was going for. Now its back in print since the band bought it off of Tim Kerr.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 14 November 2002 18:57 (twenty-three years ago)

I have the cd single of "Motown Junk" by the Manic Street Preachers (the one with the ancient watch on the cover), and I've heard tell that it's worth a pretty penny. Pity it's not that exciting a song.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 14 November 2002 19:26 (twenty-three years ago)

A friend told me that my (first print) Meddle LP from Pink Floyd was worth US$300, but i think she's full of shit.

Other than that, i've never sold anything so i don't know of any hidden treasures.

― christoff (christoff), Thursday, 14 November 2002 19:33 (twenty-three years ago)

I bought the original pressing of 'Germ-Free Adolecents' by X-Ray-Spex for $2 off a punk kid on St. Marks Place many years ago. It's since been reissued but the vinyl I have (and plan on keeping) still fetches a pretty penny.

― sherri (sherri), Thursday, 14 November 2002 19:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I stole a pre-tiger-lawsuit copy of Polvo's Today's Active Lifestyles from my college radio station and later managed to sell it for $25 (despite it having the station's call signs scrawled in black marker over the cover).

― Aaron W, Thursday, 14 November 2002 20:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Black Dick for President

a triple LP of meandering monologues about black dick. (must stand up straight & tall & be counted, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. )

― autovac, Thursday, 14 November 2002 20:35 (twenty-three years ago)

I've got a Hendrix bootleg vinyl that's so hardcore "bootleg", the songs are listed on the sleeve out of order, and, in fact, there are two songs on the sleeve that aren't on the record whatsoever. It's live, and has an awesome cover of "Blue Suede Shoes".

― nickalicious, Thursday, 14 November 2002 20:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Crustation's "Bloom." Sold it on ebay for quite a nice sum, plus some chap who didn't win it bought a CDR for $15.

― Leee, Thursday, 14 November 2002 22:10 (twenty-three years ago)

I had an terrible LP of experimental music released by a tiny label in the early 90's...... It had two classical piano pieces by 80's synth-popper Howard Jones...

Several times i tried offloading this LP in second hand shops, only to have it cheerfully rejected (don't you just hate it when the second hand shop worker rejects your records with a "you really think someone is gonna be interested in that..." grin in their faces) so for years it sat in my loft, until i put it on ebay.

7 days later, it became the proud posession of a Japanese Howard Jones collector, who paid me the princely sum of $87 for this slab of cack. (He also wrote me to thank me for ending his 5 year search for this record!)

― Baxter Wingnut (Baxter Wingnut), Thursday, 14 November 2002 22:23 (twenty-three years ago)

I was amazed to read in Muzik a few months ago that my "Clubbed To Death" 12" is now worth 40 quid - it's not like you can't get the music anywhere, is it? You can get GTA Vice City for that and the music is way better.

― Mike (mratford), Thursday, 14 November 2002 22:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Anything on Sarah Records. I got into the label when virtually everything was still in print, and of course snoozed and missed out on a couple of things.. but latterday Sarah CDs, especially Aberdeen and Secret Shine, go for masses of $

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 15 November 2002 00:22 (twenty-three years ago)

The first Cranberries EP "Uncertain", on a teeny tiny label beginning with X or Z I think, bought solely on Everett True's recommendation as I recall. Apparently it's worth about 40 quid, somewhat improbably, but I still like it enough to want to keep it.

All my old Blur singles were worth a mint til the fuckers released that CaseLogic box set thing...

― Charlie (Charlie), Friday, 15 November 2002 04:57 (twenty-three years ago)

No New York. hahaha Not really. Probably Ex' debut record which seems to be a RARITY according to a friend. It's tattered and... I haven't played it yet (partially because I am too lazy partially because... well I phear I will scratch it).

― nathalie (nathalie), Friday, 15 November 2002 09:03 (twenty-three years ago)

I've got a couple of Tori Amos ltd edition cd singles. Cornflake Girl with some Hendrix, Holiday and Mitchell covers on it which I think is worth something to the rabid Tori collectors. Also got one with some Chas and Dave songs on it - London Girls etc.

I've got a star shaped Flaming Lips cd single for This Here Giraffe too.

No idea how much these are worth but I suspect they must be worth something to someone.

― mms (mms), Friday, 15 November 2002 10:37 (twenty-three years ago)

That Let's Active CD funnily enough.

― Wondering Boy Poet, Friday, 15 November 2002 15:54 (twenty-three years ago)

An early Con*r Ob*rst/Bill Hoover split 7" that I got from my friend Simon, which had totally tossed-off cover art etc -- fetched a fair amount, even though I'd guess that it's actually still in print.

God I missed everybody here. Two more days of tour left.

― J0hn Darn13ll3 (J0hn Darn13ll3), Friday, 15 November 2002 15:57 (twenty-three years ago)

i had a similar experience to the other Mike upthread. informed by Muzik magazine that some of my carl craig 12"s were worth much money. "4 jazz funk classics" is worth £50! and i have the original blue vinyl "bug in the bassbin", too, which is probably devalued by the fucken mo'wax reissue.

― michael wells (michael w.), Friday, 15 November 2002 16:12 (twenty-three years ago)

God I missed everybody here. Two more days of tour left.

Rah for the return of John!

Honestly no idea what my rarity of choice would be.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 15 November 2002 16:23 (twenty-three years ago)

I've religiously kept all the freebie singles,CDs etc from the covers of the all mags I've bought over the years. Are any of these ever worth any real money?

You hear about things like Beatles fan club singles going for big bucks, but what about, say, an NME single with exclusive Smiths & U2 tracks from the 80s?

Probably worth only worth a couple of quid, I know.

― James Ball (James Ball), Friday, 15 November 2002 17:14 (twenty-three years ago)

I have a Modest Mouse 7-inch that was going for $65 on eBay at one point (prob. worth much less now, as their profile has shrunk -- plus both songs wound up on the singles comp.) 1,000 were pressed, lovely blue vinyl, etc.

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 15 November 2002 17:22 (twenty-three years ago)

I've got the Beach Boys "Wouldn't It Be Nice" acapella 7 inch that Sub Pop put out a couple years back. I think I paid $3.50 for it. Not sure what it goes for now. Plus my old college station manager gave me an original Young Marble Giants "Test Card" ep 7 inch, just cuz he knew I loved them.

Funny enough I've made a lot of money selling my not so old issues of The Face. I just sold the one w/ Macauley on the cover for $20 bucks and the one of Larry Clark's Kids for $32.00. At least those two issues paid for my whole year's subscription to the US.

― Carey, Friday, 15 November 2002 18:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh yeah, aand I have the US version of "Is THis It?" on vinyl with Ny CIty Cops on it. I actually had two copies that I got when it came out and I gave one to this guy that was soooo not worthy. I completely did not think that the US Vinyl would go for so much on ebay.

― Carey, Friday, 15 November 2002 18:25 (twenty-three years ago)

See Let's Active thread for more on this.
The most I've ever paid for a single CD is $45 off eBay for a 70s James Talley western swing album that I couldn't find anywhere else. With my luck it's probably since been re-released.
I'm presently awaiting delivery of a double-CD set called "Ocean of Sound." It's a compilation of very different artists (King Tubby, Velvet Underground, Sun Ra to name a few) and how they're all tied together. Virgin released it only a few years ago but it's nearly impossible to find now. I hate to say what I paid for it.

― Jim McGaw, Friday, 15 November 2002 18:27 (twenty-three years ago)

xtc's "wrapped in grey" so rare they only reckon about fifty copies existed. i bought mine in a charity shop for about 50p and swapped it for about ten cds of xtc rarities when unemployed and fed up

also got the extraordinary "glass world of anna lockwood" for a pound which appears to be something of a bargain

― chris browning (commonswings), Friday, 15 November 2002 18:33 (twenty-three years ago)

The Alice Deejay album, promo copy, in the week of its release... £24. When it was selling in the shops for £13.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 15 November 2002 18:44 (twenty-three years ago)

secret shine is the most bizarre, i like them but the 'greater than god' 10 inch is not worth 80 dollars. maybe it will go even higher now that clair is releasing a secret shine best of.

― keith (keithmcl), Friday, 15 November 2002 19:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I have Howard Stern'S "50 Ways to Rank your Mother" album on vinyl, which dates from his Wahington, DC days.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 15 November 2002 19:30 (twenty-three years ago)

sup pop mistakenly added an early sunny day real estate 7" (thief, steal me a peach) in with a mailorder...

i listened to it once. when i sold off most of my 7"s on eBay about 4 years ago, that one went for $85.

i bought a jawbreaker dear you promo out of a $1 bargain bin and sold it for $30 on eBay FOR PURE CAPITALIST PLEASURE.

― gygax!, Friday, 15 November 2002 19:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Spiritualized's Fucked Up Inside still sells for a lot, so do the Sonic Boom/Spectrum releases on Silvertone (which are all out of print now). Along with the Let's Active albums, anything by Guadalcanal Diary is going for big bucks now.

― Chris Barrus (xibalba), Saturday, 16 November 2002 01:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Anything Guadalcanal Diary? Like the Elektra albums on vinyl that clog up every southern record store's bins for $2 a pop?

― paul cox (paul cox), Saturday, 16 November 2002 01:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Really? I have FUCKED UP INSIDE. How much is it fetching?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 16 November 2002 02:39 (twenty-three years ago)

i don't understand this thread.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 16 November 2002 03:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Anything Guadalcanal Diary? Like the Elektra albums on vinyl that clog up every southern record store's bins for $2 a pop?

I would say no. Just CDs, particularly Walking in the Shadow... and 2x4. They usually fetch $20-$40. The one that'll get you the most is the Walking/Jamboree 2-on-1 CD (usually ~$50).

Arrrg, I remember holding the Let's Active Cypress/Afoot CD in my hand in a store years ago, thinking, "I don't need to buy this; I've got both on tape." And I remember holding Opal's Early Recordings...

One unexpected rarity that fetches a fair amount is the Bears' first s/t album (the Bears being Adrian Belew's pop band).

If I remember correctly, I saw Saint Etienne's I Love to Paint CD going for over $300 a few years ago. Yikes.

I've only purchased one CD in my life with the sole intent of selling it later, and that's Tad's 8-Way Santa with the original boob-grab cover. I don't think anyone cares about Tad anymore, so it probably has not increased in value above its original $13 investment.

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Saturday, 16 November 2002 03:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Fucked Up Inside was going for $60+ on eBay awhile back. Haven't seen one up there recently (already have one of my own).

And yes, I should have clarified - any Guadalcanal Diary CDs.

― Chris Barrus (xibalba), Saturday, 16 November 2002 22:50 (twenty-three years ago)

I've got a Bright Eyes split single that I was horrified to see go for more than 20 times what I paid for it on eBay. It's a rubbish single too.

The Beach Boys single on Sub Pop is strangely worthless - I've never seen a copy sell on eBay for much more than $8.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 17 November 2002 00:56 (twenty-three years ago)

i have little red song book with wendy carlos still on, is it worth anything ?

― anthony easton (anthony), Sunday, 17 November 2002 02:54 (twenty-three years ago)

six months pass...

Addendum: the first two Guadalcanal Diary albums are being reissued on one CD, so that disc isn't likely to fetch $50 on eBay anymore...

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Sunday, 25 May 2003 04:07 (twenty-two years ago)

all the john cage, nonesuch "new music" and miscellaneous free jazz lps i bought for $1 each when i was still at school at the big sale the big classical record store had of all its "we can't sell this" material

― george gosset (gegoss), Sunday, 25 May 2003 04:16 (twenty-two years ago)

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