Top 30 Most Expensive Items Sold In The Discogs Marketplace For August 2018

When Pink Floyd is mentioned around these parts, it’s usually because Dark Side Of The Moon has topped this list or that list. It’s a pretty common occurrence. However, this is not one of those instances. The top seller of August 2018 isn’t that behemoth. It’s an edition of the 1969 double LP Ummagumma. It went for $13,953, and that massive sale price raised eyebrows for multiple reasons.

First of all, only one record sold for more in 2018 — the one-of-a-kind sealed Canadian copy of Prince’s Black Album, which went for an eye-popping $27,500. This month’s number one is also the fourth highest seller of the last two years, behind an unreleased version of God Save The Queen by the Sex Pistols and a promo copy of the first Beatles hit, Love Me Do, which routinely tops this list. Plus, last time a Pink Floyd release made it to the number top spot here, the price was nothing compared to this month. And that was for arguably Pink Floyd’s best record!

So now you’re thinking, “OK, why is a copy of Pink Floyd’s ninth best album worth $14,000? How can it compare to those other ultra-rare releases?” Yes it’s a Japanese promo copy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a lot. As always, our resident discography specialist Brent Greissle came to the rescue.

One consideration is the color. While something like red wax seems relatively commonplace these days, it wasn’t back then. In fact, colored LPs often weren’t meant for mass consumption. “The label used red vinyl for promos at the time, and the Ummagumma promo happened to get that treatment,” he pointed out. “Early 45s were all colored vinyl, and a few releases in the ’70s were entirely colored vinyl. But for the most part up until semi-recently, the majority of stuff is on black wax.”

There’s also the particular nature of this release. Oftentimes when crate digging, you’ll find one old promo copy after another. So many clipped corners! Not this time. “Given that it’s Floyd, I’d assume not many promo copies were made, given the lack of actual effort needed to promote it,” Brent reasoned. “I’d also assume that radio stations would have played their copies to death, so good, clean copies would be hyper-rare.”

That means even though it doesn’t have a captivating backstory like the Canadian Black Album or an unreleased God Save The Queen single, all the factors start compounding on one another to create a very specific type of rarity.

Now it’s time for you to dig into the rest of the top 30, where there are plenty more stories to be found — like the hand-decorated copy of Guided By Voices’ Propeller or the first single from a pre-Bowie Davie Jones.

John And Philipa Cooper – The Cooperville Times

Sold for $1250.00 Label: Parlophone
Format: LP
Country: South Africa
Released: 1969
Genres: Rock, Pop, Folk, World, & Country
Styles: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Elvis Presley – The Complete Elvis Presley Masters

Sold for $1295.00 Label: Legacy, RCA
Format: 30xCD, Comp
Country: US
Released: 2010
Genres: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Styles: Country, Gospel, Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
David Bowie – The World Of David Bowie

Sold for $1298.00 Label: Decca
Format: LP, Comp, TP
Country: UK
Released: 1970
Genres: Rock
Styles: Folk Rock
Little Joe Hinton – Let’s Start A Romance / Your Kind Of Love

Sold for $1300.00 Label: Arvee
Format: 7″, Single
Country: US
Released: 1961
Genres: Funk / Soul
Styles: Soul
August Tide – Laurie / Far Away Places

Sold for $1300.00
Format: 7″
Country: US
Genres: Funk / Soul
Ghost (32) – Elizabeth / Death Knell

Sold for $1315.00 Label: Iron Pegasus Records
Format: 7″, Ltd, Red
Country: Germany
Released: 2010
Genres: Rock
Styles: Blues Rock, Doom Metal, Classic Rock
The Beatles – Meet The Beatles

Sold for $1315.00 Label: Capitol Records
Format: 7″, Jukebox
Country: US
Released: 1964
Genres: Rock, Pop
Styles: Beat
Pöbel – Es Lebe Hoch Die Perversion

Sold for $1358.00 Label: Panza-Platte
Format: 7″
Country: Austria
Released: 1981
Genres: Rock
Styles: Punk
July (3) – July

Sold for $1394.00 Label: Major Minor
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: UK
Released: 1968
Genres: Rock, Pop
Styles: Psychedelic Rock
Melvins – Endless Residency

Sold for $1395.00 Label: Amphetamine Reptile Records
Format: 5×12″, Red + 3×12″, S/Sided, Red + Box, Ltd, HAZ
Country: US
Released: 2011
Genres: Rock
Styles: Alternative Rock
Ron B (3) And The Step 2 Crew – Stitch By Stitch / Live Entertainer

Sold for $1400.00 Label: Asiatic Records
Format: 12″
Country: US
Released: 1990
Genres: Hip Hop
Michael Garrick Septet – Black Marigolds

Sold for $1433.00 Label: Argo (2)
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: UK
Released: 1966
Genres: Jazz
Masayuki Takayanagi Quintet – Flower Girl

Sold for $1453.00 Label: Not On Label
Format: LP, Album, Ltd
Country: Japan
Released: 1969
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Latin Jazz
Love Company (2) – Somebody Help Me Be Fair / Love Tempo

Sold for $1500.00 Label: SRO Records
Format: 7″
Country: US
Released: 1980
Genres: Funk / Soul
Mayhem – Deathcrush

Sold for $1500.00 Label: Posercorpse Music
Format: 12″, EP, Ltd
Country: Norway
Released: 1987
Genres: Rock
Styles: Black Metal
Eminem – Infinite

Sold for $1588.00 Label: Web Entertainment
Format: LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1996
Genres: Hip Hop
Styles: Hardcore Hip-Hop, Conscious
Don Rendell Ian Carr 5tet – Dusk Fire

Sold for $1802.00 Label: Columbia
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: UK
Released: 1966
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Contemporary Jazz, Modal
Raymond Harper & The Melody Makers (4) / The Enchanters (3) – Safari

Sold for $1818.00 Label: Doctor Bird
Format: 7″, Single
Country: Jamaica
Released: 1966
Genres: Reggae
Styles: Ska
Guided By Voices – Propeller

Sold for $2000.00 Label: Rockathon, Old Age / No Age
Format: LP, Album, Ltd, Num, W/Lbl
Country: US
Released: 1992
Genres: Rock
Styles: Indie Rock, Lo-Fi
Blues Addicts – Blues Addicts

Sold for $2000.00 Label: Spectator Records
Format: LP
Country: Denmark
Released: 1970
Genres: Rock
Styles: Blues Rock, Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Dangerous Rhythm (2) – No, No, No

Sold for $2099.00 Label: Orfeon
Format: 7″, EP, Mono
Country: Mexico
Released: 1979
Genres: Rock
Styles: Punk
Davy Jones – You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving

Sold for $2325.00 Label: Parlophone
Format: 7″, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1965
Genres: Rock, Pop
Styles: Pop Rock
Gary Walker & The Rain – Album No. 1

Sold for $2325.00 Label: Philips
Format: LP, Album
Country: Japan
Released: 1968
Genres: Rock
Styles: Beat, Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock
Lazy Smoke – Corridor Of Faces

Sold for $2500.00 Label: Onyx (5)
Format: LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genres: Rock
Styles: Psychedelic Rock, Beat
The Beatles – Please Please Me

Sold for $2558.00 Label: Parlophone
Format: LP, Album, Mono, Bla
Country: UK
Released: 1963
Genres: Rock
Styles: Beat, Rock & Roll
The Smiths – Reel Around The Fountain / Jeane

Sold for $2763.00 Label: Rough Trade
Format: 7″, TP, W/Lbl
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genres: Rock
Styles: Alternative Rock
Jean Dubuffet – Pleure et Applaudit

Sold for $2905.00 Label: Galleria Del Cavallino Venise
Format: 10″, Ltd, Num
Country: France
Released: 1961
Genres: Non-Music, Classical
Styles: Spoken Word, Experimental, Free Improvisation, Noise
Opus (9) – The Atrocity / Good Procedures

Sold for $3500.00 Label: Catatonic Records (3)
Format: 7″, Single
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genres: Rock
Styles: Punk
Davie Jones With The King Bees – Liza Jane

Sold for $3947.00 Label: Vocalion Pop
Format: 7″, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1964
Genres: Rock, Blues, Pop
Styles: Beat, Rhythm & Blues
Pink Floyd – Ummagumma

Sold for $13953.00 Label: Odeon
Format: 2xLP, Album, Promo, Red
Country: Japan
Released: 1970
Genres: Rock
Styles: Psychedelic Rock, Experimental, Classic Rock

Keep Digging