Top 30 Most Expensive Items Sold on Discogs in August 2021

If you’re looking to learn about the most expensive records, cassettes, and CDs sold in the Discogs Marketplace, you’ve come to the right place. The ranking for August 2021 is full of surprises as jazz classics, limited box sets with mono mixes, and a cassette demo all made the top 30 for the monthly roundup.

The Beatles and Rolling Stones are no strangers to the most expensive list, but what makes their inclusion this month so intriguing is that their releases are all mono pressings. These include box sets that span each group’s early output and a rare original pressing of The Beatles’ Please Please Me.

August also boasts quite a few essential hard bop releases. Two different pressings of Sonny Clark’s Cool Struttin’ made the list, as well as original pressings of beloved Lee Morgan and Kenny Dorham records.

Although the regular list technically includes all physical formats sold on Discogs, it’s pretty rare for anything other than vinyl to land in the top 30. However, this month features a self-released Deftones demo tape from 1992. The cassette includes the same three songs on each side and features contact information printed right on the tape.

In other news, Random Access Memories has claimed a spot here in addition to its regular inclusion on the most collected and best-selling rankings. With a 70mm film strip, a pair of silver and gold plated USB drives, and robot helmet design schematics printed on a series of transparencies, the limited-edition box set below is a collector’s item of the highest order.

Author’s note: There are 30 items listed, but the ranking ends at No. 29 because the final two entries sold for the same price.

Kiss – Hard Luck Woman / Mr Speed

Sold for $1,764.00
Label: Casablanca
Format: 7″, Single
Country: South Africa
Released: 1976
Genres: Rock
Styles: N/A
Antonio Dias – Record: The Space Between

Sold for $1,764.00
Label: Not On Label (Antonio Dias Self-released)
Format: LP, Ltd, Num
Country: Italy
Released: 1971
Genres: Electronic, Non-Music
Styles: Musique Concrète, Poetry, Experimental
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories

Sold for $1,771.00
Label: Columbia
Format: Box, Dlx, Ltd + 2xLP, Album, 180 + 10″ + M/Stick,
Country: US
Released: 2014
Genres: Electronic, Rock, Funk / Soul, Non-Music, Pop
Styles: Disco, Funk, Electro, Synth-pop, Interview
Monique – If You Love Me (Show Me) / Never Let Me Go

Sold for $1,775.00
Label: Maurci
Format: 7″
Country: US
Released: 1966
Genres: Funk / Soul
Styles: Soul
The Deftones – The Deftones

Sold for $1,785.00
Label: Not On Label (Deftones)
Format: Cass
Country: US
Released: 1992
Genres: Rock
Styles: Hard Rock
Tipper – Forward Escape

Sold for $1,800.00
Label: Tippermusic
Format: 2xLP, Album, Ltd, 140
Country: UK
Released: 2014
Genres: Electronic
Styles: Glitch, IDM, Downtempo, Ambient
The Informers – (Why Did You Give Me Such) A Hard Way To Go / Baby, Set Me Free

Sold for $1,891.00
Label: Blackjack Records
Format: 7″, Single
Country: US
Released: 1965
Genres: Funk / Soul
Styles: Soul
Grateful Dead – Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings

Sold for $1,900.00
Label: Grateful Dead Records, Rhino Records
Format: 73xHDCD + Box, Ltd
Country: US
Released: 2011
Genres: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Styles: Folk Rock, Rock & Roll, Psychedelic Rock, Country Rock
Tatsuro Yamashita – Joy

Sold for $1,900.00
Label: Moon Records
Format: 3xLP, Album
Country: Japan
Released: 1989
Genres: Rock, Pop
Styles: N/A
Finnicum – On The Road Again / Come On Over

Sold for $1,907.00
Label: Ruff Records
Format: 7″
Country: US
Released: 1966
Genres: Rock
Styles: Garage Rock
Monks – Black Monk Time

Sold for $1,941.00
Label: International Polydor Production
Format: LP, Album
Country: Germany
Released: 1966
Genres: Rock
Styles: Garage Rock
The Beatles – The Beatles In Mono

Sold for $1,998.00
Label: Apple Records
Format: Box, Comp, Ltd, RM + 11xLP, Album, Mono, RE + 3xLP
Country: N/A
Released: 2014
Genres: Rock
Styles: Beat, Rock & Roll, Psychedelic Rock
The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones In Mono

Sold for $1,999.00
Label: ABKCO
Format: Box, Comp, Ltd, Num + LP, Album, Mono, RE, RM + LP
Country: Europe
Released: 2016
Genres: Rock
Styles: Pop Rock, Rock & Roll, Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Willie Hutch – The Duck

Sold for $2,000.00
Label: Dunhill
Format: 7″, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1965
Genres: Funk / Soul
Styles: Soul
The Queers – Kicked Out Of The Webelos

Sold for $2,000.00
Label: Doheny Records
Format: 7″
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genres: Rock
Styles: Punk
Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin’

Sold for $2,007.00
Label: Blue Note
Format: LP, Album, Mono, New
Country: US
Released: 1962
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Hard Bop
Westside Gunn – Flygod

Sold for $2,083.00
Label: Daupe!
Format: 2xLP, Album, Ltd
Country: UK
Released: 2016
Genres: Hip Hop
Styles: Hardcore Hip-Hop, Thug Rap
Jeremy – Semi-Structured Life

Sold for $2,100.00
Label: Driftwood
Format: 12″, Ltd, Promo, W/Lbl
Country: US
Released: 2002
Genres: Electronic
Styles: Deep House, Tech House
Brother Ngomalioh & His Afro-Combo – Don’t Take Me For Granted

Sold for $2,117.00
Label: Comet
Format: LP, Album
Country: Nigeria
Released:
Genres: Funk / Soul, Folk, World, & Country
Styles: Afrobeat
The Beatles – Please Please Me

Sold for $2,294.00
Label: Parlophone
Format: LP, Album, Mono, 1st
Country: UK
Released: 1963
Genres: Rock
Styles: Beat, Rock & Roll
Cildo Meireles – Sal Sem Carne

Sold for $2,370.00
Label: Pesquisa
Format: LP, Album, Ltd
Country: Brazil
Released: 1975
Genres: Electronic
Styles: Musique Concrète, Experimental
Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin’

Sold for $2,499.00
Label: Blue Note
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1958
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Hard Bop
AC/DC – Live From The Atlantic Studios

Sold for $2,500.00
Label: Atlantic
Format: LP, Promo, Transcription
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genres: Rock
Styles: Hard Rock
Shades Of Black / Sugar Boy And Shades Of Black – Soul Tangle / Free Man

Sold for $2,702.00
Label: Shades
Format: 7″, Single
Country: US
Released:
Genres: Funk / Soul
Styles: Soul
Herbert von Karajan – Complete Recordings On Deutsche Grammophon And Decca

Sold for $2,893.00
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Format: 330xCD, Comp + 24xDVD, Comp + 2xBlu-ray, Comp + Bo
Country: N/A
Released: 2017
Genres: Classical
Styles: Classical, Baroque, Romantic, Modern
Haymarket Square – Magic Lantern

Sold for $3,000.00
Label: Chaparral
Format: LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genres: Rock
Styles: Psychedelic Rock
Young Ladies – He’s Gone To Another / I’m Tired Of Running Around

Sold for $3,200.00
Label: Stang Records
Format: 7″
Country: US
Released: 1970
Genres: Funk / Soul
Styles: Soul
Lee Morgan – Indeed!

Sold for $3,235.00
Label: Blue Note
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1957
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Hard Bop
Kenny Dorham – Quiet Kenny

Sold for $3,640.00
Label: New Jazz
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Hard Bop
Eddie Daye & The Four Bars – Guess Who Loves You

Sold for $4,500.00
Label: Shrine Records
Format: 7″
Country: US
Released: 1966
Genres: Funk / Soul
Styles: Soul

Feature image is an interpretation of the album cover for Cool Struttin’ by Sonny Clark.

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