1: The Quarrymen That'll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger (1958 UK private press 78rpm, £150,000)
Only one copy in existence, and Paul McCartney owns it. He repressed a batch in 1981 on 45 and 78 for friends, and even the repress goes for £10,000.
2: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967 USA Capitol SMAS 2653, LP, £62,000)
Around 100 copies in existence. Artwork features the faces of various Capitol execs pasted over those of the Beatles and some of the historical figures on the cover.
3: Son House Dry Spell Blues Pts. 1 & 2 (1930 USA Paramount 12990 10'' 78, £31,000)
Any Son House 78 on Paramount is worth a small fortune.
4: Willie Brown - M&O Blues/Future Blues (1930 USA Paramount 13090 10'' 78, £15,500)
Of the six sides Willie Brown recorded for Paramount, these are the only two where original copies are known to still exist.
5: Skip James Cherry Ball Blues/Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues (1931 USA Paramount 13065 10'' 78, £15,400)
Said to be near impossible to find in playable condition.
6: Jackie Brenston Rocket 88/Come Back To Where You Belong (1951 USA Chess 1458 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)
Only six copies pressed on 45.
7: The Prisonaires There Is Love In You/What'll You Do Next (1954 USA Sun 207 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)
Only three known copies.
8: Joe Hill Louis Boogie In The Park (1950 USA Phillips 9001 10'' 78rpm, £7,500)
First release on Sam Phillips' first label, pre-Sun.
9: Sex Pistols God Save The Queen/No Feelings (1977 UK A&M AMS 7284 7'' 45rpm, £7,500)
Infamous UK punk grail.
10: The Beatles The Beatles (1968 UK Apple PCM/PCS 7067/68 individually-numbered 2LP, £7,000)
Mint low-number copies of The White Album are highly sought after. I think no. 0000011 went for something near £7k relatively recently. Four of the first five numbered copies (but not no. 0000001, so rumour has it) are/were owned by The Beatles themselves.
11: Daniel Augusta Hunt Lonesome Old Jail/Greyhound Blues (1953 USA Sun 183 7'' 45rpm, £6,200)e
Scooped by John Tefteller on eBay in 2009 for $10,000. Even Sam Phillips himself didn't think this existed on 45.
12: Queen Bohemian Rhapsody/I'm In Love With My Car (1978 UK EMI 2375 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)
200 copies on blue vinyl, given away to execs and journalists at a dinner to mark EMI Int'l winning the Queen's Award For Industry in 1978.
13: John's Children A Midsummer Night's Scene/Sara Crazy Child (1967 UK Track 604005 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)
Withdrawn 45 from Marc Bolan's stint with John's Children is a grail for both psych- and Bolan-collectros.
14: The Beatles Please Please Me (1963 UK Parlophone PCS 3042 LP, £3,000)
Mint mono copies with the black/gold label are scarce, and mint stereo copies are scarcer still.
15: Billy Nicholls Would You Believe? (1968 UK Immediate IMPC 009 LP, £3,000)
Only 100 finished copies entered circulation before Immediate went bust.
16: Washboard Sam Diggin' My Potatoes/Bright Eyes (1953 USA Chess 1545 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)
Re-recorded version of his 1939 hit.
17: Turner Moore I'll Be Leaving You/I Love You Tenderly (1959 USA Mel-O-Tone 1147 7''45rpm, £3,000)
Out of interest for rare records sake.....
As chosen by Ian Shirley for The Word.
1: The Quarrymen That'll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger (1958 UK private press 78rpm, £150,000)
Only one copy in existence, and Paul McCartney owns it. He repressed a batch in 1981 on 45 and 78 for friends, and even the repress goes for £10,000.
2: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967 USA Capitol SMAS 2653, LP, £62,000)
Around 100 copies in existence. Artwork features the faces of various Capitol execs pasted over those of the Beatles and some of the historical figures on the cover.
3: Son House Dry Spell Blues Pts. 1 & 2 (1930 USA Paramount 12990 10'' 78, £31,000)
Any Son House 78 on Paramount is worth a small fortune.
4: Willie Brown - M&O Blues/Future Blues (1930 USA Paramount 13090 10'' 78, £15,500)
Of the six sides Willie Brown recorded for Paramount, these are the only two where original copies are known to still exist.
5: Skip James Cherry Ball Blues/Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues (1931 USA Paramount 13065 10'' 78, £15,400)
Said to be near impossible to find in playable condition.
6: Jackie Brenston Rocket 88/Come Back To Where You Belong (1951 USA Chess 1458 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)
Only six copies pressed on 45.
7: The Prisonaires There Is Love In You/What'll You Do Next (1954 USA Sun 207 7'' 45rpm, £12,500)
Only three known copies.
8: Joe Hill Louis Boogie In The Park (1950 USA Phillips 9001 10'' 78rpm, £7,500)
First release on Sam Phillips' first label, pre-Sun.
9: Sex Pistols God Save The Queen/No Feelings (1977 UK A&M AMS 7284 7'' 45rpm, £7,500)
Infamous UK punk grail.
10: The Beatles The Beatles (1968 UK Apple PCM/PCS 7067/68 individually-numbered 2LP, £7,000)
Mint low-number copies of The White Album are highly sought after. I think no. 0000011 went for something near £7k relatively recently. Four of the first five numbered copies (but not no. 0000001, so rumour has it) are/were owned by The Beatles themselves.
11: Daniel Augusta Hunt Lonesome Old Jail/Greyhound Blues (1953 USA Sun 183 7'' 45rpm, £6,200)e
Scooped by John Tefteller on eBay in 2009 for $10,000. Even Sam Phillips himself didn't think this existed on 45.
12: Queen Bohemian Rhapsody/I'm In Love With My Car (1978 UK EMI 2375 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)
200 copies on blue vinyl, given away to execs and journalists at a dinner to mark EMI Int'l winning the Queen's Award For Industry in 1978.
13: John's Children A Midsummer Night's Scene/Sara Crazy Child (1967 UK Track 604005 7'' 45rpm, £5,000)
Withdrawn 45 from Marc Bolan's stint with John's Children is a grail for both psych- and Bolan-collectros.
14: The Beatles Please Please Me (1963 UK Parlophone PCS 3042 LP, £3,000)
Mint mono copies with the black/gold label are scarce, and mint stereo copies are scarcer still.
15: Billy Nicholls Would You Believe? (1968 UK Immediate IMPC 009 LP, £3,000)
Only 100 finished copies entered circulation before Immediate went bust.
16: Washboard Sam Diggin' My Potatoes/Bright Eyes (1953 USA Chess 1545 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)
Re-recorded version of his 1939 hit.
17: Turner Moore I'll Be Leaving You/I Love You Tenderly (1959 USA Mel-O-Tone 1147 7''45rpm, £3,000)
Rockabilly grail.
18: Tinkerbell's Fairydust s/t (1969 UK Decca LK/SLK 5028 LP, £3,000)
UK psych grail that never got a full release because the band was dropped. A handful of finished copies made it out into the world.
19: John Lennon Unfinished Music No.1 (1968 UK Apple APCOR 2 LP, £3,000)
Stereo copies fetch £500, but the withdrawn mono pressing goes for six times that amount.
20: David Bowie Space Oddity/Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud (1969 UK Philips BF1801 7'' 45rpm, £3,000)
Stereo copy with picture cover it's the cover that commands the price.
Discuss..................
Seems pretty rock, funny that no Northern 45s make it over 3k? No Shrine? Frank Wilson?
Edited by Kris Holmes