CDs and vinyl records are experiencing a revival as music enthusiasts, gripped by nostalgia, are returning to physical media. This resurgence means that those old discs gathering dust on your shelf or in your car could now be worth a pretty penny. Collectors are willing to shell out hundreds, even thousands, for rare CDs from artists like David Bowie to Michael Jackson. Many of these coveted CDs were released in limited quantities or exclusively in foreign countries, while others were recalled for various reasons.
Let’s take a closer look at which CDs could net you a tidy sum, as reported by MyLondon. Bruce Springsteen, also known as The Boss, released The Future of Rock and Roll as a promo-only compilation in Japan in 1988. This hard-to-find 16-track double disc has been known to fetch around £1.1k, with one eBay user currently selling their copy for £907. Prince’s My Name Was Prince follows a similar narrative.
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Only 50 copies of this Japan-only collection were issued in 1993 to promote the 12-track album The Hits/The B Side. This rarity is nearly impossible to find, but collectors are willing to pay up to £5k for a copy, reports the Daily Record. Paris Hilton’s brief stint in the music industry may have concluded in the 2000s, but her debut album Paris is now a hot commodity. This is largely due to Banksy, who in 2006 distributed approximately 500 counterfeit copies of the album across 48 UK stores.
A bloke swapped the original booklet of his CD for his own artwork and replaced the disc with Danger Mouse remixes. These rare CDs can fetch anything from £750 to a whopping £8k. Now That’s What I Call Music 4, first released in 1984, only had 500 copies pressed. Sadly, the 15-track compilation was re-released in 2019, so it’s not extremely rare, but original discs can still see you pocket between £200-£400 for a copy lying around.
Coldplay’s 1998 EP The Safety had a limited run of just 150 copies available for sale, with the remaining 350 supposedly gifted to family, friends, and record executives. It’s now one of the most valuable CDs from Chris Martin’s band, fetching around £1.5k. In April 1994, Nirvana released a single titled Pennyroyal Tea, an alternate version of the song from their 1993 album In Utero. However, it was recalled following Kurt Cobain’s death the same month.
A few copies are still circulating and sell for around £1.5k-£2k. Michael Jackson memorabilia has always been popular, especially following his sudden death in 2009. However, the most sought-after disc is the single Smile, which mysteriously vanished. This CD, released only in Austria in 1997, was later cancelled and never reissued, making the few remaining copies worth around £1k-£1.5k.
David Bowie’s Sound + Vision, a 1989 compilation, is also fetching a pretty penny. One of only 350 copies made reportedly sold on eBay for just over £4k in 2013. The set included 49 tracks, a video disc, a 72-page booklet, and was housed in a basswood and birch box. Additional copies released in 1990 are currently trading between £70 and £350.
Collectors are always on the hunt for these CDs:
- The Future of Rock and Roll (Bruce Springsteen)
- My Name Was Prince- Japan-only compilation (Prince)
- Paris- 2006 Banksy/Danger Mouse edition (Paris Hilton)
- Now That’s What I Call Music 4
- The Safety EP (Coldplay)
- Pennyroyal Tea (Nirvana)
- Smile (Michael Jackson)
- Sound + Vision (David Bowie)