Music records are pieces of art, one that is produced in greater quantities so everybody can enjoy listening to their favorite artists' latest work. Advancements in technology have allowed music to be pressed onto vinyl, recorded into cassettes, and burned into CDs.
However, every once in a while, a piece of music becomes so rare that it stands on the league of Greek sculptures and classical paintings. Here are five of the most expensive records ever sold.
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles - $290,500
An LP of The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was thought to be signed by all members of The Fab Four shortly before its commercial release in 1967. The record was sold in 2013 at the US-based Heritage Auction to an unnamed Midwest man, with the winning bid sitting at $290,500.
"My Happiness" by Elvis Presley - $300,000
Elvis Presley's recording of "My Happiness" is a history piece because it was the first song in his first recording session at the Memphis Recording Service, later known as Sun Studio, together with "That's When Your Heartaches Begin." In 2015, half of The White Stripes, Jack White, won the record at an auction for $300,000.
"That'll Be the Day"/ "In Spite of All the Danger" by The Quarrymen - approximately £200,000
The Quarrymen is now known as the predecessor to The Beatles, which was formed by John Lennon in 1956. Two years later, they made their amateur cover of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day," with the Paul McCartney - George Harrison penned "In Spite of All the Danger" recorded on the other side.
Pianist John Duff Lowe kept the original acetate and sold it to Macca in 1981 for an undisclosed amount. Record Collector magazine puts the price at £200,000. Paul then had the record restored and in 1981, reissued the record, which sold at £10,000 each.
"The Beatles" by The Beatles - $790,000
The ninth studio album of The Beatles featured a plain white cover with the band name stamped on it, with the world preferring to call it "The White Album" instead. In December 2015, Ringo Starr's personal copy of the album was sold for $790,000, easily leaving the conservative estimates of $40,000 to $60,000.
Ringo Starr's copy was the first-ever made, with the serial number No.0000001. The Beatles' drummer told Rolling Stone that they "used to play the vinyl in those days," not knowing that it will still be in good condition almost 50 years later. While other records became so expensive because of their historical value and rarity, the hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan went the other way. This album was intended as an art object, with the only existing copy encased in a jewel-encrusted box. The album was not to be reproduced commercially until 2103, 88 years after its release. In 2015, auction house Paddle 8 sold the album to a then-undisclosed buyer. Bloomberg named the buyer in December of that year as "Pharmabro" Martin Shkreli, who later had to give up the album as a part of the federal government's seizure.
"Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" by the Wu-Tang Clan - $2,000,000
