Surprisingly Valuable CDs That You Might Own

2024-06-23

CDs. Some surprisingly valuable CDs could be in your closet, collecting dust.

Some surprisingly valuable CDs could be in your closet, collecting dust – Author Anne Erickson

People often say that the CD is dead, but really, it’s not. Some surprisingly valuable CDs could be in your closet, collecting dust. For years, people also said vinyl was dead, and now vinyl is back and all the rage. Even cassettes are making a comeback. But, back to CDs. Don’t throw away your CD collection before you read these valuable CDs that you might own, according to experts.

Surprisingly Valuable CDs

The most valuable CDs come from a variety of genres. It’s refreshing to see that some of the most valuable CDs are from the hip-hop genre, while others are rock, metal, pop and more. In general, what makes these CDs valuable is that they had a limited pressing and are in good condition. Also, many of these valuable CDs were released before their artists got famous, so they are rare. In some cases, they’re even self-released or on smaller labels, so they came out before their prospective artists got big.

I’m a Detroit girl, so I was happy to see Eminem on the list. His original “Slim Shady EP” is worth around $1,200, according to the experts at Discogs.com. This EP, which dropped in 1997, had only 500 confirmed copies release. It’s was Eminem’s big breakthrough record and helped solidify him as one of the most influential up-and-comers of the era. The original “Slim Shady EP” also scored Eminem his first record deal.

Discogs.com notes that their No. 1 most expensive CD of all time is actually “Falling Hearts” by Runner. As the story goes, Runner is a heavy metal band from Korea. “Falling Hearts” was released in 2022, but the original Korean CD is super rare. It recently sold for $3,000.

So, what about some more common names. If you’re a Michael Jackson fan, you might have a CD worth a lot. “Smile,” a 1998 CD from Michael Jackson, has sold for as much as $3,200. Reportedly, the record label canceled the release of the singles “Smile” very last minute, so most of the singles were destroyed. But, there are a few special copies that survived, and those are worth a lot.

Another familiar name is Bob Dylan. SavvyDime.com notes that Bob Dylan’s “50th Anniversary Collection” is worth a lot. Only 100 copies of this release were pressed and released, so if you have this release in your Bob Dylan collection, it could be worth more than $2,500.

SavvyDime.com also notes that Nirvana’s “Pennyroyal Tea” is a rare gem. The single version of “Pennyroyal Tea” was pulled from shelves after Nirvana vocalist Kurt Cobain passed away in April 1994. The single had just been released. Today, it can garner more than more than $1,500.

Now, getting a few thousands bucks for a CD is great, but what about a million? It’s happened. According to the experts at ValueYourMusic.com, back in 2017, Wu-Tang Clan’s very rare “Once Upon A Time In Shaolin” CD sold for $1,025,100. It absolutely blows my mind that one CD could pull more than a million dollars, but there you go.

Of course, there are other valuable CDs out there that aren’t worth as much but are still worth a good amount. For example, according to Rateyourmusic.com, AC/DC’s 1980 release “Let There Be Rock” can pull $100 to $125, but only if it’s the, “third pressing, still with a gatefold cover but with black labels.” Also, they note that, “Original pressings will have blue labels with a kangaroo on them.” So, there are some of the most surprisingly valuable CDs of all time. If you have any of these in your collection, you might want to look into selling or just keeping them and maintaining the bragging rights.

Anne Erickson
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