It’s no secret that the popularity of vinyl records has exploded in recent years.
Just like those baseball cards that mom chucked the day you left for college, many of us older metalheads know the pain of a discarded vinyl collection that would’ve been worth a shit ton of money right now.
Personal trauma aside, we were curious to understand – what are the most valuable heavy metal vinyl records these days? The data below is based on a combination of “last value sold” metal vinyl across Discogs.com and Popsike.com over the past few years. Popsike isn’t a direct marketplace like Discogs, but instead tracks and aggregates all sold auction prices from eBay. If you just happen to have one of these suckers sitting in your parent’s garage, we’d get on that now before the vinyl bubble goes bust again.
AMETHYST – Outside of Nowhere. 1984 press, limited to 100.
Last price sold for: $2,371
A super scarce one that was technically a micro-press of just 100 copies for promotional purposes. Probably why it’s worth so damn much, ay? Originally released by Pacific in ’84.
Iron Maiden – The Trooper. 7″ uncut picture disc test pressing.
Last price sold for: $2,871
You know the deal. not much else to say about this one.
Vintage Zyzard – Knights of Metal. 1984 Second Edition.
Last price sold for: $2,999
Just 500 copies of this cult underground Texas metal band from the 80s were ever pressed. If you’ve never heard of the band or this release, give it a listen here.
Converge- Jane Doe. Original Test Pressing
Last price sold for: $3,050
“Jane Doe” was a metalcore game-changer, and many consider it a landmark of the genre. It’s a fraught and highly emotional release, so it’s not all that surprising that a test press from the OG pressing is worth so much, given the legions of fans and collectors who have deep attachments to this album.
Flames of Hell- Fire and Steel. 1st press from 1982. Draconian Records.
Last price sold for: $4,000
An Icelandic cult album from the late 80s – a brash, crude, psychotic 1st wave black metal record. One of the all-time rarest Death or Black Metal records.
Venom- Black Metal. Original Red Press from 1982 (Neat Records)
Last price sold for: $4,090
A stone-cold classic. This is the original first press on Neat Records. Ultra rare with embossed letters and red/black marble vinyl. This is the rarest color edition ever with actually only two known copies worldwide.
MAYHEM – Deathcrush LP. 1st press hand-signed by EURONYMOUS.
Last price sold for: $4,900
“Deathcrush” is the debut EP by the influential Norwegian black metal gods, Mayhem. It stands as a foundational piece in the black metal genre, showcasing raw and aggressive sonic landscapes that were groundbreaking for its time. One of the key figures behind Mayhem’s early works, and especially in the shaping of the black metal scene in Norway, was Øystein Aarseth, better known by his stage name, Euronymous. As the band’s guitarist and main songwriter, Euronymous was instrumental in creating the aesthetic and ideological framework for black metal, even though his life was tragically cut short in 1993. His influence on the genre, however, remains undisputed to this day.
Mötley Crüe – Too Fast For Love. 1981 Leathür Records pressing
Last price sold for: $8,050
Not much to say about this one. People love their Crue.
PARADOXX – Plan Of Attak (signed by full band)
Last price sold for: $8,500
Per the sold listing: “A pristine original copy of this in-demand 1985 metal release from Chicago in 500 copies. 450 copies were soon dropped by the label. Of the 50 remaining copies in circulation over the years, there are probably only 10 left in the world now.”
Bathory – “Yellow goat” 1984 Black Mark Label 1st press.
Last price sold for: $9,059
The coveted “yellow goat” black mark label 1st pressing of this bona fide black metal classic. This press has the encircled star, the inverted cross, and the pyramid-shaped ‘666’ in dead wax. Clearly, a vinyl holy grail to many.
