Just a week ago we spoke about some of the most expensive records to have ever sold, and they made our record collections seem almost worthless by comparison. While they all fetched prices that were definitely eye-watering, a rare test pressing by The White Stripes is currently up for sale for much less, but with a price that is certainly not anything to sneeze at.
An eBay listing has recently sprung up for a 10″ vinyl test pressing of The White Stripes’ ‘There Is No Home For You Here’/’Ball And Biscuit (Live)‘, with an asking price of £10,124.99 (that’s AUD $16,606.29, by the way). The seller claims that is “the definative (sic) ‘holy grail’ for White Stripes / Jack White / Third Man & record collectors which has been documented in articles but very rarely seen or offered for sale as only a few copies were manufactured.” Have a look at the unassuming piece of vinyl below.
So why exactly is this record commanding such a huge asking price? Well, as the seller states, “this the only ever official White Stripes 10″ vinyl single that has been pressed but never commercially released… After a very few test pressing copies were produced the 10″ single release was then cancelled.” So let’s break that down, a test pressing of a White Stripes single that was never actually released, and is so rare that people have almost never seen an actual copy? We’re starting to get an idea of why this could be worth a bit of dough.
“This withdrawn UK test pressing stands firmly alongside the Quarrymen acetate, the Sex Pistols A&M single, Velvet Underground acetate as one of the most prized and sought after records from modern pop culture,” the seller says. But be warned though, if you’re thinking about breaking open your piggy bank to pocket this piece of musical history, there’s a small pop on the B-side of the record, just in case you were planning on playing it.
Luckily, the seller has also put up a YouTube video of how the record sounds as well. So if you don’t think you’ll be able to afford this one, at the very least, there’s nine minutes of YouTube video set aside for you to drool over.
