Vinyl collecting has never been cheap — but once you start chasing specific pressings, test pressings, and rare variants, things can get wildly expensive, fast. Discogs knows this better than anyone, which is why the marketplace publishes a monthly Top 25 Most Expensive Records Sold list, documenting just how far collectors are willing to go.
The December 2025 edition has just been posted, and surprisingly (or maybe not), it’s heavily dominated by rock and metal releases, with several eye-popping sales that underscore how valuable certain records from these genres have become. Among the most notable entries on the December list:
- A 1984 test pressing of Metallica’s Ride the Lightning sold for $2,500
- A special cut pressing of Tool’s Ænima fetched $3,488, because Tool for whatever reason will not release those long-awaited vinyl re-presses
- Misfits‘ 1978 7″ Bullet, which went for $7,500. On why it was so expensive, Discogs noted in part: “Following the initial pressings, Danzig was left with approximately 100 unused black-vinyl discs from the original pressing run, but no sleeves. To fulfill an order from Tesco Vee at Schoolkids Records in Ann Arbor, Michigan, those discs were paired with sleeves from the second pressing. Collectors now refer to this hybrid as the ‘third pressing,’ a uniquely improvised release that has become one of the most coveted Misfits singles.”
Check out the relevant records to you all below, and check out the full list here.
No. 24 Metallica – Ride The Lightning (1984, test pressing) — $2,500
No. 20 The Who – A Legal Matter / Kids Are Alright (1966, single) — $2,674
No. 18 Nirvana – Nevermind (1991) — $2,790
No. 17 The Rolling Stones – Remastered Series (2003, SACD box set) — $2,800
No. 13 Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1984, limited edition) — $3,333
No. 11 Tool – Ænima (1996, special cut) — $3,488
No. 10 Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen (1977) — $3,800
No. 9 Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1984, limited edition) — $4,000
No. 6 Nirvana – Nevermind (1991) — $4,200
No. 2 The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967, mono, “Torso” cover) — $7,300
No. 1 The Misfits – Bullet (1978, Plan 9 Records, 7″, 45 RPM) — $7,550
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