Year: 1930
Record label: Paramount
Worth Today: $37,100*

Who doesn’t love a rare blues record? Tommy Johnson released Alcohol and Jake Blues in 1930 after landing a distribution deal with Paramount. Even back then, that was a huge deal. The master tapes to the record no longer exist, making every single copy (and there are few) invaluable. 

Johnson was one of the most influential American Delta blues musicians to record during the late twenties, and his style influenced the styles of other artists (whose vinyls are likely worth a pretty penny nowadays) like Howlin’ Wolf, Robert Nighthawk, and Canned Heat, a band that got its name from Johnson’s song, “Big Road Blues.”

In 2013, buyer John Tefteller shelled out $37,100 to become the proud new owner of one copy. He already had one, but according to him, this version was in much better condition. The purchase made sense to him as the vinyl is just so rare it would be stupid not to buy it!