How a '90s Rock Single Became the Most Expensive Record Sold This Year (On Discogs)

Someone just made thousands of dollars on an unexpected 1990s vinyl record after a sale on Discogs.

The online record database also serves as a marketplace for collectors to buy and sell titles.

The Most Expensive Record Sold In 2026

If you were asked to guess the most expensive vinyl record sold in 2026, there is little chance you're going to get it right. Even with the hint that it "came out in the '90s," you're still probably not getting it.

According to information provided by Discogs, a sale was made on its platform in June that netted someone a whopping $25,000 from just one title. Not only that, but it was also just a single and not a full album.

The White Stripes' 1998 Lafayette Blues/Sugar Never Tasted So Good single is one of only 15 known copies in existence. It was the band's second-ever single.

Why Did The White Stripes Record Cost So Much?

The single's scarcity isn't the only thing driving up its price. It's also not even the first version released that year.

The White Stripes first released the Lafayette Blues/Sugar Never Tasted So Good single on Oct. 3, 1998. Discogs currently shows 222 users who claim to own that title.

The most that version has sold for on Discogs is $525.

The edition of the single from Detroit-based label Italy Records that recently fetched $25,000 was released with hand-painted covers. According to Discogs, Jack White painted some of the covers while Italy Records owner Dave Buick painted others.

The copy that sold for $25,000 was unique as it contained artwork painted by both White and Buick. Discogs said the singles were originally sold for just $6 when they were first released in 1998.

Top 10 Most Valuable Albums Sold on Discogs

The origin stories and sales prices for the remainder of the top 10 most valuable albums sold on Discogs are just as mind-boggling.

The fifth most valuable album sold in 2026, for example, was a 1981 Danzig 7-inch that was allegedly directly acquired from Glenn Danzig himself.

There also was a copy of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon that sold for a little more than $12,000. Discogs claims it was one of the first 300 copies of the album ever made.

Here is a breakdown of the top 10 most valuable albums sold so far on Discogs in 2026.

The White Stripes, Lafayette Blues/Sugar Never Tasted So Good (1998), $25,000
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin Box Set (2006), $24,000
Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), $12,162
Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody (1978), $10,919
Glenn Danzig, Who Killed Marilyn (1983), $10,000
The Beatles, Yesterday and Today (1966), $10,000
M'Boom Re:Percussion Ensemble, Re:Percussion (1973), $9,195
Germs, Forming (1977), $8,000
Misfits, Cough/Cool b./w. She (1977), $7,999
Samhain, Inithium (1984), $7,500

For some of these titles, the sheer number of limited-edition, hard-to-find variants is driving up the price. Record companies, of course, have caught on to this.

Here is a look at the strangest things ever pressed into vinyl records to create unique variants of specific titles.