Rare items from The Sex Pistols, Black Flag, The Misfits and others sell big
LA landmark Rockaway Records recently acquired a six-figure punk collection of rare vinyl, memorabilia and vintage t-shirts, featuring items from The Sex Pistols, Black Flag, The Misfits and more. Highly sought-after test pressings, picture sleeves and posters are among the items now available.
Recent high value sales include The Sex Pistols “God Save The Queen” UK 7-inch 45 test pressing, cracked condition, for $10,000; The Misfits “Cough” / “Cool” Single for $12,000; and The Misfits “Bullet” 7-inch 45 for $8,000.
The collection acquired by Rockaway Records also includes items from several groundbreaking Los Angeles based punk bands like The Germs, Social Distortion and Fear. Rare items including vinyl, concert posters, t-shirts and clothing, unique industry promotional items and more are currently available in their appointment only showroom and online.
“In our 40+ years of selling vinyl, I have never seen a collection of any kind sell as fast,” says Rockaway co-founder Wayne Johnson. “The prices for punk era vinyl and memorabilia specifically have skyrocketed over the last few years! It reminds me of how Beatles collectibles were selling in the 80’s and 90’s.”
While nearly every independent record store and many chains in Los Angeles shut their doors years ago, Rockaway stayed open and started to focus more on high end collectibles. Co-founders and brothers Wayne and Gary Johnson started aggressively acquiring extensive record industry and personal collections of vinyl, concert swag, promo items and other rarities. They frequently pay five to six figures for valuable collections and recently paid $100,000 to acquire a collection of Pearl Jam concert posters and memorabilia. In the last year Rockaway Records paid over $500,000 for a collection of rare Beatles memorabilia and vinyl.
In the past, music memorabilia was often in demand for its novelty. Now, its potential appreciation, an often-overlooked area, has caused the value to soar. Many artists have recently been selling their publishing catalogs, and some artists, fans, music industry executives and employees are now able to cash in on items they have been holding on to for years if not decades. These collectibles have recently yielded impressive returns.
Rockaway is known throughout the world for their honesty and for paying the fairest prices for records and memorabilia. The last several years they have competed with the larger auction houses and often get much higher returns on music related items because they understand the marketplace and the value due to decades of experience in the music industry. They regularly travel the world to purchase private collections and make certain that sellers receive the highest market price.
Wayne and Gary began re-selling albums in 1979 after attending one of the legendary record swap meets at the Capitol Records parking lot in Hollywood. What began as a hobby more than 40 years ago, quickly turned into a business when they were virtually forced to open a store, if only to house their growing collection! Expert appraisers of music memorabilia, the brothers Johnson have traveled the world buying and selling some of the most highly sought-after music collectibles.
