Do you have one of these gathering dust in your attic? Experts reveal the most valuable vinyls, CDs, and cassettes of all time - and it's good news if you're a Beatles collector

It might be worth having a rummage up in your attic, as experts reveal the world's most valuable vinyls, CDs and cassettes. 

According to specialists at Record Collector, some of the most prized physical records include works by the Beatles, Michael Jackson and Coldplay. 

Many are one-offs because there was something unusual about them – such as the copy of Double Fantasy John Lennon signed the day he was killed, worth $850,000. 

There's also Elvis Presley's version of 'My Happiness', a one-of-a-kind 10-inch acetate record pressed in 1953, bought by Jack White for $300,000. 

And who could forget the only single manufactured copy of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin by the Wu-Tang Clan, sold for $2 million in 2021?

But there's many vinyls, CDs and cassettes released in larger (but still limited) quantities that could feasibly be lying around your or a family member's home. 

Some of these have already been bought and sold for life-changing sums of money. 

So, do you have one of them gathering dust? 

The Beatles - Yesterday and Today (12-inch vinyl)

Yesterday and Today was a compilation album made exclusively for North America, but it would be mostly remembered for its controversial cover. 

Released in 1966, it features the four Beatles dressed in white lab coats, surrounded by slabs of raw meat and fragments of toy dolls. 

About 750,000 copies of Yesterday and Today were printed before the cover was pulled due to complaints that it was distasteful.

The Beatles' American record label Capital therefore had it reprinted with a far less offensive cover, but it means the original 'butcher' versions fetch hefty sums.

In 2016, a mint condition 'first state' stereo copy of Yesterday and Today in shrink-wrap was sold for $125,000 (£99,050), while John Lennon's personal copy sold for $234,400 (£180,000) in 2019. 

Had the original concept – devised by photographer Robert Whitaker – not come to pass, several collectors today would be significantly less wealthy. 

Lennon would later joke: 'My original idea for the cover was better – decapitate Paul – but he wouldn't go along with it.'

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (12-inch vinyl)

Even the most avid of Beatles fans may be unaware of a remarkable variation in the famous cover of Sgt. Pepper's, surely their most acclaimed work. 

The 1967 album features the band members dressed in colourful Edwardian-style military uniforms surrounded by life-sized cardboard cut-outs of their idols. 

But around 50 to 100 copies were modified with a different sleeve that cut and pasted the heads of 40 Capitol Records executives. 

'These copies were then handed out to same big cheeses at a Capitol Records conference in Miami,' said Ian Shirley, editor at Rare Record Price Guide.  

'Everything else on the sleeve is the same as the standard Capitol records release, as is the LP inside.' 

Just one of these ultra-rare versions of Sgt. Pepper's is worth an estimated £70,000, according to Record Collector. 

And they may be waiting to be discovered in the homes of the descendants of these original Capitol members or record stores around the west coast. 

Frank Wilson - 'Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)' (7-inch vinyl)

Just 250 copies of this single – considered 'the Holy Grail of Northern Soul music' – were pressed by Motown in late 1965. 

'Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)' was originally intended to get a proper widescale release, but it was cancelled, allegedly because singer and composer Frank Wilson wanted to focus on record production at the legendary label. 

As a result, most of the 250 copies were destroyed, but a few survived the cull and now are hotly-sought by collectors. 

In 2009, a copy changed hands for $39,294 (£25,742), while in 2020 British multi-millionaire Lee Jeffries spent £100,000 on one who considered it a solid gold investment. 

Michael Jackson – 'Smile' (CD) 

It's not just vinyl that fetches some eye-watering prices, with this 1997 release from Michael Jackson being one of the most valuable CDs. 

A cover of a Charlie Chaplin song from the 1930s, Smile featured on Jackson's 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. 

The CD of Smile was released in very limited quantities as a promo single prior to a planned commercial release that was ultimately cancelled. 

As a result, any remaining copies are worth between £1,000 and £1,500 today, making it one of the most valuable CDs to own, according to MusicMagpie. 

'Some CDs slipped through the net and are now considered one of the most coveted pieces of Michael Jackson memorabilia to date,' said editor Nicole Newton. 

Coldplay - The Safety EP (CD)

It may seem unthinkable now, but in the late nineties Coldplay were a lowly London band playing the city's dingy clubs and pubs.

In May 1998, they self-released the Safety EP featuring three songs that would never trouble the charts. 

Only 500 copies of the EP were made and most were given to record label executives, friends and family, but about 150 were sold.

More than a quarter of a century later, Coldplay sell out stadiums around the world and the Safety EP is a sought-after collectable. 

Reportedly, copies have sold for £1,500 but the value should continue to climb as Coldplay become even more of a heritage act. 

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (CD)

'Wish You Were Here' is of course one of Pink Floyd's most lauded albums, but a Japanese edition on CD 'is a collector's dream'. 

This rare edition was manufactured in 1994 with a 24-carat gold-plated disc, remastered using superior noise-shaping techniques. 

According to the Yorkshire Post, one copy sold on Discogs for the equivalent of £2,172, although the price will depend very much on condition. 

AC/DC - 12 of the Best (cassette) 

This 1978 cassette came at a time when AC/DC were starting to gain international attention outside of their home country of Australia.  

A promo limited to just 100 copies, 12 of the Best was supposed to capitalize on the band's status as national heroes Down Under with some of their best-known hits. 

But guitarist Malcolm Young objected to it and it was never officially released, making it the 'crown jewel of all music memorabilia in the world' as one blogger put it. 

Two decades ago, one cassette of 12 of the Best sold on eBay for a whopping $9,000, according to Blabbermouth.net. 

AC/DC's first two studio albums released only in Australia in 1975 – High Voltage and T.N.T. – are also prized collectors items today. 

On a Friday - Gripe (cassette)

They're one of the biggest British bands from the 1990s and recently embarked on their first tour for many years – and we're not talking about Oasis.  

Before they were known as Radiohead, Oxford's famous five-piece released this limited cassette in 1988 back when they were known as On A Friday. 

The tape, called Gripe, has handmade artwork by singer Thom Yorke and three obscure compositions – 'Happy Song', 'To Be A Brilliant Light' and 'Sinking Ship'.

It's unclear how many copies of Gripe were made, but four years ago one sold at auction for £6,000.

Omega Auction called it 'an incredible piece of Radiohead early recording history'.