Sadly, I have been getting many collections I have been buying lately because the original owners have passed away. I picked up this killer old-school thrash, death, and black metal from the original owner’s family through the mail from North Carolina after they had cleaned out his storage area.
In it were a ton of great out-of-print rarities, and I have outlined some of the gems below.
Gems From This Collection
Sodom – Agent Orange LP 1989 R/C Records – RC 9480 – Excellent original copy of Sodom’s 1987 thrash metal classic “Agent Orange” still in its original shrink wrap.
Death Angel – The Ultra-Violence LP 1987 Enigma – ST-73253 – Another great thrash metal record from 1987 and the best by Death Angel, still in its original shrink wrap with hype stickers.
Exhorder – Slaughter in the Vatican CD 1991 Roadrunner – RO 93632 – Kill first pressing of Exhorer’s debut album and a pricey and rare CD.
Slayer – Hell Awaits CD 1986 Combat – 88561-8020-2 – An actual real first pressing of Slayer’s “Hell Awaits”with the orange back panel. I have never even seen one of these before. Very rare.
Sepultura – Morbid Visions CD 1990 New Renaissance Records – NRCD43 – This a an OG on New Renaissance Records, as you can tell by the insanely simple rear-panel layout.
Have A Collection Like This To Sell?
I am always buying metal collections like you see in the post. Use this contact into to get ahold of me.
This month’s update took me on an adventure to Chillicothe, Ohio, where I picked up a massive collection of 2500 extreme metal LPs, 5500 CDs, and around 2000 cassettes, all in mint condition.
Here is a video of the haul once I loaded itinto my place.
Sadly, this collection did not become available under the best of circumstances. The original owner of this insane collection, Scott Baxter, of the Philadelphia-based metal/hardcore band, Dare To Defy, tragically succumbed to cancer at age 55.
Here is a link to some of Dare To Defy’s music, active from the late 80s to the late 90s.
On his passing, he left his collection to a friend who was not a big metal fan. She contacted me through this site, and after a few phone calls, I decided to fly out to Chillicothe to check it out and perhaps make an offer.
I left Los Angeles on the redeye and hoped to catch some sleep on the first leg of the flight from LAX to Atlanta. But unfortunately, I was unable to fall asleep on the plane. So I arrived in Columbus and decided to power through. I picked up a U-Haul truck from a town near the airport and went to view the collection — it was as she described to me, so after a bit of negotiation, I wrote the owner a check, loaded the truck, and was on my way back by 3 PM that afternoon.
The Long Journey Home
At this point, on no sleep, I began the most white-knuckle leg of the trip: The 2000-mile-plus trek back to Los Angeles.
I only drove a few hours on the first day before stopping in Indiana. Then, after 16 hours of driving the next day, I stopped for the night in Missouri, and again after a similar length drive, I stopped in Denver.
Most miraculously, there were no serious snafus the entire trip – no running of gas, speeding tickets, or brushes with death.
Highlights From This Collection
I have yet to make it through every album in this monolithic assemblage, but I pulled out a few to feature in this first blog post and will follow up with some more in future posts.
Mortician – Hacked Up For Barbecue LP 2016 Hells Headbangers NM/NM BLUE RED – Great 90s death metal by two-man band from Yonkers, NY, that recorded with a drum machine and never toured because they were on probation. Hacked Up For Barbecue is both brutal and highly collectible.
Mortician – Re-Animated Dead Flesh LP 2016 Hells Headbangers NM GLOW IN THE DARK – Though this album is technically a reissue, the early Mortician albums never appeared on vinyl. This limited glow-in-the-dark vinyl is quite rare, collectible, and pricey.
Death Angel – The Ultra-Violence LP WHITE 2016 Metal Blade – 3984-15377-1 NM/NM – This white vinyl limited run of 100 from the OG Death Angel thrash classic is very sought after because of its low print run.
Mercyful Fate – Melissa LP 1983 Megaforce Records – MRI-369 EX/NM – The debut album from Mercyful Fate “Melissa” is widely regarded as one the most influential extreme metal albums of all time. To find an original copy in near-mint condition is a rare treat.
Satan – Court In The Act LP 1984 LP Metal Blade – MBR 1016 EX/EX – Though technically a reissue, this first US pressing of “Court In The Act” by the British heavy metal band Satan is very sought after.
Cryptic Slaughter – Money Talks LP 2014 Relapse – RR6547 NM [GREEN LIMITED 300] – These limited color reissues from the godfathers of grindcore not only look cool, but they are also almost worth as much as original copies of this LP.
Deicide – Deicide LP 2014 Metal Blade Records – 3984-15311-1 NM/NM [RED VINYL] – These limited red reissues of the debut album from Deicide sold out so fast they are now scarce and never sell for less than a hundred bucks!
Have A Collection Like This You Want To Sell?
I constantly look for metal and punk CDs, cassettes, and record collections. I am happy to come to you given the right situation, or we can do these types of deals through mail/email without meeting. No amount of records is too big or too small. More info here:
Here is a fantastic first press metal collection a guy brought in two weeks ago.
And here is a great punk rock vinyl collection I picked up this weekend.
Featured Punk / Metal Vinyl
Here are some of the gold nuggets from the videos above.
Black Flag – Nervous Breakdown EP 1980 SST SST 001 – This is the third pressing of “Nervous Breakdown” by Black Flag. There are over 20 years of pressings of this EP. Actual first pressing is some of the most expensive punk rock albums out there that can go for over $1000 easily.
Ramones – Ramones LP 1976 Sire – SASD-7520 – First pressings of this debut Ramones LP average between $143 – $432, according to Discogs, and keep going up.
Possessed – Seven Churches LP 1985 Combat – MX 8024 – One of the most influential extreme metal albums of all time and some argue the first death metal album, early pressing of Possessed “Seven Churches” are a holy grail of vinyl collectors. The camouflage label is technically a second press, even though it came out the same year. Unlike many vintage metal albums, the first press CD is worth more than the album and is one of the most expensive metal CDs.
Slayer – Show No Mercy LP 1983 Metal Blade Records – MBR 1013 – Slayer’s debut album is now the most expensive and hard to find in their catalog. This copy is the repress technically, but it still sells for north of 300 dollars.
Have Albums Like This You Want To Sell?
If you have a collection like this you are looking to sell, I am always buying. Use the info below to get hold of me.
I picked up a nice collection of near-mint funeral doom and post-metal CDs and vinyl, mainly consisting of newer bands (average 2016 and later) from a guy in New Hampshire. Admittedly, I hadn’t heard of almost all of the bands in this collection. Nor was I familiar with “Post-Metal” or “Funeral Doom”. This new collection gave me an excellent chance to not be another boring middle-aged boomer and get caught up with times.
The good news was I discovered a lot of great new bands, record labels, and genres of music that I might not have otherwise.
In going through this collection, I found…
New Metal Genres
Post-Metal: Seeing the prefix “post” applied to anything musical sets my hipster alarm bells off, not in a good way. However, I did enjoy a lot of the post-metal bands, especially Gaerea. For those not in the know, the post-metal bands on this list sound like black metal with just a trace of melody and some progressive elements you might hear in Mastodon or Gojira. That is probably over-simplifying it, but that was my impression of the bands documented below.
Funeral Doom: Funeral doom sounds like what “doom metal” should like sound to me. It’s slow – like 70 BPM. The riffs are heavy, but the good bands like Bell Witch, Slow, and Mournful Congregation break it into atmospheric, almost Pink Floyd-sounding parts before breaking back into the crushing metal. One of the more prominent labels in this genre seems to be India’s Transcending Obscurity Records, which has a sizable roster of bands from everywhere in the world.
As a metalhead of over 35 years, I try to avoid getting stuck in the past, but sadly, this is something everyone who listens to music does. There is still a lot of hope and vitality from this new crop of bands, labels, and metal genres, which is excellent!
Some of the value of these albums and CDs wasn’t super high, but seeing as many of these are first pressing, and the average-sized run seemed to be only 500 records, should any of these bands break big, these albums could be a goldmine!
List Of Funeral Doom and Post-Metal CDs and Vinyl
I usually film a Youtube video and add it to my “Sell Your Heavy Metal” playlist. Still, because so many of the albums don’t have the band names on the front, or they are written in some indecipherable black metal font — I decided to save myself the embarrassment.
So with no further adieu, here is the list…
***Vinyl (99)***
Gaerea – Unsettling Whispers deluxe box (no plastic sleeve or merch, sight wear on binding)
Lurk – Deluxe Fringe box (has plastic sleeve and sticker)
Desolate Shrine – Deliverance from the Godless Void
Dormant Ordeal – It Rains, It Pours
Eryn Non Dae. – Abandon of the Self
Eryn Non Dae. – Meliora
Esogenesi – Esogenesi
Eternal Storm – Come the Tide
Evadne – Dethroned of Our Souls
Frigoris – In Stille
From Ashes Reborn – Existence Exiled
Gaerea – Unsettling Whispers
Glare of the Sun – Theia (sealed)
Hinayana – Order Divine
Hope Drone – Cloak of Ash
Imber Luminis – Contrasts
Imber Luminis – Nausea
Lingua Ignota – Caligula
Lòdz – Time Doesn’t Heal anything
Nullingroots – Malady’s Black Maw
October Tide – Tunnel of No Light
Oubliette – The Passage
Ovnev – Incalescence
The Reticent – On the Eve of a Goodbye
ROSK – Miasma
Sea of Bones – The Earth Wants Us Dead
Shrine of the Serpent – Entropic Disillusion
Skeletonwitch – Devouring Radiant Light (sealed)
Skyborne Reveries – Winter Lights
Soliloquium – Things We Leave Behind
Soothsayer – At This Great Depth
A Swarm of the Sun – The Rifts
Unreqvited/Asunojokei – Nocturne
Unreqvited – Mosaic I
Vardan – Enjoy of Deep Sadness
Vorna – Sateet Palata Saavat
Wilt – Ruin
Looking To Sell Some Records Or CDS?
I am the largest buyer of heavy metal and punk collections in the world (as far as I know) and pay collectors handsomely for their treasure. So if you or someone you know has one to sell, here is my info.
I have the following very rare punk and metal unofficial (or semi-official) available for purchase. These titles cause problems when listed on eBay or are not allowed on Discogs.
Samhain – November-Coming-Fire LP 2014 Plan 9 – PL9-07 Sealed Color Unknown $60
Slayer – The Songbook Of The Antichrist Part 2 LP 2008 – HTWDD-IC-0801-2 VG+/EX – $60 **SOLD**
Misfits – Descent Into Evil LP 2017 Plan 9 – PL9-12 SEALED $40
The Subhumans – Incorrect Thoughts LP 1985 CD Presents, Ltd. – CD036 VG+/EX – $85
Eye Of The Thrashguerilla LP 1999 – 大隊 Records – 002 GERMANY EX/EX – $50
Misfits – Walk Among You (Live @ Michigan Union Ballroom, Detroit, 1983 WCBN FM Radio Broadcast) LP 2015 Bad Joker – BOSS 5-1987 SEALED NETHERLANDS $50
Slayer – Show No Mercy LP 2013 Roadrunner Records – RR 9868 EX/EX $100
The original owner was a younger guy, but the entire collection consisted of 20% from the Golden Age Of Thrash Metal and 80% from the 90s peak of death metal. 95% of these albums are reissues, but a few first are pressings that include “Slowly We Rot” and “Cause Of Death” from Obituary.
Even some of the reissues can be shockingly expensive due to the 7-12 month delays in vinyl production that is now plaguing the music industry.
I have cataloged the inventory from this purchase below. If you are looking to buy any of the entries listed can do so at ThrashMetalIQ on eBay.
I searched my inventory and pulled everything in my collection with a value above 200 dollars — hence, the strange number of 14 items in this list. In the video in this post, you can see the walk-thru of my top picks. In addition, I included a list below with pictures and comments on each record and approximate value.
Most of the 14 vinyl that made this list are either metal or punk; however, there were a few oddballs from different genres.
The Truth About Discogs Median Value
I did not look at the Discog’s median valueand accept it as gospel. It’s true, Discogs is one of the seven wonders of the internet; however, just going on median value is very deceptive, and here’s why:
Discogs calculates value based on the album’s limited sales on Discogs. If an album is ordinarily worth $100 and somebody sells a fair copy with no cover for $5, this sale is factored in and drags the price down. Conversely, if someone sells an album sealed or autographed copy for far more, it will skew the median up. However, copies are more often sold in poor condition, so that the value will typically skew lower.
Much of the Discogs data is old. Discogs is a big market for vinyl, but it is nowhere near the size of eBay. Therefore, a lot of the information it uses to calculate the value of an album can be as much as 21 years old and based on only a limited number of sales. As we all know, albums appreciate, inflation is real, and the vinyl market changes. None of this is factored into the Discogs median value.
Most sellers on Discogs are not in the United States. Since the site’s algorithm is not very sophisticated, it is easy to game the rankings by inflating shipping costs. If you are in the US, try to buy an album for even close to the listed median value listed – 99% of the time you can’t!
List of Our 14 Most Expensive Punk and Metal Vinyl LPS
Here is the list of the 14 punk/metal vinyl albums from the video at the top of this post. I included the price and a couple of random notes about each.
1. She Wants Revenge – She Wants Revenge LP 2006 Flawless Records B000614801
I’m not exactly sure why this one is worth so much. Even copies in crappy condition seem to be going for $600. Copies of this album in excellent condition go for $1000 and sometimes higher. If anyone knows why this one is so pricey, please leave some info in the comments because I can’t figure it out.
Value: $1000 USD
2. Descendents – Cool To Be You LP 2004 Fat Wreck Chords FAT672-1 Blue Vinyl
This usually isn’t a super expensive album, but the limited first pressing on blue vinyl is worth a pretty penny.
This album usually sells for around $300. This copy was owned personally by Glenn Danzig and is factory sealed.
VALUE $600 USD
4. Rich Kids On LSD – Rock N Roll Nightmare LP 1987 Alchemy VM104
I usually don’t include autographed albums because it is such a subjective value. Even unsigned, this album is $300-$400 if the comic book is included and in good condition. However, I included this one with the autographs because everyone in this band is pretty much dead.
VALUE $500 USD
5. Pantera – Power Metal LP 1988 Metal Magic Records – MMR-1988
According to the band, this album is completely out of print and will never be repressed or reissued, making original copies worth a ton. Despite the corny hair metal image, “Power Metal” is a solid album that rivals some of the band’s later output.
VALUE $400 USD
6. Verbal Abuse – Just An American Band LP 1984 Fowl Records – #5
Punk/hardcore done to perfection. You know you are doing something right if Slayer does a cover album (Undisputed Attitude) featuring six songs from this alum. There are many bootlegs and represses of this album. First pressing like this are extremely rare.
VALUE $400
7. Queens Of The Stone Age – Queens Of The Stone Age LP 2010 Rekords Rekords
This is another one that caught me off guard because this pressing is a 2010 reissue of 1998 debut with a different cover. Original presses go for over a thousand dollars, and the represses are not cheap either.
VALUE $300 USD
8. Samhain – November-Coming-Fire LP 1986 Plan 9 – PL9-07
Probably my favorite album Danzig ever recorded and one of the many featuring his vocals to make this list.
Unlike the Samhain album listed at #8, this is from my least favorite techno/electronic period ofGlenn Danzig’scareer. Even so, these limited edition picture discs are worth a pretty penny, and people seem to buy them.
Probably one of my favorite metal albums of all time – Carnivore’s “Retaliation” still stands up to this day, yet could have never come out in today’s politically correct “woke” climate. But, like virtually everything after the death of Peter Steele in 2010 – the value has gone up dramatically.
A 2016 reissue of Sodom’s first LP from their wave black metal period, Obsessed By Cruelty, is surprisingly pricey and simultaneously loved and hated by metal fans.
VALUE $250 USD
12. Misfits – Earth A.D. / Wolfsblood LP 1984 Aggressive Rockproduktionen – AG 0024
Original German press with inner sleeve and order form.
VALUE $240 USD
13. Exhorder – Slaughter In The Vatican LP 1990 Roadracer RO 9363-1
This absolutely brutal thrash metal album came out a bit late in 1990 but still holds up to this day. After taking 30 years off, Exhorder returned in 2019 and still tours to this day.
VALUE $230 USD
14. Death – Scream Bloody Gore LP 1987 Under One Flag – FLAG 12
“Scream Bloody Gore” along with “Leprosy” and “Spiritual Healing” are my three favorite albums from the Death’s caveman-style death metal period before they went in a more technical direction.
VALUE $200 USD
Do You Have Albums Like This You Want to Sell?
I am always looking to buy new heavy metal and punk rock records, vinyl, and CD collections and I pay top. dollar for great collections like this. If you have metal or punk vinyl like this to sell, contact me at the info listed below.
The self-titled Bathory LP (Bathory – Bathory LP 1984 Black Mark Production – BMLP 666-1) with the “yellow goat” album cover is considered one of the “holy grail” scores for heavy and black metal record collectors the globe over. But, unfortunately, it is also one of the most counterfeited records out there because of its value. So let’s find out how not to get fooled into buying a fake, or if you don’t have thousands to spend — what a replica is worth.
Why Is This Album So Valuable?
The first album from Bathory is a landmark album from the metal genre. While it sounds recorded in a garage, it became the template for countless black metal bands afterward. The first thousand copies were pressed independently on Quarthon’s Black Mark Productions with a gold-colored goat on the front cover before being picked up by Combat and Under One Flag for broader distribution. The first press with a yellow goat can fetch $5,000 or some for an authentic copy.
FUN FACT: The original goat was supposed to be gold, but due do budget issues, the fledgling Black Mark Productionslabel had to settle for yellow.
How To Spot A Fake Bathory Album
The iconic artwork for this album is very simple. Therefore there are some very convincing knockoffs available in various markets. Listed below are the main things to be looking for:
Examine the dead wax or the “runout matrix” on the album. It is the engraving in the vinyl after the playing surface. The engraving in a real copy should read as follows on Side A (“Darkness”): 840905GP with BMLP 666 1 A PD-CR Pentagram image] [666 image in pyramid shape] and then on Side B will have this etching 840905GP BMLP 666 1 B PD-CR [Cross image]
The most prolific bootlegs came out in Europe in the mid-1990s. The most common runouts are 666-1, or you may see some copies with nothing in the dead wax at all.
Most of the original pressings came with a printed inner sleeve. However, these can also be faked. Also, some authentic copies may be short an inner sleeve if the original owner lost it.
If the album looks “too new” you should look more carefully. Remember that this album came out in 1984 and is 37 years old at this point. You should expect to see some wear.
If the color looks “wrong”, it is likely a fake. This is a common problem among cheap bootlegs.
Marketplace Safety
Despite how rare this album is and eBay’s policy to not allow the sale of counterfeit albums, there always seem to be 2-3 copies available for $2200-$2500 at any given time. Most likely, they are not authentic, but here is how you stay safe if you want to spend big money.
Contact the seller and inquire about the runoutmatrix. If they don’t respond or refuse to provide it, you should hard pass. You can also request they provide pictures, though they can be difficult to see.
Whether on Discogs or eBay, look for a reputable seller that has many reviews and a lot of items for sale — not someone who could pack up and disappear overnight.
If the seller does not accept returns, you should not buy from them.
Album Artwork
As I said, this iconic album artwork is quite basic. Here are some pictures from one of the common European bootleg pressings. Notice how tough it is to tell if it is fake or authentic.
How Much Is A Yellow Goat Bootleg Worth?
If you want to have a yellow goat Bathory, but don’t feel like forking out two grand, it is totally understandable. If you can get past the moral dilemma of not paying the Quarthon estate, you can get replica copies for 50 bucks, sometimes less.
The video below is just a portion of a rare metal and punk vinyl collection I valued at approximately $120,000. I recently bought it from a private collector here in Los Angeles.
This epic record collection consisted of around 3500 12″ LPs and 1000 7″ singles. Since the start of COVID, most of the records I have been buying have all been internationally, but this collection I found locally in Los Angeles. After some negotiation with the seller, this purchase was by far my largest, which I picked up for $67,000.
The Anatomy Of A Deal
In the weeks leading up to the purchase, the seller allowed me to appraise the albums one by one (which took me over a week to do). I entered them all in notebooks. You can see an example of my appraisal below.
Albums are hot right now. Unfortunately, some collectors have an unrealistic idea of what they are worth, but as a buyer, you need to spend a lot of money to buy good collections of rare metal and punk albums. Therefore, I tailor my offers to be at least 50% of the total value as a rule of thumb. I am negotiable up to roughly 60%, but it can be higher under rare circumstances. Above 70% of the total value, the seller would make the same amount of money selling them on eBay individually.
Also, remember that even if the seller were selling it to another party that wasn’t a reseller, the buyer wouldn’t pay the total price for every album; there would be some discount.
Here are some photos from the gem vinyl in the video above. The first video is less than 20% of the collection. I will update this post or create a new one to showcase some of the records. Unfortueny, I can’t make a complete list as I did here of all of them, but feel free to contact me if you are looking for something specific.
Collection Highlights
Some of the my favorite pieces in this collection are as follows. I have timestamped some of the links to take you to exactly the spot in the video where these metal and punk LP appear.
This is a collection of some super rare thrash metal CDs and albums from the golden age of thrash metal. I bought them from a collector in Greece. There are albums that are “hard to find”, but many in this collection are out-and-out RARE. Some examples being Slaughter “Strappado” (the original thrash metal band “Slaughter” and not the hair band and Voïvod’s “The Outer Limits” (which was the most expensive album in the collection).
There are also many albums from the 1990’s in this collection. An interesting thing about albums by even big bands like Testament that came out in the 90s is vinyl was so out of fashion by this point, many times there is only one pressing for all countries.
In this particular deal this seller go in touch with me through my Facebook page. This entire deal was made via Facebook Messanger. If you have collection like this you would like to sell, contact me, I do business in California, the United States and around the world.
