Glenn Danzig’s First Vinyl Single Sells For US$10K On Discogs

A rare variant of Glenn Danzig’s 1981 disc “Who Killed Marilyn?” was the most expensive trade on Discogs Marketplace in February.

Discogs, the online music database and marketplace beloved of middle-aged guys with too much money struggling to fill the void, have released their monthly list of the most expensive sales made on the site. And in a somewhat shocking development, Misfits frontman Glenn Danzig has taken the #1 slot for February, with a vinyl copy of his 1981 solo debut single, “Who Killed Marilyn?”, changing hands for a cool US$10,000.

Recorded while he was still fronting the Misfits, “Who Killed Marilyn?” was released as a 7-inch on his Plan 9 label in August 1981, with “Spook City U.S.A.” on the B-side.

However, that’s not quite the version that racked up such an impressive sale price last month.

As the Discogs team explain, “The original pressing on black vinyl numbered about 5,000 copies and is itself a rarity with a median price around $500. The most coveted version, however, comes from the second pressing in 1983, which produced two new versions. One was a standard run of about 500 copies on purple vinyl. The version listed here is the scarcer second variant, limited to 25 copies on purple-and-black vinyl.” Which explains the jaw-dropping price tag. It’s the first time this variant has sold on Discogs, and the seller claims Danzig gave it to them in 1983.

The second highest sales price in February was claimed by The Rolling Stones, with a copy of their second US single, “I Wanna Be Your Man”, going for $6,400 – a pretty big gap, I think you’ll agree. The Trips’ “Love Can’t Be Modernized” came third at $4,333, ABBA‘s “Hovas Vittne” at $4,117 took fourth place, while and Tool’s Aenima rounded out the top five, with copy selling for $4,000.

Personally, I’m just amazed a Danzig fan had that kind of money.