Here’s a piece of vinyl trivia that could win you a barroom bet or two:

What’s the most expensive vinyl LP ever sold?

The answer is a fairly recent development, courtesy of the Guiness Book of Records. The new most expensive record is Ringo Starr’s copy of the Beatles’ White Album.

Copy number 0000001 of The Beatles’ classic album sold for a whopping $790,000 last year to a private bidder. But Guinness World Records just recently confirmed it as the most expensive record ever sold at auction.

The mint copy of the LP had been stored in a vault by Starr for the past 35 years. Early pressings of the album were individually stamped on the cover, and Starr’s copy (which was rumored to belong to John Lennon originally) was one of the first manufactured.

The Beatles each received four chronologically stamped copies of the White Album; a copy marked No. 0000005 was sold at a 2008 auction for around $30,000.

The previous highest price tag record-holder was an acetate of Elvis Presley’s first recording -- a single that had “My Happiness” on Side A and “That’s When Your Heartache Begins” on the reverse. Jack White of The White Stripes dropped a cool $300,000 on the collectible back in 2015.

According to Ringo, all the proceeds from the sale went to his Lotus Foundation, a charity established with the goal of “advancing social welfare” across numerous causes like cancer research and substance abuse programs.

TIP FOR VINYL BUYERS AND COLLECTORS: If you are more bargain-oriented than the purchaser of the Beatles White Album, I'll share my pick for what I consider “the gold standard” for vinyl record production at a reasonable cost. (key words of this tip being “reasonable cost.”)

There's a company based in the Netherlands called "Music on Vinyl" I often buy from that produces and sells 180 Gram records suitable for displaying in the showcase at Tiffany's!  (No, they are not a sponsor or advertiser of this blog.)

They produce lots of classic album reissues, but also new releases too. These pressings are to die for, and in the case of LP reissues, they go the extra mile to ensure all original art and materials are perfectly recaptured. Best of all, odds are very high you'll never hear a single pop or click on any of their 180 Gram records!

Though based in Europe, U.S. vinyl collectors can buy their releases via "Collector's Choice."  Most albums run about $24 - $25, including the shipping. That's very reasonable for such high quality--especially when it comes to a beloved album you've wanted for awhile. And you did get into this hobby for the high level of music quality, right??

Have a look at their wonderfully diverse catalog by clicking here.