Check old CD collections for these 8 albums worth up to £8k

CDs and vinyl records, once considered relics in the wake of MP3 players and smartphones, are making a comeback as nostalgia fuels a return to physical media. This resurgence means that those discs gathering dust on your shelves or in your car could now be worth a pretty penny.

Collectors are willing to shell out hundreds, even thousands, for rare CDs from artists like David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen. Many of these sought-after CDs were released in limited quantities or exclusively overseas, while others were recalled for various reasons.

Bruce Springsteen, also known as The Boss, released The Future of Rock and Roll as a promo-only compilation in Japan in 1988. This hard-to-find 16-track double disc has been known to fetch around £1.1k, with one eBay user currently selling their copy for £907.

Prince's My Name Was Prince follows a similar narrative. He released only 50 copies of this Japan-only collection in 1993 to promote his 12-track album The Hits/The B Side, MyLondon reports. This rarity is nearly impossible to find, with collectors willing to pay up to £5k for a copy.

Paris Hilton's brief stint in the music industry may have concluded in the 2000s, but her debut album Paris is now a hot commodity. This is largely due to London's beloved street artist Banksy who, back in 2006, distributed approximately 500 counterfeit copies of the album across 48 UK stores. He swapped the original booklet for his own artwork and replaced the disc with one featuring Danger Mouse remixes. These scarce CDs can fetch anywhere from £750 to an astonishing £8k.

Now That's What I Call Music 4, initially launched in 1984, was the first Now album to be released on CD, with only 500 copies produced. Unfortunately, this 15-track compilation was re-released in 2019, so it's not extremely rare, but original discs can still command prices between £200-£400.

Only 150 copies of Coldplay's 1998 EP The Safety were available for sale, with the remaining 350 supposedly gifted to family, friends, and record label executives. It's now considered one of the most valuable CDs from Chris Martin's band, and fortunate music enthusiasts who own one can reportedly fetch around £1.5k.

In April 1994, Nirvana released a single titled Pennyroyal Tea as an alternate version of the song from their 1993 album In Utero. However, it was recalled following Kurt Cobain's death in the same month. A few copies are still in circulation and can now sell for around £1.5k-£2k.

Michael Jackson memorabilia has always been a hot commodity, especially following his sudden death in 2009. However, the most sought-after disc is the single Smile, which mysteriously vanished. This CD, exclusive to Austria, was released in 1997. It was subsequently cancelled and never reissued, making the few remaining copies worth approximately £1k-£1.5k.

Not to be overlooked is David Bowie's Sound + Vision. A reported one of just 350 copies of this 1989 compilation sold on eBay for slightly over £4k in 2013. It reportedly included 49 tracks, a video disc, a 72-page booklet, and a basswood and birch box. Additional copies released in 1990 are currently selling for between £70 and £350.

So, there you have it, it's time to start searching. Here's the complete list of CDs that collectors are on the hunt for:

• The Future of Rock and Roll (Bruce Springsteen)
• My Name Was Prince- Japan-only compilation (Prince)
• Paris- 2006 Banksy/Danger Mouse edition (Paris Hilton)
• Now That's What I Call Music 4
• The Safety EP (Coldplay)
• Pennyroyal Tea (Nirvana)
• Smile (Michael Jackson)
• Sound + Vision (David Bowie)