He Paid 75 Cents for a Record at a Street Sale. It Was a One-of-a-Kind Velvet Underground Acetate

In September 2002, record collector Warren Hill bought an unmarked acetate for 75 cents at a Chelsea, New York, sidewalk sale that was later identified as a one-of-a-kind 1966 Scepter Studios recording tied to The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed. The disc sold on eBay in December 2006 for $25,200, a roughly 33,600-fold return on the original purchase price. The acetate is a rare artifact from the band's early Scepter Studios sessions, making it a significant piece of music memorabilia with substantial collector value. Its journey from a 75-cent street sale to a five-figure auction result underscores the premium that unique, historically significant recordings can command in the collectibles market. Watch for whether the acetate resurfaces at auction and what final price it draws, which would help establish a market benchmark for one-of-one recordings tied to major rock acts.