If you own any of these iconic 1990's CDs you could cash in thousands of dollars

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If you own any of these iconic 1990's CDs you could cash in thousands of dollars

You might want to rake through those boxes in your loft

Streaming has dominated the music world for over a decade now, and while physical collections have seen a resurgence thanks to the rise in popularity for vinyl, compact discs remain relatively forgotten.

Collectors still do favor things they can actually own over the subscription libraries of Spotify and Apple Music, and record shops that closed in the early 2000s have started to open back up en masse as consumers go crazy for vinyl.

The same is true for films, as plenty of people prefer to opt for the reliability and higher resolution of blu rays over Netflix and Disney+, and the some of the rarest titles can easily set you back thousands if you're not careful.

You might be surprised to find out that CDs can also be extremely expensive for the small number of collectors that still favor the digital disks, and online retailer Music Magpie has revealed which albums you might want to consider fishing out storage.

Michael Jackson - Smile ($1,300 - $2,000)

This rare single release from the King of Pop wasn't supposed to be let into the wild, but Austrian copies were issued for a brief period of time in 1997 under the impression that it would be promoted as part of Jackson's HIStory Album.

The popularity of Michael Jackson among collectors, especially after his death, has caused the price of this CD to skyrocket, and you'll have to fork out at least $1,300 if you want to pick this up today.

Coldplay - Safety EP ($2,000)

While the recent controversy surrounding now-former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron at a Coldplay concert might have made you want to start listening to the Chris Martin-led band again, don't expect to go out and by a CD for their EP 'Safety', as it could cost you as much as $2,000.

Coldplay's Safety EP is one of the most expensive CDs you can buy due to it's limited release (Coldplay)
Coldplay's Safety EP is one of the most expensive CDs you can buy due to it's limited release (Coldplay)

Only 500 copies of this extended play were produced, with just 150 of that already minuscule fraction actually making it to the market, so you can easily understand why this has garnered such a hefty valuation.

Nirvana - Pennyroyal Tea ($2,000 - $2,700)

Despite being just a single track, Nirvana's Pennyroyal Tea single release has picked up quite the high price tag in the 30 years since it was first released.

It features an alternate version of the track that was present on the band's third and final album In Utero, but this CD's heavy cost comes from its rarity, as the release was pulled only shortly after hitting stores due to its proximity to lead singer Kurt Cobain's tragic death in April 1993.

Prince - My Name Was Prince ($6,800)

This special Prince compilation was only produced in Japan as a means of promoting fellow collection The Hits/The B Side, and to add to the regional locking there were only a ridiculous 50 copies of the album released.

As you can imagine, for an artist as popular globally as Prince having only 50 copies means that the number of people willing to actually sell this CD is probably near zero, and if anyone does they could easily set any price they fancied, with roughly $6,800 being what Music Magpie estimates it would take to pick it up.

Paris Hilton - Paris ($1,000 - $12,000)

And now for one from 2006. Before you start fishing out that Paris Hilton CD you bought for ten cents at a yard sale, the only version of this album that's actually valuable is one that famous anonymous street artist Banksy spread around record shops across the United Kingdom.

A special Banksy version of Paris Hilton's debut album is what makes its CD worth up to $12,000 (Warner Bros)
A special Banksy version of Paris Hilton's debut album is what makes its CD worth up to $12,000 (Warner Bros)

The artist dropped off 500 copies of the CD in total, swapping out the cover for a design of his own and the CD with one comprised of remixes by Danger Mouse.

Depending on the condition these can sell from anywhere between $1,000 and $12,000, so it's definitely worth looking out whether your version miraculously involves a bit of tampering from Banksy.

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