A Suburban Reptiles vinyl sold for NZ$1180 (US$855) on Trade Me over the weekend. Photo: millytrade
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2140082/rare-new-zealand-punk-rock-vinyl-sells-nearly-us800-record Australasia
Rare New Zealand Punk Rock vinyl sells for nearly US$800, a record price for the country
Searches and sales for vinyl in New Zealand are up nearly 70 per cent in the last five years
The vinyl, which sold for NZ$1180 (US$855), was the most a record had sold for in recent memory, Trade Me said. Photo: millytrade
By Aimee Shaw
A rare, New Zealand-pressed vinyl record released in 1978 has sold on Trade Me for more than NZ$1000 (US$725)- smashing an all-time record.
The Suburban Reptiles’ Saturday Night Stay at Home 45rpm received nine bids on the New Zealand auction site on Sunday and sold for NZ$1180 (US$855).
The Trade Me listing described the product as a “very rare original NZ pressing 6036 924, released in 1978” and that a student radio survey had rated the record as “the best NZ single of all time” in 2000.
New Zealand punk band the Suburban Reptiles never released an album, making the record “one of only a couple of recordings they released”, they were one of the first two punk bands to form in New Zealand.
Trade Me spokeswoman Millie Silvester said classic New Zealand vinyl records were rare and often came with a hefty price tag.
“This is the most we’ve seen a New Zealand vinyl record sell for in recent memory and it’s great to see the love for New Zealand music is still alive,” Silvester said.
“This listing in particular was from one of the first NZ punk bands and it was very popular, fetching US$855 after a bidding war between two keen members.”
Vinyl records were “hugely popular” on Trade Me, Silvester said, receiving approximately 35,000 searches on its site per month.
“Since 2012, there has been a vinyl revival and we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of searches and sales of vinyl records on-site,” she said. “Between 2012 and 2017 we’ve seen a 69 per cent jump in the number of vinyl records sold on-site. Between 2016 and 2017 alone there was a 15 per cent jump in sales.”
There are currently 38,232 listings for vinyl records on Trade Me.
“Vinyl seems to be part of a revival, and love, of more tactile and analogue ways to enjoy our spare time. We’ve seen the same move back towards books when many people thought they were on the way out.”