Nirvana's legendary first single. 1,000 hand-numbered copies, 200 additional copies with red marker across the number space on the sleeve. There were two people doing the numbering, so the handwriting style changes around halfway (actually, it switches at the 542/543 mark, so 543 and up has a different style from 1-542). All are on transparent black vinyl. The value fluctuates a lot on this record, but prices have been rising steadily since late 2020. As with most collecting, Nirvana collecting took off during the pandemic. Love Buzz prices did not jump as quickly and astronomically as some other titles, but we have seen a consistent upward trajectory and the overall effect has been much higher prices in recent years. Take a look at the sales data chart below.

The most valuable copies are the ones with low numbers. I find this profoundly stupid. It's the same record and a low number does not indicate "pressed first" or anything like that. I get it if the number is between 1 and 10 or something, as it has been documented that 1-3 went to the band, 4 and 5 went to Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman of Sub Pop...so you know that any of those single-digit numbers was actually owned by someone of significance. Other than those, I see no difference between number 37 and number 994. But people love their low numbers.

The sale prices for Love Buzz have gone trough the roof - after many years of stability, they have been going straight up since 2019. If you have the chance to snag one for $5,000 these days and can do it, you probably will not do better. See sales trends below.

There are more complete guides out there, but the basic ways to recognize a real one are: 1. The names Alice Wheeler and Susan Sasic on the back of the sleeve are legible. 2. The hand-etched side A trail-off wax reads: Why don't you trade those guitars for shovels? L-31540 SP-23-A kdisc; side B reads: L-31540X SP-23-B kdisc. Some of the fakes get close, but none of them quite nail it. Please note that there are MANY bootlegs out there. They are not terribly difficult to spot once you know what to look for. Remarkably, the bootlegs also sell for a considerable amount of money.

Check out the Love Buzz owner's list over at lovebuzz7.com, reconstituted from the sadly defunct sliver.it and expanded.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP23 Translucent Black - Hand-numbered or Red Marker Stripe Sleeve	6,000-8,000	5	Up

Sleeve:	Paper foldover, hand-numbered or w/ red stripe in place of a number
Test Pressing:	Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

This page was last updated on August 9, 2024.

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