A Record Collector's Guide

A huge chunk of the records that Sub Pop released in this period was in the 7" format. Lots of color variation here as well. This page is large.

SP51 Honeymoon Killers

Get It Hot b/w Gettin' Hot

Sub Pop SP51 7", November 1989 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #13

2000 copies pressed, 1200 on red vinyl and 800 on black vinyl.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP51 Red	8-12	3	Stable
SP51 Black	5-8	4	Stable

Loose Insert

Sleeve	Paper foldover

This page was last updated on October 18, 2019.

SP52 Fugazi

Song # 1 b/w Joe# 1/Break-in

Sub Pop SP52 7", December 1989 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #14

This single has the distinction of being the only Fugazi record not on Dischord (so I'm told). 2,000 copies pressed, 1,200 on green vinyl and 800 on black vinyl. It has a weird sleeve, pressed on velum and laid over a beige inner sleeve. The green one, while more common, is more expensive. The price has been all over the place in recent years.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP52 Green	40-90	4	Volatile
SP52 Black	30-50	3	Stable

Loose Insert

Printed Inner Sleeve

Sleeve	Velum foldover foldover w/ inner velum sleeve and paper insert
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 18, 2019.

SP53 Big Chief

Chrome Helmet b/w Blowout Kit

Sub Pop SP53 7", released March 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #17

3000 copies pressed, 1500 on white vinyl and 1500 on black vinyl. Okay, the insert situation is a little screwy with this record. Many just came with the normal loose paper insert (see A below). I found one that clearly had not been touched since its release, though. It contained a catalogue that had insert A incorporated into it (see B below), along with a credit card survey printed on dot matrix paper (C). Then...I heard from somebody who received two band photographs along with their copy. So basically, you never know what you will find inside one of these.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP53 White (1500)	4-6	2	Stable
SP53 Black (1500)	2-4	2	Stable

Loose Insert	Insert B - Side 1	Insert B - Side 2	Insert C
Photo Insert

Sleeve	Paper foldover
Credits	Keith: Band photo insert image

This page was last updated on October 18, 2019.

SP55 Tad

Loser b/w Cooking with Gas

Sub Pop SP55 7", released January 1990 (U.S.)

First 3000 copies pressed on green vinyl. Subsequent pressings included pale blue and black vinyl. They are not particularly valuable, but the pale blue one is the hardest to find and has gotten slightly more expensive.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP55 Green (3000)	8-12	1	Stable
SP55 Black	3-5	1	Down
SP55 Pale Blue	20-30	4	Up

Loose Insert	Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover
Test Pressing	Clear vinyl, large hole, plain white labels
Credits	Stan: Light blue vinyl image

This page was last updated on October 18, 2019.

SP57 The Fluid

Tin Top Toy b/w Tomorrow

Sub Pop SP57 7", released March 1990 (U.S.)

The Fluid's first 7". The labels on this record are marked as SP56, but the sleeve is correctly printed as SP57. The first pressing of this one was on orange vinyl. This is also the easiest color to find. There were quite a few made on orange. The degree of orange ranges from very light to very dark. There were also black copies pressed at this point, as demonstrated by the existence of orange and black mixed copies. The yellow pressing came next, and is a rarer color, reportedly limited to 500. Also pressed on grey marble, purple marble, pink (each of these is somewhat rare, but the pink shows up the least often of the three).

I also came across a color that I am calling "burnt orange." It is a darker orange than the straight orange color, and has some marbling in it with an even darker color (which appears to be black). I had heard rumors of an "orange-brown" version, and can only guess that this is what the person was talking about. Regardless, it is clearly distinct from the regular orange version. Take a look at the pictures below. They were done on the same scanner. And then, there's the red one. I had heard several rumors of a red vinyl version, and those invariably turned out to be orange...until a real red one surfaced in an auction in mid-2009. You can see a pic below of that one along with a very red record sleeve for comparison. The seller wanted an absurd price for it, so I let it go at the time. Oops. Since then, one other true red copy has surfaced.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP57 Orange	2-4	1	Stable
SP57 Black	2-4	1	Stable
SP57 Yellow	5-8	5	Stable
SP57 Purple Marble	5-8	6	Stable
SP57 Pink	8-12	6	Stable
SP57 Grey Marble	6-8	6	Stable
SP57 Burnt Orange	30-40	8	Stable
SP57 Red	40-50?	10	?

Loose Insert	Test Pressing	Red	Red Vinyl Comparison Image
Orange	Dark Orange	Burnt Orange	Black
Yellow	Purple Marble	Pink	Grey Marble

Sleeve	Paper foldover with loose insert
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on November 18, 2019.

SP58 L7

Shove b/w Packin' a Rod

Sub Pop SP58 7", released January 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #15

Sub Pop SP1/105 7", released 1990 (Germany)

3,000 copies pressed: 1,200 on green and 1,800 on black. The German version had a different picture on the sleeve and a different b-side ("Fast").

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP58 Green	25-35	4	Stable
SP58 Black	8-12	3	Stable
SP1/105 Black	8-12	3	Stable

Loose Insert

Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, white labels, small hole
Rumors	Scrapped red version

This page was last updated on April 5, 2020.

SP59 Dickless

I'm a Man b/w Saddle Tramp

Sub Pop SP59 7", released May 1990 (U.S.)

Tupelo TUP21 12", released 1990 (UK)

First 4000 copies on green vinyl w/ lavender insert and pink sticker, subsequent copies on black vinyl. The black vinyl version is actually harder to find than the green one, but they are both pretty easy to find. I don't know that all of the copies in that initial pressing had the inserts and sticker...I have seen many without either. The sticker is neon pink.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP59 Green	5-8	1	Stable
SP59 Black	3-5	1	Down

Loose Insert	2nd Insert	Sticker	Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, large hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 18, 2019.

SP63 Mudhoney

You're Gone b/w Thorn/You Make Me Die

Sub Pop SP63 7", released July 1990 (U.S.)

Au Go Go ANDA 115 7", released 1990 (Australia)

Glitterhouse GR0102 12", released 1991 (Germany)

First 3000 copies on pink marble vinyl, most of the rest on black. There are some purple copies as well, but they are rare. There is also a handful of green copies available, but those are extremely rare. The test pressing was on purple vinyl.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP63 Pink Marble (3000)	6-10	1	Stable
SP63 Black	3-5	1	Stable
SP63 Purple Marble	50-80	7	Volatile
SP63 Green	90-120	8	Down

Loose Insert	Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover
Test Pressing	Purple marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 18, 2019.

SP65 Lubricated Goat

Meating My Head b/w 20th Century Rake

Sub Pop SP65 7", released April 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #18

3500 copies total: 2000 on gold (yellow), 1500 on black.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP65 Yellow (2000)	6-8	2	Stable
SP65 Black (1500)	6-8	2	Stable

Loose Insert

Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, white labels, large hole
Credits	Costa: Test pressing image

This page was last updated on October 19, 2019.

SP66 Babes in Toyland

House b/w Arriba

Sub Pop SP66 7", released May 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #19

Limited to 3500 copies, 2000 on gold (yellow) vinyl, 1500 on black vinyl. When I was selling my last big set of records, someone emailed me to tell me of a red vinyl version of this one. He said that there were a few made, but they didn't play correctly, so they were scrapped. He also said that there was a version of the sleeve with an alternate picture on it. I am skeptical. I have never seen of heard of either of these things before or since. It is a rumor, though, so I am including it.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP66 Yellow (2000)	10-15	2	Stable
SP66 Black (1500)	10-15	2	Stable

Loose Insert

Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, white labels, large hole

This page was last updated on October 19, 2019.

SP68 Dinosaur Jr

The Wagon b/w Better than Gone

Sub Pop SP68 7", released June 1990 (U.S.)

Glitterhouse GR0097 7", released 1990 (Germany)

This one is a collector's favorite. Supposedly, there were 10,000 of these pressed on white vinyl and 200 on purple. I believe most of this. However, in addition to these two, there is a pink vinyl version, which is very rare, but seems to show up 4-5 times as often as the purple. Look at the pictures to see the distinct differences between the purple and the pink. They were scanned on the same scanner. Bottom line...we don't really know the actual numbers. We do know that pink and purple are both very rare. The prices on both have really started to come down in the past couple of years.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP68 White (10,000)	10-15	1	Stable
SP68 Pink	25-45	7	Down
SP68 Purple (200)	30-50	8	Down

Loose Insert	Test Pressing

Sleeve	Full cardboard matte
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, large hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 19, 2019.

This moment began the run of sleeves that contained attached, perforated Singles Club subscription forms. It lasted through to SP114, the Godflesh single. It also started mass confusion amongst record dealers, as the less informed decided that the presence of this form meant that the 7" in question was part of the Singles Club. Not the case...for about a year, ALL singles that Sub Pop released contained the attached forms.

SP70 Derelicts

Misery Maker b/w Wash

Sub Pop SP70 7", released August 1990 (U.S.)

This one exists on both mint blue marble and black vinyl. I have no idea how many of each, but both are easy to acquire.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP70 Mint Blue Marble	2-4	1	Stable
SP70 Black	1-3	1	Stable

Attached Insert

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached

This page was last updated on October 19, 2019.

SP71 Thee Headcoats

Time Will Tell b/w Davey Crockett (Gabba-Hay!)

Sub Pop SP71 7", released June 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #20

Limited to 4000 copies, 2000 on blue vinyl and 2000 on black vinyl.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP71 Blue	8-12	2	Stable
SP71 Black	8-12	2	Stable

Attached Insert

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached

This page was last updated on October 19, 2019.

SP72 Rollins Band

I Know You b/w Earache My Eye

Sub Pop SP72 7", released July 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #21

Limited to 4,000 copies, 2,000 on color vinyl (pink marble and red) and 2,000 on black vinyl. The red ones are by far the rarest. I don't know precisely how many red copies were pressed, but I probably see one red for every 10-15 pink ones I come across. There are also several variations of the pink version. There is an in-between-colors version, which is a combination of the pink and black, which basically ends up basically being purple. I consider it part of the pink set. There are some normal pink ones that have bits of brown in them, and there are some darker pink marble copies. I have included scans below.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP72 Pink Marble	8-12	1	Stable
SP72 Black	8-12	1	Stable
SP72 Red	12-20	6	Down

Attached Insert

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Credits	STOUTR: Hot pink marble, pink marble w/ brown images

This page was last updated on October 19, 2019.

SP73 Nirvana

Sliver b/w Dive

Sub Pop SP73 7", released September 1990/1994/1998/2010/2013/2015/2018 (U.S.)

Tupelo TUP25 7" / TUPEP25 12" / TUPCD 25 CD, released 1991 (UK)

Geffen 71022392 7", released 1991 (Costa Rica)

Geffen RX-1226 7", released 1992 (Mexico)

This one gets complicated. Bear with me here.

First Pressing

The initial pressing of the Sliver 7" had blue marble and black pressings, and came with foldover sleeves with singles club forms attached. The labels and sleeves did not mention Erika Records. Sub Pop says the first 3,000 were on blue marble vinyl. If the pressing pattern of the time holds true, there were probably between 3,500 and 4,000 black ones. Word of warning: the black first pressing was bootlegged. Real ones are super cheap now, so not a major danger, but be aware.

Pressing 1b: There are several versions of the the Sliver single that have first pressing labels (with no mention of Erika Records). First, we have the clear pink ones. These are generally considered to be part of the first pressing. They are a darker pink than the second pressing clear pink ones. Most of these came in a version of the first pressing sleeve (the foldover paper sleeve). However, some came with Singles Club forms attached, and others did not, and not just because the form had been torn off and lost in time. Some were just made without the form.

Next, we have the legendary white vinyl copies. These are terribly rare and are some of the most collectible Nirvana records. They had first pressing labels, but came in second pressing sleeves (full glossy sleeves, sealed on three sides, with Erika Records information on the backs). The story is that not many of these were made, and they were only made available to the band and employees of Sub Pop or Erika Records. When they hit the market, they were mostly found in a single record store in Los Angeles. Over the years, the price of these has fluctuated. There were enough of these in circulation that the price stayed stable in the $400-500 range for a number of years, but then...it disappeared. None were sold publicly for about a decade. As a result, demand spiked and the price went with it when it sold in 2018 (if you are looking at auction results, ignore the one that went for $600...it's not a real result).

Still going with 1b. There are also clear blue copies. These can get confused with the first pressing blue records, but those were an opaque blue. These were not. As with the white copies, these blue ones also had first pressing labels and (mostly) second pressing sleeves. The color ranges from a straight blue to a teal color. They are not particularly hard to come by. This was also the version of the Sliver 7" that came packaged with the red and white splatter version of the Bleach LP.

Oh yeah, and then the red one happened. After years of rumors, one of these surfaced in 2008. When it was auctioned, I assumed it was just a particularly dark version of the pink first press. The person who bought it proved otherwise. I've seen pictures (beyond the one below) that convinced me. It definitely has some pink in it, but...it's red.

Second Generation Pressings

this is where it gets messy. (Wait, THIS is where it gets messy?!?) These versions had full sleeves, sealed on three sides, and most (not all) had Erika Records credits on the back. These had Erika Records credits on the labels as well. Colors include: black, light blue w/ black marbling, orange marble, peach, yellow, clear blue/teal, pink, pink marble, and clear. It is often difficult to tell the difference between the orange and peach ones from pictures. If you examine them up close, though, the peach version is partially translucent, while the orange one is a completely solid marbled orange. Orange and pink marble are both very scarce versions of the Sliver single, perhaps even more so than clear, which tends to sell for a bit more.

Third Generation Pressings

These had full sleeves with the late-90's era black labels. Very common. There are some variants, though. Some have the song titles in capital letters on both sides, some on one side, others neither. Most have the same matrix codes as previous pressings, but there is a version that has GOLDEN stamped in the trail-off wax as well. Keep in mind when I say "third pressing", I do not mean to indicate that there was a single press run. This record was likely pressed in this style many times over. Calling it a third pressing is convenient for grouping them.

Fourth Generation Pressings

I call this a fourth pressing, just based on the patterns of some other Sub Pop releases. The vinyl is exactly like the third pressing, except that the sleeves were of the foldover variety, on thick card stock.

Fifth Generation Pressings

Done? Nope. There was a fifth variety. Sub Pop went back to the classic yellow labels, but the band name was much larger on them. They stuck with the thick-stock sleeves for these. Then, Newbury Comics jumped on board with some exclusives. They did two runs of the Sliver single. First, in 2015, they pressed 1,000 copies on split blue and pink vinyl. This one surfaced with both the classic matrix codes and the GOLDEN ones. Then, in 2018, Newbury Comics did it again, this time with two more versions: 500 copies each on split blue/clear and split clear/pink vinyl.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
First (and 1b) Generation Pressings
SP73 Blue Marble	60-90	1	Volatile
SP73 Black	10-12	1	Down
SP73 Pink	100-150	7	Volatile
SP73 Blue/Teal	40-60	5	Stable
SP73 White	1000-1200	10	Up
SP73 Red	?	10	Up
Second Generation Pressings
SP73 Clear	175-225	8	Stable
SP73 Orange Marble	165-220	9	Volatile
SP73 Pink Marble	150-190	8	Volatile
SP73 Light Blue w/ White/Black Marbling	50-100	6	Volatile
SP73 Peach	50-85	6	Down
SP73 Yellow	80-110	5	Up
SP73 Blue/Teal (2nd Labels)	40-60	5	Stable
SP73 Pink (2nd Labels)	20-30	3	Down
SP73 Black (2nd Labels)	6-10	5	Down
Third Generation Pressing
SP73 Black	5	1	Stable
SP73 Black (Golden pressing)	5-8	2	Stable
Fourth Generation Pressing - Thick Stock Sleeve
SP73 Black (Golden pressing)	5-8	2	Stable
SP73 Black (Erika pressing)	5	1	Stable
Fifth Generation Pressings
SP73 Black	5	1	Stable
SP73 Blue/Pink Split	20-30	3	Stable
SP73 Blue/Clear Split	15-20	4	Stable
SP73 Clear/Pink Split	15-20	4	Stable
International Pressings
TUP 25 Green	20-30	3	Stable
TUPEP 25 12" Blue	15-20	1	Stable
TUPEP 25 12" Black	10-15	1	Stable
Geffen 71022392 Black (Costa Rica Promo)	100-150	8	Volatile
Geffen RX-1226 (Mexico Promo)	250-300	9	Volatile

First Generation Pressings
1st Generation Attached Insert	Test Pressing	Blue Marble
Black	Pink	White
Red	Clear Blue/Teal (1st Pressing Labels)
Second Generation Pressings
Clear	Orange Marble	Hot Pink Marble
Light Blue w/ White/Black Marbling	Peach	Yellow
Clear Blue/Teal	Pink	Black
Third/Fourth/Fifth Generation Pressings
3rd/4th Generation - Black	5th Generation - Black	Newbury Comics - Blue/Pink Split
Newbury Comics - Blue/Clear Split	Newbury Comics - Clear/Pink Split
International Pressings
Tupelo 7" - Green	Costa Rica Promo

Sleeve	1st pressing: Paper foldover w/ insert attached 2nd pressing: Full glossy 3rd pressing: Full glossy 4th/5th pressing: Thick-stock paper foldover
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels
Credits	Enrico: red image

Recent Sales Data: White Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	0	N/A	N/A
2018	1	1100	eBay
2017	0	N/A	N/A

Recent Sales Data: Clear Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	3	181	Discogs
2018	0	N/A	N/A
2017	4	227	Discogs, eBay

Recent Sales Data: Orange Marble Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	1	168	eBay
2018	1	165	eBay
2017	2	244	eBay

Recent Sales Data: Hot Pink Marble Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	4	152	Discogs, eBay
2018	1	45	eBay
2017	1	242	eBay

This page was last updated on April 20, 2020.

SP74 Beat Happening

Red Head Walking b/w Secret Picnic Spot

Sub Pop SP74 7", released September 1990 (U.S.)

The first 2000 copies of this one were on red vinyl, while most of the rest of them were on black. There are some green copies circulating. They are the rarest, but I've seen them with some consistency.
In December 2009, I happened upon a mispressed version of the Unsane record (SP76) on green marble vinyl, on which the wrong plate was used for side A. The A-side was from this Beat Happening record, and the B-side was from the Unsane record. As soon as I realized this, I checked the other green copy of SP76 that I had, and that one was the correct Unsane record on both sides. The mispress was Beat Happening on A, and Unsane on B, with Unsane sleeve and labels.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP74 Red (2000)	8-12	2	Stable
SP74 Black	3-5	1	Down
SP74 Green	20-30	6	Stable

Attached Insert	Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Green marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP75 Sister Ray

The King b/w Push Me

Sub Pop SP75 7", released August 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #22

Limited to 4000 copies: 2500 on green marble vinyl and 1500 on black vinyl. The test pressings were on green marble vinyl.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP75 Green Marble (2500)	2-4	1	Down
SP75 Black (1500)	1-3	2	Down

Attached Insert

Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Green marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP76 Unsane

Vandal-X b/w Streetsweeper

Sub Pop SP76 7", released September 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #23

This single was the source of some confusion at one point. An early discography listed it as a 4,000-copy pressing, with 2,500 on green vinyl and 1500 on black. The pressing plant must have been short on the green, because it ended up being 2,500 yellow and 1,500 black. The yellow ones are mostly yellow marble, but there are also some clear yellow copies available. They are much rarer. It seems that whatever was included in the pressing that made it opaque and marbled with white ran out, leaving a handful of clear yellow copies. Most have slight white marbling, and some have bits of black marbling (which happened as the pressing transitioned from yellow to black). Check out the comparative pictures below. From a collecting standpoint, the prices of the yellow ones have dropped a lot. People don't seem to distinguish much between yellow marble and clear yellow - they seem all lumped in together these days.

To confuse things, though...a small quantity of green marble copies that made it to the market. They are by far the rarest variety. A fellow collector got one from a former Sub Pop employee, who said that there were 50 of these made and given to the band. I would believe this figure, based on the market scarcity. They are very tough to come by.

But wait, there's more! In December, 2009, I happened upon an even rarer version of the green Unsane record. There is a mispressed version on green marble vinyl, for which the wrong plate was used on side A. Instead of Vandal-X, the A-side is from SP74 Beat Happening, and the B-side is from the correct Unsane record. As soon as I realized this, I checked the other green copy I had, and that one was the correct Unsane record on both sides. The mispress is Beat Happening on A, and Unsane on B, with Unsane sleeve and labels. I sold that copy long ago, and a couple of other mispresses have shown up since. It sells for a lot.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP76 Yellow Marble	8-12	1	Down
SP76 Black	10-15	2	Down
SP76 Clear Yellow	10-15	5	Down
SP76 Green Marble	60-90	9	Volatile
SP76 Green Marble Mispress	150-200	10	Volatile

Attached Insert	Test Pressing	Yellow Marble	Black
Semi-opaque/Clear Yellow	Clear Yellow	Green Marble

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Green marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

Recent Sales Data: Green Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	1	90	Discogs
2018	2	79	Discogs, eBay
2017	0	N/A	N/A

Recent Sales Data: Green Vinyl Mispress:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2018-19	0	N/A	N/A
2017	2	175	Discogs, eBay

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP77 Sister Double Happiness

Don't Worry b/w Wheels a' Spinnin'

Sub Pop SP77 7", released October 1990 (U.S.)

One of the more underrated Sub Pop singles of this era. Solid songs on this one. Most copies are on green marble and black vinyl. According to Sub Pop, the first 2000 were green. After some time, I came across a pink version. An orange one has also surfaced, along with a clear green one, both fairly scarce. The pink and orange ones have proven particularly rare.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP77 Green Marble (2000)	2-4	2	Down
SP77 Black	1-3	1	Down
SP77 Clear Green	8-10	6	Stable
SP77 Pink	15-20	9	Stable
SP77 Orange	20-30	9	Stable

Attached Insert	Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels
Credits	Darren: Orange vinyl image

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP80 Tad

Jinx b/w Pig Iron

Sub Pop SP80 7", released December 1990 (U.S.)

First 2,000 pressed on yellow marble vinyl. Copies also exist on light blue marble, purple marble, and black. The purple one can be a bit hard to find. The others are super common. Test pressings were on red vinyl. I have also included images of two very rare variations below. They are yellow/black mixes; one with more yellow, one with more black.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP80 Yellow Marble	4-6	1	Stable
SP80 Black	4-6	1	Stable
SP80 Light Blue Marble	5-8	4	Stable
SP80 Purple Marble	12-15	6	Stable

Attached Insert	Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Red vinyl, small hole, plain white labels
Credits	PLC: Red test pressing image Gregg Conover: bothyellow/black mix images Stan: Purple marble image

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP81 Dwarves

 

Drug Store/Detention Girl b/w Astro Boy/Motherfucker

Sub Pop SP81 7", released October 1990 (U.S.)

Infamous sleeve...another picture from the Blood, Guts & Pussy photo shoot. This single was mostly on black vinyl. The first 2500 came with a pin that said, "Fuck you up and get high." A lot of the pins have been lost in time, so one with the pin can be difficult to track down. There are a few copies in circulation on purple marble vinyl. It is findable, but can be a little tough. The early copies had foldover poster sleeves (see above) with singles club forms attached. The later ones did not.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP81 Black w/ Pin	20-30	5	Stable
SP81 Black w/o Pin	10-20	1	Stable
SP81 Purple Marble	20-30	5	Stable

Attached Insert		Test Pressing

Sleeve	Poster foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP83 Soundgarden

Room a Thousand Years Wide b/w H.I.V. Baby

Sub Pop SP83 7", released September 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club Bonus

Limited to 5,000 copies, 1,500 on purple vinyl and 3,500 on black vinyl.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP83 Purple Marble	30-45	3	Stable
SP83 Black	10-20	1	Stable

Attached Insert

Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Orange-peach marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP84 The Afghan Whigs

Sister Brother b/w Hey Cuz 7"

Sub Pop SP84 7", released 1990 (U.S.)

Retarded

Sub Pop SP4/115 12" / SPCD 4/115 CD, released 1990 (Germany)

The first 2000 copies were on red vinyl. At one point in collecting past, this was the desirable version to have. Over the years, it became clear that the red version was actually very easy to come by. The black version was released at this point as well. Several other colors have shown up since then, which were most likely pressed slightly later. These colors are much tougher finds. The purple marble one will show up fairly often. It's the green, pink marble, and clear pink ones that are really difficult. The green one is a clear green with slight marbling (see picture). The pink marble one is a solid hot pink marble. The clear pink one is the rarest. The collector community is mostly satiated with this one, though, so you can now get it for a much more moderate price than before.

The 12" was an early Sub Pop Europe pressing, released as the "Retarded" EP. It contained the song "Retarded" from the Up in It LP, the two tracks from the U.S. 7", and "Turning in Two," which never appeared elsewhere (but is excellent). The EP also exists on CD, which is actually much harder to find.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP84 Red	6-10	1	Stable
SP84 Black	3-5	1	Stable
SP84 Purple Marble	15-25	6	Stable
SP84 Pink Marble	20-30	7	Down
SP84 Green Marble	20-30	7	Down
SP84 Clear Pink	30-40	8	Down
SP4/115 Black	8-12	1	Stable

Attached Insert	Test Pressing
Clear Pink	Pink Marble	Pink/Purple Marble Mix Variant	SP4/115

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

Recent Clear Pink Sales Data:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2018-19	0	N/A	N/A
2017	2	47	Discogs, eBay

Recent Pink Marble Sales Data:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	1	30	eBay
2018	1	14	Discogs
2017	3	30	Discogs, eBay

Recent Green Marble Sales Data:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	0	N/A	N/A
2018	1	20	Discogs
2017	3	28	Discogs, eBay

Recent Purple Marble Sales Data:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	1	24	Discogs
2018	0	N/A	N/A
2017	2	20	Discogs, eBay

This page was last updated on October 8, 2019.

SP85 Coffin Break

Lies b/w Pray

Sub Pop SP85 7", released September 1990 (U.S.)

First 2000 pressed on pinkish-red marble vinyl, the rest on black. Red is rarer, but they are both easy to find.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP85 Pink-Red Marble (2000)	2-4	2	Down
SP85 Black	1-3	1	Down

Attached Insert

Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Green marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP86 Poison Idea

Taken By Surprise b/w We Got the Beat

Sub Pop SP86 7", released November 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #25

Limited to 4,500 copies, 3,000 on mint green marble vinyl and 1,500 on black vinyl. Much like many of the other records listed here, the color vinyl version usually sells for more, even though there are twice as many in existence. People like pretty colors...

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP86 Mint Green Marble	10-15	1	Down
SP86 Black	10-15	3	Stable

Attached Insert

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP87 (The Freewheelin') Mark Arm

Masters of War b/w My Life With Rickets

Sub Pop SP87 7", released November 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP9/130 7", released 1990 (Germany)

There are several varieties of this single in existence. It has shown up in a few different colors. The standard ones are red, mint green marble, green with reddish marbling, dark purple, and black vinyl. A couple of versions have also surfaced: first, a marbled purple copy. This has shown up a couple of times, but is hard to pin down because it just gets included with the regular purple copies. It is distinct, and I have seen enough of them that I think it is more than just an in-between color. A blue & red variant also surfaced a while back. I think this one is a unique in-between variant, a mix of the mint green and the red vinyl versions. Looks cool, though. Finally, there is the orange one. This is the rarest of the colors (other than the unique mix variants). These are all super scarce and became expensive.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP87 Mint Green Marble	6-10	1	Down
SP87 Red	5-10	3	Stable
SP87 Black	3-5	1	Stable
SP87 Purple	10-15	4	Stable
SP87 Purple w/ Brown Marbling	30-40	6	Stable
SP87 Orange	50-100	9	Volatile

Attached Insert	Test Pressing	Mint Green
Red	Black	Purple
Purple w/ Brown Marbling	Orange	Red/Blue Mix Variant

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels
Credits	STOUTR: Red/blue and orange vinyl images

This page was last updated on October 6, 2019.

SP88 Poster Children

Thinner, Stronger b/w Pointed Stick

Sub Pop SP88 7", released October 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #24

Limited to 4500 copies, 3000 on pinkish-red marble vinyl and 1500 on black vinyl. Some will call the color vinyl version of this single pink, some will call it red. It's the same thing, in this case.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP88 Pink-Red Marble	2-4	1	Down
SP88 Black	1-3	3	Down

Attached Insert

Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP90 Smashing Pumpkins

Tristessa b/w La Dolly Vita

Sub Pop SP90 7", released December 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP10/137 12", released 1990 (Germany)

The only Sub Pop release by Smashing Pumpkins. All had foldover paper sleeves with Singles Club forms attached. There were a lot of these pressed - I have read 4500 on pink marble vinyl and 3000 on black vinyl. Or so I had been led to believe. Sub Pop says there were 2500 pink ones. I find this surprising, because there have been so many of these consistently on the market. The black ones have always seemed more scarce. The market actually used to reflect this, but it shifted over time because, well, you know, people love colored vinyl.

Oh yes, and then there's the gray one. Estimates vary, but there are probably between 100 and 200 of these in existence. It's expensive. In 2007, one of these sold for about $300. In early 2008, it went up to the $500-600 range, but it has come back down to $350 territory. Rumors circulated saying that the gray ones were the result of the plates not being cleaned between the pink and black pressings. Nope. There is no pink in those gray copies. They just simply pressed some gray ones. If this were from overlap, then you'd end up with far fewer than 200, and they would look purple, like the Rollins Band single. The test pressing for this record is on red vinyl, and when it sells, it is very, very expensive.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP90 Pink Marble	35-50	1	Stable
SP90 Black	20-30	2	Stable
SP90 Gray Marble	100-300	7	Volatile

Attached Insert	Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Red vinyl, small hole, plain white labels

This page was last updated on October 20, 2019.

SP91 Rein Sanction

Creel b/w Willow Branch

Sub Pop SP91 7", released February 1991 (U.S.)

This one is common and not expensive. It has appeared in yellow marble (3,500), black, and the slightly rarer powder blue vinyl.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP91 Yellow Marble	2-4	1	Stable
SP91 Black	1-3	1	Stable
SP91 Powder Blue	4-6	4	Stable

Attached Insert
	Yellow/Black Mix Variant

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Credits	Stan: Light blue vinyl image Costa: Test pressing, black vinyl images

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP93 Hole

Dicknail b/w Burnblack

Sub Pop SP93 7", released March 1991 (U.S.)

This single was one of the ones that had many, many colors. It followed a similar pattern to that of the first few rounds of the Sliver single. First pressings: foldover paper sleeves with Singles Club forms attached. The first 3500 were released on dark gray marble vinyl. Based on patterns of other pressings around this time, I always assumed that there were either 3000 or 4000 black copies made at this time as well. I've been questioning that lately, based on the quantities on the market: there are always lots of gray ones available, but there have been fewer and fewer black ones for sale. As I write this, there are 13 gray ones for sale on Discogs and one black one.

Subsequent pressings brought us a huge variety of colors. These colors also probably represented more than one pressing. There was no point in wasting materials, so Sub Pop and Erika used all of the labels and sleeves that remained from the initial pressing. The labels were applied as the records were pressed, and they just switched over from the original labels to the Erika ones when they ran out. The original sleeves were then packaged with these newer pressings as they were received. It would then stand to reason that the blue-grey and the green marble ones were the first new colors pressed. It looks as though they ran out of the original sleeves somewhere around this point.

The pink marble ones followed, with new full cardboard sleeves, but with first pressing labels. All the rest of the colors followed suit, with both full cardboard sleeves and Erika labels: blue marble, turquoise, peach/brown, purple, hot pink marble and clear pink (Note: an old Hole discography site claimed that a clear green version also exists. I am not certain about that one, and have never seen it). Based on the different style of print on the Erika labels, the clear pink ones probably came at the very end. The all-caps label style we see with this one is the one they settled on for records that were pressed later. The other version (not in all caps) was used for several Sub Pop releases, roughly spanning SP113-SP141 (which would indicate, based on Sub Pop's discography, that these were pressed between 10/91 and 4/92).

The toughest ones to find in this set are the hot pink marble, blue marble, and clear pink variants.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
First Pressings
SP93 Grey Marble	15-20	1	Stable
SP93 Black	10-15	4	Stable
Later Pressings
SP93 Green Marble (1st sleeve/1st label)	10-15	4	Down
SP93 Blue-Grey (1st sleeve/1st label)	10-15	4	Down
SP93 Pink Marble (2nd sleeve/1st label)	15-20	3	Stable
SP93 Hot Pink Marble (2nd sleeve/2nd label)	25-30	8	Stable
SP93 Blue Marble (2nd sleeve/2nd label)	20-30	6	Stable
SP93 Turquoise (2nd sleeve/2nd label)	10-15	4	Stable
SP93 Purple (2nd sleeve/2nd label)	10-15	4	Stable
SP93 Peach/Brown (2nd sleeve/2nd label)	10-15	4	Down
SP93 Clear Pink (2nd sleeve/3rd label)	15-25	6	Stable

Attached Insert

Sleeve	1st press - Paper foldover w/ insert attached; 2nd pressings - Full matte
Credits	Christian: Peach/Brown vinyl image

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP94 Thin White Rope

Ants are Cavemen b/w Little Doll

Sub Pop SP94 7", released March 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP 13/148 7", released 1991 (Germany)

I don't have a ton to say about this one. The first 1500 were on dark purple marble vinyl. It also exists on black vinyl, but that actually seems to be rarer. The German version was on black vinyl. I had Glitterhouse GR0148 for the catalogue number in my notes, but it was clearly released after Sub Pop Europe started doing business, so I do not think a Glitterhouse version with that number really exists - it was actually Sub Pop SP 13/148.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP94 Purple Marble	1-3	2	Down
SP94 Black	2-4	3	Down
Sub Pop SP 13/148 Black	2-4	1	Stable

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached

This page was last updated on April 5, 2020.

SP95 Mudhoney

Let It Slide b/w Ounce of Deception

Sub Pop SP95 / SP15/154 7", released June 1991 (U.S./Germany)

Sub Pop SP95b CD, released 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP16/155 12" / SPCD 16/155 CD, released 1991 (Germany)

Au Go Go ANDA 133 CD, released 1991 (Australia)

This single was the beginning of a very short-lived period during which Sub Pop pressed its singles in Germany. This single showed up most commonly on neon yellow (the same color as the Urge Overkill single, SP109, which was also pressed in Germany). It was also pressed on gray vinyl (like the Shonen Knife single, SP108) and black vinyl. There is a German 12" as well, which exists on both gray and black vinyl. All of the above are easy to find.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP95 (SP15/154) Neon Yellow	6-10	1	Stable
SP95 (SP15/154) Black	4-6	1	Stable
SP95 (SP15/154) Gray	4-6	1	Down
SP16/155 Gray 12"	5-8	1	Stable
SP16/155 Black 12"	5-8	1	Stable

Attached Insert

Test Pressing

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, generic German labels
Credits	Costa: Test press image

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP96 The Reverend Horton Heat

Psychobilly Freakout b/w Baby, You Know Who

Sub Pop SP96 7", released December 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #26

Limited to 6,500 copies. Based on the pressing patterns of that time period, I always thought the breakdown was 3,500 on blue marble vinyl and 3000 on black, but Sub Pop says there were 4,000 on blue, which means the black one is much rarer. It is usually cheaper, though. Just to confuse us, Sub Pop released the Smoke 'Em if You Got 'Em album with the same catalogue number. Take that, rationality.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP96 Blue Marble	10-15	1	Stable
SP96 Black	10-15	2	Stable

Attached Insert

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ insert attached
Credits	STOUTR: Blue-black mix image

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP97 The Fluid/Nirvana

Candy (live) b/w Molly's Lips (live)

Sub Pop SP97 7", released January 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #27

7,500 total pressed - 4,000 on green marble vinyl, 3,500 on black. The green marble ones had varying degrees of marbling. There are even some that are solid green (see pic below). Copies that are solid green or those that are mixes of green and black vinyl command much more money. The more the green and black are mixed, the more they fetch. Some fakes have surfaced of the black version - these can be recognized by the matrix codes, which are machine-stamped SP-97A X / SP-97B X, while the real thing has longer, handwritten matrix codes - SP-97-A Kdisc ch L-37037 LATER / SP-97-B Kdisc ch L-37037x LATER.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP97 Green Marble	40-60	1	Stable
SP97 Black	35-45	1	Stable
SP97 Solid Green	100-150	9	Volatile
SP97 Green/Black Mix	300-400	10	Volatile

Attached Insert	Test Pressing
Black	Green Marble	Solid Green	Green/Black Mix

Sleeve	Paper foldover w/ Singles Club form attached
Test Pressing	Black vinyl, small hole, white labels

Recent Sales Data: Solid Green Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	1	100	Discogs
2018	0	N/A	N/A
2017	2	244	Discogs, eBay

Recent Sales Data: Green/Black Mix:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2017-19	0	N/A	N/A

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP100 Dickless All-Stars

Sex God Tad + 3

UNRELEASED

This record was never actually pressed. I have been told there were never any test pressings made before it was deleted. If it had been, that would be a pretty collectable record, needless to say...

This is the catalogue entry, taken from Sub Pop's old history site:

Please note: this is not the same record that was later pressed and given away at the Sub Pop 10th Anniversary Show. That one was SP441, limited to 500 copies on purple marble vinyl. I will do an entry for that one someday...probably...

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