A chance find in a record store’s bargain bin is set to net a Perth music fan a small fortune.
As a teenager desperate to start his own vinyl collection, Roy Grant came across a colourful release by an unknown band in 1972.
Entranced by the psychedelic cover, he paid 99p for the LP at a shop in Crieff, listened to it once and then set it aside after deciding it was not to his taste.
Decades later, he discovered his purchase Growers of Mushroom by Leaf Hound is now a rare gem coveted by collectors.
His wife Lynn told The Courier how she happened to spot an article detailing some of the most sought-after records in the world.
“The name jumped out at me because it was quite unusual,” she said. “I took the story to Roy and asked if he still had that record. I told him to sit down because, at that time, they were saying it was worth around £700.”
She revealed that after reading the article, her husband took the LP, wrapped it up carefully and stored it in a safe place.
It lay there untouched until earlier this week, when Mr Grant finally put it up for sale.
So far, it has attracted bids of more than £1,400, with inquiries coming in daily from as far afield as Japan, Russia and the Netherlands.
Mrs Grant added: “It’s maybe a good thing that he didn’t like it because it would have been played again and again. It’s actually in pretty good shape considering it is over 40 years old.”
The nine-track LP was once voted the most collectable rock record by Q magazine and because the band broke up before its 1971 release, it was never promoted and disappeared without a trace.
The album was rediscovered many years later and re-released. However, original copies, like the one bought by Mr Grant, have been described as “almost impossible” to find.
Pristine copies have been known to sell for up to £4,000.