Anarchy still hits top of the value chart after 30 years

The punk pioneers' version of God Save the Queen was so controversial when released in 1977 that the label destroyed most of the stock. Surviving copies are now valuable collector's items.

The Sex Pistols' anarchic hit God Save the Queen continues to top charts more than 30 years after its first release.

According to Record Collector magazine, the punk classic has been declared the most valuable vinyl disc ever.

Rare copies of the single are estimated to be valued at more than £8,000 (Dh48,500) with some record experts saying it could be sold for as much as £10,000.

Initially released in 1977 by A&M Records during Queen Elizabeth's silver jubilee year in the UK, the outspoken, anti-monarchy single provoked so much public outrage - both the BBC and the UK's Independent Broadcasting Authority refused to play it on air - that the record company destroyed most of the copies. With the allure of the archetypal punk band yet to fade, Record Collector's editor, Ian McCann, has declared God Save the Queen a "sound investment".

"The Sex Pistols have connected with and attract every new generation that has sprung up since 1977 and the reunion tours… have kept them in the public eye," he wrote.

In second place was the Beatles' Please Please Me on The Black and Gold Label (1963) with an estimated value of £3,500 and in third place was the jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley's 1957 album Hank Mobley, valued at £2,000. McCann argues that quality vinyl records are becoming scarce as they are often damaged by overuse.

"There is something of an investment market in mint-condition copies of iconic albums," he said. "The problem is people love them and play them to death, making it increasingly rare to find them in mint condition."