Rare Sex Pistols single up 17.3% on eBay

An extremely rare copy of Sex Pistols' God Save the Queen single sold for $19,672

A rare copy of God Save the Queen by British punk group the Sex Pistols sold with impressive results on June 8, just days after Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee.

The Sex Pistols were repeatedly dropped by labelsdue to their punk attitude

The sale follows Universal Music's controversial decision to re-release the single in 2012, a move that has been condemned by the band's frontman John Lydon. The classic punk track was hoped to have the same shock effect that it achieved35 years ago, but failed to make an impression on the British charts on its second outing. The original track still proved popular with bidders on eBay however, who soon snapped up the 7 inch promotional acetate on offer. The single was originally released in 1977 on the L.T.S record label,before the bandsigned with A&M, and according to the seller, is one of only two known to exist. The Sex Pistols were frequently dropped from record labels due to their notorious punk attitude, resulting in those labels pressing only a handful of their vinyl before axing the band. These singles are now becoming sought after items and stand as some of the most valuable records available to collectors today. The acetate sold for 12,629 ($19,672) on Friday, achieving a 17.3% increase on another of the L.T.S pressings, which was sold for 10,766 on eBay in 2006. Rare issues from other record labels have far exceeded these prices in the past. Paul Fraser Collectibles has some truly rare items of rock 'n' roll memorabilia, including the first contract signed between the Beatles and Brian Epstein, a documentwhich changed the face of music forever.