Velvet Underground acetate tops $150,000 on eBay

A rare test-pressing of the Velvet Underground's first recordings has gone for more than $150,000 in an online auction. The 12-inch disc, which was dated April 25th, 1966, was found at a street fair in New York City in 2002, where it sold for 75 cents. The buyer originally thought it was just a pre-release version of the band's debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico, but the record has different performances, different mixes, and a different running order from the official release. The 33-1/3 rpm record sold for $155,401 when the eBay auction closed on Friday night (December 8th).

It's thought this was the album that artist Andy Warhol shopped around to get the Velvets a deal. There's been no official comment from anyone regarding the authenticity of the piece, but singer-guitarist Lou Reed did put a link to the auction at his loureed.org website, under the heading "Velvet Underground & Nico 1966 Acetate LP Andy Warhol."
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