When asked about which bands/artists are worth collecting, you wouldn’t be wrong in suggesting the perennial giants of rock music: The Beatles, The Stones, Elvis, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, etc. That said, there’s one band from the early American hardcore punk scene whose related material has been garnering serious interest in recent years: The Misfits.
The band was formed in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey by Glenn Danzig (vocals, electric piano), Jerry Only (bass) and Manny Martinez (drums). A bridge between the first wave of punk (Ramones, Dead Boys, Television) and the later hardcore movement (Agnostic Front, Minor Threat, Black Flag), The Misfits’ sound was influenced by artists as disparate as Elvis Presley, The Damned and Black Sabbath. Their image reflected the sound, as they looked like 1950s street toughs who happened to be members of the Addams Family.
During their initial run of 1977 through 1983, The Misfits were a DIY machine. From cutting and gluing the record sleeves by hand to silk-screening their own shirts and posters, Danzig & co. were about as hands-on as it gets when it came to their merch and promotional material. That involvement is one of the main factors in Misfits memorabilia being such a hot commodity among punk collectors. Another is rarity. As these records and shirts were being handled by 2-3 members of a then-struggling band, they didn’t press huge numbers of records or screen a massive quantity of shirts.
As they’re rare, original pressings of Misfits EPs often fetch prices of thousands of dollars. When they’re offered, original Fiend Club kits go for similar amounts, while vintage shirts can attain values of more than one thousand dollars. A rare pressing of the 1985 compilation LP Legacy of Brutality broke $20,000 on eBay.
Finally, the band’s beyond-rabid fanbase is what keeps these collectible fires burning bright into the 21st century. Though it’s been nearly 40 years since that original run from Lodi’s favorite sons, the desire for original Misfits material is as strong as ever!
Happy hunting, Astro Zombies!
Jon Steffens
Consignment Director