White Stripes single sells for more than £10,000

One of the earliest singles by the White Stripes has sold at auction for more than £10,000. The rare vinyl version of Lafayette Blues was the band's second release through Italy Records in 1998. It was backed by Sugar Never Tasted So Good. The copy in question is one of only 15 editions. When the pressings of the single were delivered late, Jack White and label owner Dave Buick hand-painted the copies themselves. They originally sold for $6 (£3.80). The copy in question was painted by Buick rather than White, yet it has sold for $18,000 (£11,400), bought by an anonymous buyer, White's Third Man label revealed this week. Despite the rarity, the figure involved is staggering. In 2003 a copy of the same single changed hands for a mere $800 (£500) while the following year another was sold for $2,700 (£1,700). At the time White told the Observer : "You remember that show when we painted those singles for Lafayette Blues? We pitched up six dollars for them. I remember me and Ben (Blackwell, Cass Records head) were talking, 'Aw that's too much! No one's gonna buy it at the Gold Dollar for six dollars.' It's funny stuff – thinking no one's gonna buy them for six dollars, now they're going for 2,700!"