A rare copy of Ed Sheeran’s first-ever demo — called Spinning Man — auctioned for $80,000 in Lancashire, England on Wednesday.
Recorded in 2005 when the 29-year-old was a student at Thomas Mills School in Framlingham, Suffolk, it features nine previously unreleased tracks and is just one of a handful of Sheeran’s schoolyard CDs to remain in existence.
“It was the very first demo tape that he did, and he sold them at school for £5 ($6) each,” Karen Fairweather from Omega Auctions tells PEOPLE about the rare CD, adding that the auction house was “completely blown away” with the price it eventually reached.
“When he became famous, I think he tried to get them all back,” she continues. “According to Ed there were around 20 of them and he’s quoted as saying that he’s now got 19. But I think there’s a couple more still out there somewhere. Five tracks were released a few years later, so of the 14 tracks, there’s nine that have never been heard. That’s why it’s such an interesting piece.”
(PEOPLE)
ED SHEERAN'S FIRST DEMO ‘SPINNING MAN’ GOES UP FOR AUCTION AT £10,000.
— YEEEAAH! Network (@yeeeaahnetwork) August 18, 2020
A rare copy of Ed Sheeran’s first-ever demo from his teenage years has been put up for auction at £10,000.#itsallYEEEAAH#YEEEAAHNetworkNews #edsheeran pic.twitter.com/zsv9UI1gpM
Ed Sheeran – Spinning Man CD
— Avalanche Records (@avalanche_edin) May 7, 2017
"21 copies known to exist, 19 of which Ed owns himself as he doesn't want anyone else to get hold of a copy." pic.twitter.com/QR5t1iDZ1E
Cox Media Group