A RARE vinyl record from an American band sold by a Cumbrian collector has made thousands at auction.

The 45inch single by the grunge rock band Nirvana has made £2,600 in an online auction held by 1818 auctioneers on the Cumbria Lancashire border.

The single is numbered 215 of 1000 and was produced by record label Sub Pop. It was sold by a collector in Penrith and went to a new owner in Lancaster.

The Mail: The sale ended on Sunday the 11th of December.The sale ended on Sunday the 11th of December. (Image: Submitted.)

Expert valuer Simon Norfolk from 1818 Auctioneers said: "This is a holy grail of singles. In brilliant condition, rated ‘EX / EX’. With only 1000 produced it is highly sought after.

"On one side the track is 'Love Buzz' and on the other it's 'Big Cheese'. This is a record price for a single vinyl sold by us at auction. So we’re delighted with the result.

"The band, founded by lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, is well known now. At the time of the release of this single, 1988, Nirvana was an underground rock hero band of three, and they were riding on the wave of the 'Grunge' movement.

"The vendor says he was an avid Sub-Pop collector in the late 80s. His source was someone who worked in a record store in Michigan, USA. He kept him up to date with all the releases as they came out. The vendor paid $60 for the single, a sign of how rare it was even then,” adds Simon.