It’s one of the most sought-after records of all-time, and now, a copy of the Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save The Queen’ single is expected to fetch thousands at auction.

Back in May of 1977, the Sex Pistols were on the cusp of changing the music world as we know it. They had already released their debut single, ‘Anarchy In The U.K.’ the previous year, and were a few months off releasing their sole record, Never Mind The Bollocks.

As it so happened, the group were in prime position to make a memorable political statement. Having recorded the song ‘God Save The Queen’, which served as a vicious attack on Queen Elizabeth II, the group were all set to release their now-iconic single just in time for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations.

Although attempts to hit #1 with the song were foiled by Rod Stewart (and claims of chart-fixing to avoid any controversy), the song managed to make an impact upon its release on Richard Branson’s Virgin Records label.

However, prior to its release on Virgin, the song was scheduled to be distributed via the label A&M, who pressed a number of these records before backing out and claiming such a song was far too controversial for their tastes.

As the legend goes, this all took place merely a week before the record was set to be released, with A&M quickly destroying almost all 25,000 copies of the single, leaving only about 10 remaining, and causing them to quickly become highly sought-after collector’s items.

Now, one of the world’s rarest records is going up for sale once again.

As The Swindon Adviser reports, the Wessex Auction Rooms are set to see the immensely rare single go under the hammer later this week, with those in charge expecting it to fetch up to £15,000 (AU $28,114).

Over the last 13 years, only a handful of copies have managed to surface and sell, with copies going for prices between £11,142 (AU $20,880) and £13,000 (AU $24,362).

“I have had the privilege of selling many rare records but this is certainly the most exciting of them all,” auctioneer and vinyl expert Martin Hughes explained to the publication.

“The Sex Pistols will always be the most iconic punk band, and perhaps also one of the most culturally significant.

“This is a chance for a collector to own a piece of music history.”

While the record goes under the hammer this Friday, we can’t help but think back to Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, which features a passage where the main character of Rob passes up the chance to buy a copy of the single for £50.

Now that’s a horror story that’ll keep any record collector up at night.

Check out ‘God Save The Queen’ by the Sex Pistols: