Dorham, Mobley, Trane and the Return of Moose the Mooche

Today we have lots of nice records from some of the more prominent eBay sellers so let’s get right to it, starting with Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This one is listed in VG or so condition for the record and VG for the cover, with a drill hole through the label. The bidding is in the $425 range with three days left on the auction. The seller, the-big-game-hunter has some other nice records for sale this week, although not necessarily in the best of condition. Here’s another likely to fetch a high price: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is a West 63rd Street pressing, listed in G+ or VG- condition for the record and a very generous VG for the cover. There’s also a big stain on the one of the labels. Bidding is in the $400 range with three days left. Read more

Classic Blue Notes from Jazz Record Center

Our friends at the Jazz Record Center have quite an auction closing this week, including several of the rarest of the rare Blue Notes, starting with Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is a deep-groove West 63rdStreet pressing, no New York 23 label, but it is still considered an original. This one looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and probably VG+ or VG++ for the cover, depending upon how the buyer might feel about a “professional restoration” and a “lightly audible scratch.” This bidding on this one has already surpassed $2,000 with three days of bidding to go.

Here’s another one already in the $2,000 bin: Read more

M&M&M: Monterose, Mobley, Miles

Here’s a cool one from our friends at funkyousounds: JR Monterose, the Message, Jaro Jas-8004. This is an original pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. What makes it cool is the personalized autograph from JR on the back, which looks legitimate to these eyes, although I am certainly no expert. If its a fake, someone went to a lot of trouble. Anyway, this one closes in two days and is now in the $405 price range.

For a record that is considered the rarest of the rare, Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568, seems to come up quite often on eBay. Now we have a copy from the seller bobjdukic, so we can only imagine what this will sell for, since he seems to have a strong following of devoted buyers willing to pay top dollar. This one is probably VG+ or even VG++ for the record and the cover. It has the West 63rd Street address on the labels, not the New York 23 on one side, which is the version coveted by the most serious of Blue Note collectors, even though it has been argued often here at Jazz Collector that they are likely of the same vintage and provenance. This one is now at $2,000 with eight days to go on the auction, so we will expect it to sell for a much higher price, all things considered.

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Back To Blue Note

Where were we? Oh, yes, eBay. Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing from the Jazz Record Center, part of a nice auction that closed last week. Based on the description I would count this as M- for both the record and the cover. The final price was $2,275. Before eBay was around to show us what the market really looks like, I used to think that True Blue was the ultimate Blue Note collectible, and for a while that did seem to be the case. But it has since been surpassed in desirability — and price — but at least a couple of other records, to wit: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original pressing with the New York 23 label on side two, which makes it uber-original in the eyes of many collectors. Perhaps of equal excitement, this was a promo copy. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was listed as EX+. The final price was $7,970, which may be a record for any jazz record, depending upon how you view these things. Quite incredible, don’t you agree.

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Blue Note 1568: Bah, Humbug

Buy it now, just $1,200. There’s a copy of Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568 sitting on eBay now with a start price of $4,500 and a Buy it Now price of $12,000. It is an original West 63rd Street pressing and the obsessive collectors among us would argue that it is an original original, meaning it sports the inscrutable New York 23 label on side two. The seller starts off by saying he is not qualified to grade jazz records but he just lucked out and found a collection that included the likes of Hank Mobley Blue Note 1568. Funny, I’ve been collecting jazz records for nearly 50 years now and this particular little bit of luck has never befallen me. In any case, he offers some audio clips of the record that he recorded on a (gasp) Ion USB turntable, which is enough to scare some of you off right there. Read more

Mobley Blue Note 1568: And the winner is . . .

Ok, we have a final price on that copy of Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568 from the Jazz Record Center. The final price was $4,619. And the winner of the contest was: GST with a bet of $4,600. Pretty damn close GST. Congratulations. I actually came in second with a guess of $4,444. For those of you betting the over/under line of $4,300, the winning bet was over, although I’m not sure anyone was counting on the under, especially after the early bidding seemed to indicate a much higher price. Nor do I think anyone was actually betting. In any case, GST, I owe you a prize. Tomorrow I am heading up to my home in The Berkshires, where my duplicate records reside. Send me your email address to alatjazzcollectordotcom and I will offer you a few options. Once we have an arrangement, I’ll put a comment here on this post.

High Priced Vinyl, Mobley Update, WFMU Record Fair, An Offer You Can’t Refuse (At Least, I Can’t)

Whilst I was offline I missed a record that ended up in the $3,000 bin: Don Rendell Ian Carr Quintet, Shades of Blue, Columbia, 33SX 17333. This was an original 1965 UK pressing that was probably in VG++ or M- condition. The final price was $3,024.98. I only know of this record from watching it on eBay all these years. Is the music that good, or is there something else that is so appealing about this record that it would command such a high price?

One of our readers sent me a link to this record, noting that the price seems to be rising: Phil Woods, Warm Woods, Epic 3436. This copy was in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $605.55. Doesn’t seem that out of line for this record. If you look on Popsike, there are copies that have sold for higher prices, although probably in better condition. That’s one of the things that I’m noticing — for many of these classic records, condition is less of an issue than it used to be. Can’t help wondering if that is because people are collecting them to own them as opposed to listening to them.

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Sonny Clark, Dexter and an Over/Under Betting Proposition for Mobley’s Blue Note 1568

Sorry for the long unexpected hiatus between posts. Been very busy with work and time just slipped away. Glad to see no one was worried about me. 🙂 Anyway, let’s look at where we left off with our eBay watch list, starting with: Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091. This was an original New York USA mono pressing. It was listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $908.76. We don’t recall ever seeing this record sell for more, but Popiske has a record of a copy selling for $1,144 in 2014. Wow. I guess it won’t be long before copies of this record will eventually be regulars in the $1,000 bin. First the ones in M- condition, then, over time, those in not-so-mint condition, if past patterns continue to hold forth in the future.

Perhaps this next one is also destined for the $1,000 bin. It keeps getting closer:

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Of Blue Notes, Later Pressings and Big Bucks

cool-struttin-jazz-vinylOne of our readers, with a sense of wonder, sent me this link: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. The record was listed in M- condition. The cover was maybe VG+ at best, depending upon how partial you are to having the word “Super” written in dark red marker across the back of your records. The final price was $422, which at first glance one might attribute to the condition of the cover. Except for one thing: This was a Liberty pressing, not just the label, the cover, too. So now we have third, fourth or whatever generation Liberty Blue Notes selling for more than $400. Oh, the humanity! If I had known, I would have saved them all, and I had a lot of them, including Cool Struttin’. I was happy, at the time, to get $20 or $30 apiece. What is going on? Read more

Monday Morning Blue Notes

Hank Mobley Jazz VinylCatching up on some jazz vinyl from eBay, staring with Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was a West 63rd Street pressing without the New York 23. It had the deep grooves, ear and other hallmarks of a first pressing, or second depending upon your interpretation. The record was in VG+ condition and the cover looked to be about VG. The final price was $2,575. This seems to be one of those records that has taken on mythic proportions in the collectibles market. Who would have thought even a few years ago that VG+/VG would translate into a value of more than $2,500? A few years from now I would expect the value to be even higher. Speaking of Blue Notes in less than stellar condition:

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