Time For Bigger Bins?

I know others have commented on the previous post, but I can’t let this one pass without at least one more word: Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This was an original pressing in some kind of condition, perhaps VG+ or a little better. Hard to tell, because the seller used a stock photo as the main picture and then supplemented it, I suppose, with pictures of the actual record, which shows some obvious wear on the front cover, although the overall condition looks OK. You would think the lack of clarity on the description would cause bidders to be hesitant. And perhaps they were. Nevertheless, there were 16 bidders and 27 bids and a whopping final price of $5,035.75.

Then there was Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that looked to be in VG+ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. When we wrote about this last week the bidding was in the $1,000 range and we predicted it wouldn’t stay there for very long, which it didn’t. Eventually the record sold for $3,051, with 45 bids, going from $1,634 to the final price within the last few seconds of closing. I recently did a weird thing with my copy of this record. Curious what anyone thinks: I have a VG+ original pressing with no cover. For years, I’ve had the record in a plain white cover, hoping to get an original cover to match my record. But the original covers are getting harder to come by in any condition. So . . . . I decided to put my original pressing in a cover from a Japanese reissue. I usually hate mixing and matching like that, but I wanted to see True Blue on my shelf with a real cover, not some plain white cover. It is not The Beatles, after all.

One more: Sonny Rollins, Blue Note 1542. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing that looked to be in VG++ condition for the record and perhaps the same for the cover. The final price was $1,825. We watch this record often and don’t recall seeing it sell for this high of a price in the past. But we can say the same for many records these days.

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18 comments

  • Regarding your copy of True Blue – I had an original mono copy of Hank Mobley The Turnaround that I picked up with no cover for $1. I didn’t care for the plain sleeve either so I bought one of those cheap Scorpio (Park Ave. address) copies just for the cover (record sounded terrible) and while obviously a modern repro, it did have the correct mono catalog number on the front and back.

  • The McLean on Ad Lib is really cool looking though at the end of the day I’m fine with my $30 Jubilee reissue.

    Nothing wrong with a few mongrelized LPs in the collection — speaking of which, if anyone has a spare and clean UA or earlier stereo jacket for Life Time (BN 84180), hit me up. My NY USA cover is torched.

  • I can’t see myself ever spending over $1000 for a record. I came close once at $900 but that was definitely a one time aberration for me!

  • I’m okay with combining an original album with a reissue jacket, but what do you do with the reissue album? I suppose I would give it away.

    So far I’ve only combined a test pressing with an original jacket. I suppose they could be sold together as the both come from the same era.

  • O.K. I get it, the free market. Here is today’s ? There is a fire , earthquake, flood or perhaps a nuclear explosion. Which 5 records go out the door? Are they stored with all the important stuff? Does the $5000.00 record go out before your absolute favorite? Snap. Crackle and hiss…

  • Al, I bought around 50 NM lps with no jackets at one of the last WBGO record fairs in NJ. 20 years later I’ve only found a couple of original covers but most are sleeved in OJC or other re-issue covers. Mostly because I’m old school and reading the back jacket liner notes is part of my listening routine. First you’d read the back jacket and then you’d torture yourself looking at all the other lps listed on the inner sleeve that you’ve never seen before. Educating yourself took a lot more effort before Google.

  • If I had a fire, flood, or an earthquake situation I would not be worrying about my record collection. Family (inc. pet) and maybe a few clothes — the rest is just stuff.

  • Gregory the Fish

    clifford: amen to that. once the fiancee and the dog were safe, maybe i’d grab a few so that we could afford to live still, but fuck my records if there’s a fire.

  • I have insurance on them though I have not tested the waters to see how well the coverage works.

  • With Clifford and Greg here. At best I’d grab a few of the most expensive ones to pawn off, lord knows I’d need the money if my house burned down or something along those lines. No $ 5000 records here though sadly, best I have are maybe one or two dozen of say one or two hundred.

  • Gregory the Fish

    same here with the insurance, clifford.

  • Considering the McLean LP – I’m a bit confused when seeing such an enormous amount of spindle marks and still graded EX..

  • I love how we’re now calling nearly $1k for a VG- record sane! : )

  • I was bidding on Hello Records’ VG- copy of “New Tradition” at $350 thinking “this is an insane price to pay for a VG- record and a cover with writing”. When I looked up and the price jumped to over $900 in the dying seconds I said “for fucks sake” out loud.

  • Changing the subject slightly to rare but more affordable records, this sold for a relatively low price considering how few of them are out there: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Soul-Jazz-45-KENNY-DORHAM-Mamacita-Pt-1-BLUE-NOTE-VG-VG-HEAR-red-wax/352121729040?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
    I think only one or two of these have ever sold on eBay, and they appear to be goof-off presses from the plant. I believe there was a green vinyl Blue Note lp about a month or two ago by JRC, but I can’t find it in the auction aggregators. Is this cheap because it is a 45? I’d have thought Blue Note completists would have drooled over something like this. I believe m-/m- copies of the lp have sold for over us$400.

  • yeah, those red and green Blue Notes are kinda cool. I feel like I’ve seen a few of the red 45s on offer, though never come across one in a shop.

  • David J – I think that a Blue Note completist might want this but from a jazz listener’s point of view the Blue Note 45’s that are part 1 and part 2 are like listening to an 8-track tape. I’ve bought several, mostly because of the picture sleeves, but flipping a 45 over in the middle of the song I find is impracticable. At the end of the day you’re buying a poorly edited version of a song you love.
    I just wonder how Blue Note convinced RVG to edit some of his master works.

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