Watching High-Ticket Jazz Vinyl on eBay

I hopped on eBay last week and put a few rare items in my queue, starting with this one: Don Pullen and Milford Graves in Concert at Yale University. This one doesn’t have a label and has a hand painted jacket. The seller was our friends at Carolina Soul and they graded the vinyl in VG+ condition and the cover in VG++ condition. The main reason I put the record on my watch list was the price, which was already above $6,000 at the time. I wasn’t the only one to notice, obviously, but I did get the following note from our friend Daryl, who wrote the following: “Carolina Soul – what is this album? Will it fetch this dollars from a music (plus cover) perspective? Will it top the $9,000-plus sale from December 2022 as found at Gripsweat? We’ve written about that one before, Free Jazz (And More) at a Price. Per Clifford on that earlier post, no more than 100 copies of this record were produced. Anyway, based on the picture, this doesn’t look like the same record that got the $9,000-plus price. This one sold for “only” $6,100. Read more

To Sleeve, Or not To Sleeve

Before getting back to the normal business of watching rare jazz vinyl on eBay, I have a question for the community that is gnawing at my brain. It has to do with record sleeves, specifically the plastic record sleeves most of us use to protect our records. I have been using sleeves for as long as I can remember, 40 years, maybe even 50. For my 12-inch LPs I used to prefer the tight 12-5/8 sleeves I would get from Bags Unlimited, but over time I have evolved to the larger 12-sleeves. Either way, all of my records have sleeves on them and that has always been the case. As I’ve been doing the radio show, I find it’s more convenient for me to take the records out of the sleeves and keep them out for a while. And I’m liking it. At lot. For Seinfeld fans, think Kramer and the thin layer of gaberdine. I’m thinking of letting my boys roam free, with no sleeves at all, nothing between me and the covers. They look SOOOO much cooler this way. Is this insane? Will my records get damaged? Is there anyone out there with a sizable collection who has gone bareback and lived to tell about it? I know this may not be the most pressing question in the world, but inquiring minds — at least this one — want to know. BTW, my latest podcast is already available for download if you are interested. This one is focused on Bill Evans’ work as a sideman. I listened to it live last night and I kind of enjoyed it, gaffes and all.

Modern Art Treated Like Modern Art

Art Pepper Jazz Vinyl copyHere’s an interesting one: Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This looks to be an original pressing. The seller says it is in VG+ condition, but he also mentions that it has “many light scratches and marks.” What’s interesting is that the seller states the cover has been “restored” by a company called Fourth Cone Restoration in Los Angeles. This is the first time I’ve ever encountered a jazz record that had been professionally restored, as if it were a rare painting. Given the value of some of these records, it’s really not a bad idea, is it? I’d love to somehow see the before and after, but, alas, I can’t see me bidding on this record, even though I don’t own an original pressing. The “many light scratches and marks” has danger written all over it. The start price for this record is in the $500 range and so far there are no bidders. One other point: The seller calls this a 1951 pressing. Is that possibly true? I didn’t think they were making 12-inch vinyl in 1951, except for that one Bird promotional record on Dial.

While we’re on the subject . . . . Read more

A Diversion Into the World of 78s

Charlie Parker copyMy eBay watch list is overflowing and there are some interesting items we don’t often see here, including some 78-RPM records. Let’s start with Charlie Parker, The New Sounds in Modern Music, Savoy 510. This is a boxed set of Charlie Parker 78s. Unfortunately, the seller doesn’t say which ones, although if I were interested (as I may be) I would at least attempt to pose the question. The records — can’t call them vinyl — are in VG+ condition and the cover is probably VG or VG+, depending upon the condition. I am probably one of the few among us who still collects 78s. I’ve had the good fortune to run into a few inexpensive collections, and then I was very fortunate with the 78s I purchased in the infamous Baltimore collection. I probably have about 1,000 78s, with probably about 40 Parkers on Savoy, Dial and Mercury, but a Bird Savoy boxed set would make a nice addition to the collection. There is a big concern with buying 78s on eBay, because

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Sing a Song of 78s

One of our readers has been in a 78-RPM frame of mind recently and has sent me a couple of interesting 78 auctions on eBay, specifically boxed sets. Here’s the latest: Billie Holiday Sings, Mercury C-118. We all recognize this cover from the 10-inch LP of the same title and packaging with the iconic David Stone Martin illustration, but this is a boxed set that includes four 78s. Everything seems to be in about VG+ condition. This is definitely a cool item, particularly if you are into 78s. The price is already more than $200 and the auction closes later today. I do have an issue purchasing 78s on eBay, however, and it has to do with shipping. I’ve purchased 78s on eBay and I’ve sold 78s on eBay and shipping these fragile items in the mail is a challenge. I’ve sent some that I though were packaged perfectly, using recommended packaging material from the industry leader, yet they still broke in the mail. For an item like this, I’d be a little nervous. By the way, I play my 78s on a portable Califone record player, the type they used to use in public schools. The 78s sound really good on them, they are convenient and you can easily buy one for less than $100 on eBay. We haven’t asked this in a while, but are their 78s collectors out there, and how do you handle purchasing/playing your records? Also, what do you collect, and why?

Another Tail of Two Covers

So I was at a record store recently and on the shelves saw a copy of the record 3 Degrees East –3 Degrees West on World Pacific. It had a cover I hadn’t recalled seeing. Even though I was pretty sure the cover I had at home was the original, the price was cheap enough so I purchased it. It was interesting when I got home and compared the two covers. The cover on the left in the picture is the original. This is the one I had in my collection. It has a copyright date of 1956 on the back and is on Pacific Jazz Records, PJ-1217. It also has the “kakubushi” framed cover. The record I purchased at the store, with the cover on the right, is copyrighted from 1957 and is on World Pacific Records, also number PJ-1217. The liner notes and pictures on the back are the same. Not sure why the company would re-release the record with different packaging just a year later: You’d think if

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A Tale of Two Covers

I’ve never been one to collect European pressings of original American LPs but I have to admit my heart fluttered a bit when I was browsing eBay this morning and came upon this: Sonny Rollins, Worktime, Esquire 32-308. Now this is an awesome cover. The drawing is reminiscent of David Stone Martin. I, frankly, hadn’t seen this cover before so I’m hoping someone out there has more knowledge about it and can share it. I just think it’s a terrific cover all the way around, and clearly some bidders on eBay agree with me: The record and cover are in about VG condition and the price is already more than $300 with 10 bids. It will be interesting to see what this goes for, and to learn more about it as well. I did a quick Google search and didn’t find anything, but I’ll take a longer look later if no one in the audience has the info.

Another record with a very interesting cover closing today is:

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More Covers: David Stone Martin

Well, we just caught up with some Andy Warhol covers, now how about some David Stone Martin? Let’s start with one of our favorites, covers and music: Lester Young, The President Plays, Norgran 1050. This was an original yellow label pressing. The record was in VG+ condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $120.50. Here’s another one from Pres: Lester Young, The President, Norgran 1005. This LP was in just good condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $261. Beats us.

Benny Carter, Cosmopolite, Norgran 1070. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $111.50.

Bud Powell, Jazz Giant, Norgran 1063. This was an original pressing that was

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Catching Up Again: Andy Warhol Covers

Let’s catch up on some Andy Warhol covers.

Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume 2, Blue Note 1597. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $482. Frankly, we would have expected it sell for a higher price in this condition.

Thelonious Monk, Monk, Prestige 7053. This was an original pressing with the New York address. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was VG++ as well. The price was $600.

Moondog, The Story of Moondog, Prestige 7093. This was an original pressing with the New York address. The record was in VG+ condition

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Price Updates: Roy & Diz, Tal, Stone Martin, Drew

Time to catch up on some of the items we were watching earlier in the week. We’ll do another of these catch-ups tomorrow or Monday when some of the high-tagged Blue Notes close.

We don’t often see Dizzy Gillespie among the higher-priced LPs, but here was a nice one that was sold earlier this week by Euclid records: Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge, Roy & Diz #2. This record was in M- condition, both record an cover, and sold for $145. No doubt helping the value of the LP is the great illustration by David Stone Martin.

Also featuring a David Stone Martin illustration is The Tal Farlow Album, Norgran 1047. This was also sold by Euclid and was also in M- condition. It sold for $83, not bad for a quality record like this in today’s market. Seems that within the Norgran/Clef/Verve pantheon there are still bargains to be found. Also, please take a look at our earlier post on this album Today on eBay: Tal, Drew, Kenny Dorham, True Blue. I had mentioned that my good friend Dan Axelrod was a good friend and protege of Tal, and he shares some personal insight about the album that’s worth reading.

Speaking of Kenny Drew, that copy of The Kenny Drew Trio, Riiverside 224, that

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