Watching A Pair Of Heavy-Duty Jazz Collectibles

My goodness, here’s a jazz collectible to make the heart flutter (my heart, at least): Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, Prestige 7150. This is an original yellow label pressing, although the record itself is a reissue. No big deal, right? Except this one is autographed by, get this, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. That’s about as an impressing a lineup of jazz autographs as you could get on one record. This one is being auction by The Jazz Record Center so I would be one to trust that the signatures are original. Perhaps Don-Lucky or another autograph collector might shed more light. In any case, the bidding on this one starts at $2,500 and there is already a bid so the record will sell. If I had this one, I’d frame it for sure.

Here we go again: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original original pressing, based on all of our feedbacks and comments last week, and it has the New York 23 on the B Side. This one is in M- condition for both the record and the cover and, based on the seller’s description, it sounds like it’s in amazing shape. The auction closes later today, in about four hours, and the bidding is in the $2,000 range. My guess is that it goes in the $4,000 range. If it was from a seller with more history and more of a reputation using this description it would probably break the $5,000 barrier. Maybe even more. And maybe it will with this seller. We’ll see soon.

Autographed LPs: Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Bill Evans

I was curious to see how some of those autographed records from the Jazz Record Center would do on eBay and the results are now in. There was definitely a strong demand.

Chet Baker Quartet, Jazz at Ann Arbor, Pacific Jazz 1203. This was an original pressing with a Chet Baker autograph on the cover, signed and dated from 1973. The record looked to be in M- condition and the cover was probably VG+. The price was $461.

There were several LPs autographed by Miles Davis in the auction, including: Miles Davis, In Person, Saturday Night at the Blackhawk, Columbia 8470. This was an original stereo pressing with the six-eye logo and it was in M- condition all around: In fact, it was described as being in “amazing” condition. It was signed on the back by Miles in red ink. It sold for $566. Also, Miles Davis, Bags Groove, Prestige 7109. This was a later pressing with the blue labels. This one was signed not just by Miles, but by Sonny Rollins as well. It looked to be in VG++ or M- condition and it sold for $195.50. If I had this cover, I’d get rid of the blue-label record and replace it with one with yellow labels, even a New Jersey yellow label. It would just feel better to look at the cover knowing there was a yellow-label pressing inside. Just part of my own insanity, I guess.

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Rare Autographs: Bill Evans, Charles Mingus

A Bill Evans autograph. That’s one of the items on the latest auction from the Jazz Record Center. To me it’s kind of cool to have, but not sure how it fares in the collectibles market. There was that letter from Bill Evans to John Coltrane that sold for $38,000 several years ago. A friend of mine spent a few hundred dollars for a high school yearbook signed by Evans. Anyway, this is a copy of the record Bill Evans, Trio ’65, Verve 8613. It is a second pressing signed on the front by both Evans and Chuck Israels. The start price is $100 and so far there are no bidders.

From the same auction is an Autographed Letter From Charles Mingus on the stationery of Debut Records. It is to a fan/customer who was complaining about a specific pressing in his recording from the Cafe Bohemia. A rare, very cool find indeed. This one is priced starting at $500 and there is already one bidder.

Finding Jazz Vinyl To Watch on eBay

Slow time on eBay this week for collectible jazz vinyl. To save time, rather than going through all the listings I’ll often do searches of Blue Notes or high-priced records or other filters to find the items most interesting to the Jazz Collector audience. Using those same filters I always use, hardly anything too exciting or expensive came up for this entire week. Perhaps its a hangover from the bobdjukic auction that seems to have everyone so enthralled. Having said that, there are always items of interest to watch, bid on, envy or all of the above.

Horace Silver, Six Pieces of Silver, Blue Note 1539. This one has the West 63rd Street address which makes it a second pressing, or at least not a first pressing. The record is in VG++ condition and the cover is VG. What makes it interesting is that it is signed by Horace Silver. What’s that worth? We’ll see. So far there are no bidders with a start price around $200.

Here’s a reason to read auctions carefully: Ben Webster Soulville, Verve 8274. This is advertised as an original pressing when it clearly is not. This has the MGM label while an original has the trumpeter label. Nonetheless there is a bid of about $80 on this records. The seller has minimal feedback. Not a good way to get started on eBay.

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Tracking Autographs: Duke, Miles, Sonny, Trane . . .

It was interesting watching the recent auctions of autographed vinyl and ephemera from the Jazz Record Center. With autographed items there’s always going to be a question of authenticity but there’s no reason to believe these items weren’t genuine. There are autographs and then there are autographs — I remember a couple of years ago there was an auction of a letter from Bill Evans to John Coltrane that sold for $38,000. There was nothing in this grouping that came close to matching that in either uniqueness or value, but there was some nice prices nonetheless, including:

John Coltrane and Milt Jackson, Bags and Trane, Atlantic 1368. This one, which me mentioned the other day, was signed by Coltrane, Jackson and Hank Jones. It sold for $758. Others: Miles Davis, Early Miles, Prestige 7168. This record is an early reissue, with a yellow label. This also has autographs By Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins. It sold for $377. 89. This is not a record we track often in the Jazz Collector Price Guide because it is not an original but, suffice to say, it would not normally  sell for that amount sans autographs. One more: Duke Ellington, Such Sweet Thunder, Columbia 1033. This was an original pressing signed by Ellington. It sold for $191.38. Under normal circumstances, no autograph, this is really like a $10 or $20 record.

John Coltrane Autograph (And More) On Ebay

Oh, it’s a nice time on eBay when we get to watch auctions from both the Jazz Record Center and bobdjukic.

How much would you like a John Coltrane autograph? I know I would. This is from the Jazz Record Center: John Coltrane, Bags and Trane, Atlantic 1368. This is listed as an original mono pressing with the red and purple labels — although, for the live of me, I still can’t get the original Atlantics straight once they are past the black labels — but the key to this record is that it is signed by Coltrane, Milt Jackson and Hank Jones. The record and cover appear to be in about VG++ condition. The price is around $750 with more than two days to go. From the same auction is a Jazz at the Philharmonic program from 1956 with a bunch of cool autographs, including Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Connie Kay, Milt Jackson, Roy Eldridge and Flip Phillips. There’s one bidder for this one, so far, and the price is $100.

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Rare Autographs: What’s in a Name

Perhaps I’m naive, but when I see an autographed record I always assume that it is legitimate and not a fraud. It seems kind of weird to me that someone would try to copy the autograph of a jazz artist to try to inflate the value of the record when, in many cases, the autograph actually devalues the record, another oddity that I will never understand. I was watching this record on eBay: Thelonious Monk, Work, Prestige 7169. This was a yellow label pressing and an “original” in the sense that it was the first pressing of this record, which is a reissue of an earlier record. Normally it would be worth about $50 or so, but this one happens to have signatures on it from both Monk and Sonny Rollins. To me, this is a gem, assuming the autographs are legitimate, which I do. I tend not to collect autographs, although something like this is tempting, so I passed the listing on to one of our loyal readers who does collect autographs. I see from the geography of the winning bidder that our friend did not bid for this. The start price was $500 and there was one bidder. Don-Lucky — what happened? Seems like a good price for this one.

Into the $1,000 Bin, Including Rare Autographs

We’ve been away, now we are back, and we see that we’ve missed some pretty heavy-duty sales on eBay for some pretty heavy-duty dollars.Let’s catch up.

I think we predicted these two would sell for more than $2,000 and they did: Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $2,350. From the same seller was Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was also in M- condition for the record and the cover. The price: $2,075.

How about this one? Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago, Mercury 60134. This was an original stereo pressing and it’s the one that features John Coltrane. What does it normally sell for, maybe $30? This one, however, offered by Euclid Records, happened to have been autographed by both Cannonball and Coltrane. What does that make it worth? How about $1,037. Don Lucky, where were you on this one? I know many of you are blase about autographs and actually prefer records that don’t have autographs, but to me, having a record signed by two of my heroes, that’s just priceless. Well, perhaps not priceless, but $1,037 seems a reasonable price.

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eBaying: Frank Sinatra Autograph, LD BLue Note

This one is for don-lucky and other autograph collectors out there. By the way, are there other autograph collectors out there? I though it was pretty cool: Frank Sinatra, Stormy Weather and Ol’Man River. This is a test/promo pressing of a 78 RPM record, clearly from Columbia although there are no other markings to indicate that. The record is signed in script: Best Wishes, Frank Sinatra. I’m not sure how to authenticate these things, but it looks pretty real. There was just one bidder and it sold for $395. Biggest problem with buying a 78 on eBay is the shipping. They are just so fragile.

And, while I’m here, here’s a random Blue Note I was watching: Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This looked to be an original pressing in VG+ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $334.

Updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide

I’ve been spending time updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide. I hope you guys use it: It does take up a bit of time to keep it going. In any case, as I’ve been going through older watch lists on eBay, here are some of the odds and ends I’ve been seeing.

I would classify this as a bargain: Gene Ammons, The Big Sound, Prestige 7132. This was not an original pressing with the New York address, but it was an early yellow label with the New Jersey address. The record and cover were ion VG+ condition and the price was $32. What makes this record interesting, in my opinion, is the presence of John Coltrane as a sideman. I have to admit I haven’t listened to this record in years so perhaps that will be one of my chores for the day to report back to you on the quality of the music.

There was a seller a few seeks ago with a bunch of autographed records, including: Art Farmer, Modern Art. This was a reissue, worth about $3 without an autograph. With the autograph it sold for $47. There were also a couple of records signed by Dizzy Gillespie, including: Dizzy Gillespie, Perceptions, Verve 8411. This was listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Without the autograph this would be maybe $10: With the autograph it sold for $60. Did I ever tell you about my copy of AT’s Delight signed by Art Taylor?

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Moody’s Mood For A Jazz Collector

One of the advantages of having a large and diverse collection, as I have, is sometimes finding hidden gems buried somewhere in the collection. Of course, the disadvantage is sometimes not knowing what you have at all and buying things in duplicate, triplicate or worse. In any case, I had a pleasant discovery the other day. I was chatting with my sister and she had her iPod on the background. The song that came up was “Moody’s Mood for Love.” I didn’t care for the version – George Benson – but I told her about the history of the song, the James Moody recording of “I’m In the Mood For Love,” the Eddie Jefferson lyrics, the King Pleasure recording, etc. Anyway, when I got home I happened to be looking through some of my 78s. Hmm, I thought, do I have the original King Pleasure 78? Indeed, I did and I put it on and it sounded great. Hmm, I thought again, what about the original James Moody “I’m in the Mood for Love?” And that’s when I was pleasantly surprised . . .

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Jazz Collector Back In Business (Sort Of)

There was a time, as many of you know, when I was selling records regularly on eBay to clear out duplicates and winnow down my collection. I was selling so regularly, in fact, that I became both a Power Seller and a “Top-Rated Seller” on eBay under my “nom de ebay” AJdoctor. Nearly a year ago, however, I stopped. I had started a new business – a real one, a one that actually pays the bills – and it started taking off last March, which is when I stopped posting records on eBay. And once I stopped it was hard to get started again. In the meantime, however, I, of course, kept accumulating records. I purchased a collection this summer of mostly traditional records and I purchased another small collection just a few weeks ago, with a bunch of Blue Notes of mostly later vintage. The point is, I still have many, many more records than I either need or have room for, so, as of yesterday, I am back to posting records on eBay. I started with a couple of Blue Notes and even put up some interesting blues records that I purchased in the collection this summer. Here are a couple of samples:

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Catching Up: A Little Trane, A Little JJ

Sorry for taking such a long and totally unexpected hiatus. I got caught up in things and just never put aside time to post. I won’t do that again. Anyway, I have not forgotten Rudolf’s question about the status of my Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown and I will address that soon, but first let me catch up on other stuff. I had noted the small John Coltrane autograph from the Jazz Record Center when I last posted and I had expectations it would go for a fairly high price, which it did: $491.85. And no, I was not the bidder, although that is certainly something I wouldn’t mind having. I was also watching this one: Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2, Blue Note 1506. This looked to be an original Lexington Avenue flat edge pressing. It was only in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG- for the cover. Many of the flat-edge Lexington Avenue  Blue Notes have been

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JRC Auction: John Coltrane Autograph

We’ve written off and on here at Jazz Collector about autographs.  Our favorite was the letter from Bill Evans to John Coltrane that was auctioned for $38,000 five years ago. If you want to check that out, click here. We were reminded of this when we received an email announcing the latest auction from the Jazz Record Center and we saw that they are selling a John Coltrane autograph. This one is not so enticing as the Evans letter, but it is a Coltrane autograph and there can’t be too many of those, can there? Anyway, it has a start price of $100 and there is already one bidder. This is one that I think will entice jazz collectors everywhere: A nice, small Coltrane autograph, easy to frame, easy to hang up on a wall, a very nice item to show your friends and family. Hmmmm, perhaps I’m talking myself into something here.

On eBay: True Blue, Modern Art, Griffin Signed

Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay:

Johnny Griffin, The Kerry Dancers, Riverside, 420. This is an original blue label pressing and it is listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. This record also features an autograph on the cover by Johnny Griffin, apparently from 1995. As we’ve seen before, an autograph can either be an enticement or a detriment, depending upon the collector. For me, I always like having an autographed copy. This one has a few hours to go and is selling in the $250 range.  In the  Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve seen a sealed copy of this LP sell for $370, but otherwise the top price was $230, so it seems the autograph is enhancing the value of this LP.

Here’s one destined for the $1,000 bin, assuming it meets the seller’s reserve price:

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Catching Up: Flanagan, Dorham & A Signed Max

Let’s catch up on a few more eBay sales:

This one did sell for more than $1,000. Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. When we were watching it the other day it was at about $400 and we speculated it might sell for less than $1,000. It sold for $1,440 in VG+ condition for the vinyl and the cover. Perhaps that can be considered a bargain in today’s market?

The Arrival of Kenny Dorham, Jaro 5007. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $457. We’ve never tracked this one at more than $1,000 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, but we’re pretty sure it has probably cracked the $1,000 barrier at some point. It’s a nice record and quite rare as well.

This one was autographed. Still not sure if an autograph enhances the value of a jazz record. Collectors can be quite picky about having their records untouched and pristine:

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Sonny Live and Well: Better Late Than Never

We’re doing some housekeeping here at Jazz Collector and in cleaning out email we discovered some interesting items that our friend Don-Lucky sent to us all the way back in December. Don-Lucky drove down from Canada to see Sonny Rollins in Tarrytown and what follows are some souvenirs from his trip, which he graciously shared with us and which we in inadvertently put into a hold file and ignored for lo these many months. This first item is a New York pressing, by the way:

Next up are some photos that are a bit more current:

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Now Available: Vintage Autographs, High End Audio

We get all kinds of random inquiries here at Jazz Collector. We’ll post a few here, in case anyone is interested or has any comments.

One of our readers has a set of three vintage photos, autographed, framed and mounted. All three photos appear to be made out to Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. The signatures are from Dizzy Gillespie: “To my Dixieland friend — Dizzy G” (that’s what it is, although it would be tough to associate Lockjaw with Dixieland); Dave Tough: “To Jaws, Dave Tough;” and Sidney Catlett: “Blow that horn Jaws! — Sidney Catlett.” It is certainly an interesting piece of jazz memorabilia. If you are interested drop us at note at al@jazzcollector.com and we’ll put you in touch with the seller.

Another of our readers is moving from New York to California and has a batch of high-end audio equipment he is looking to sell. This includes a Klyne pre-amp; B&K stereo amp; Carver tuner; Sota turntable; Sumiko tonearm; Snell speakers and

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Jazz Vinyl Countdown: Bird’s First, Autographed

Here’s an interesting test: With this winnowing down of the jazz vinyl collection, are we still a collector or have we morphed into something else  – perhaps a dealer-slash-collector-slash-aficionado or something other equally endearing term? Well, we have two copies of this pretty rare 10-inch record: Jay McShann, Kansas City Memories, Decca 5503. This record is noteworthy because it is the first studio recording of one Charles Christopher Parker Jr. Bird’s solos on The Jumpin’ Blues and (especially) Hootie Blues usher in a new era in jazz. It doesn’t get any better than that, does it? Both of our copies of this record are in pretty nice condition, but one of them has a bonus feature: An autograph on the back by

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Warhol Anyone?

I had mentioned a few weeks ago how I’d been getting a few requests a week from people interested either in selling collections or in getting advice on what to do with their collections. I’ve seen some interesting items. Here’s one: A guy in Toronto goes into a store and buys the Count Basie record with the Andy Warhol cover (RCA 1112). It costs him 25 cents. He takes it home and notices that there’s a name written on the cover and figures, no big deal, it’s just the previous owner. Then he looks closer. The signature reads “Andy Warhol.” He goes online to look at other Warhol autographs. Sure enough, it’s a stone-cold match. So here he is, sitting with an original Warhol cover signed by Warhol. And he has no idea what it’s worth. He sent me a note looking for advice, and I told him I had no idea what it was worth either. I suggested he try Soetheby’s or Chistie’s or some other auction house. He was advised to start any auction with a price of $500. I haven’t heard back from him, but, if anyone is interested

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One For the $3,000 Bin

Here’s one that sold for more than $3,000 the other day: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original pressing in M- condition, both record and cover. It had the advantage of being sold by Euclid Records, which is one of the larger sellers on eBay and has an excellent reputation. This copy sold for $3,416, which puts it among the Top Five we’ve recorded on the Jazz Collector Price Guide.  If you click the previous Price Guide link, it should take you to a page where all of the records are sorted by highest prices first, which is always a fun way to view the Price Guide. 

Speaking of prices, we’ve got some nice items closing tomorrow at pretty reasonable prices, and we just put up some interesting new items that are closing next week. Among the more interesting items we have up now are a Lexington Avenue pressing of Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This is closing tomorrow and is currently about about $180. For next week

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For Sale: Louis Armstrong Autograph

I just posted an interesting item on The Jazz Collector Store on eBay: A copy of the Louis Armstrong autobiography Satchmo, My Life In New Orleans, which is autographed by Louis Armstrong. It is signed in large print on the title page: “To Joel From Satchmo Louis Armstrong.” The Satchmo is underlined. I have a receipt stating that I paid $270 for this item nearly 10 years ago, but I just posted it for $200. I did a quick search on eBay and there are not that many Armstrong autographs available and none quite as strong as this one, since it is an inscribed autobiography. Since the item is in the store and not up on auction, it could go fast, so I wanted to make sure I gave a heads-up to all of you who read Jazz Collector in case you wanted to grab it. If you buy it and tell me you read about it at Jazz Collector, I’ll give you an additional $10 discount. Can’t beat that.

Today on Ebay: Fuller, Parlan and McCoy (For Sale)

SHHHHHHHHHH. It’s so quiet on eBay today we wouldn’t want to disturb any of the sleeping buyers and sellers. I have a sense that the economy is starting to wreak a little havoc on the jazz collectibles market — not on the high-end collectibles — but in the mid-tier. We’ll see. These things tend to go in cycles. Perhaps it’s a good time to be buying. Anyway, it is quite quiet on eBay today, but there are a few things worth noting, including:

Curtis Fuller, Bone and Bari, Blue Note 1572. This is an original pressing in M- condition, both record and cover, and it features an autograph by Curtis Fuller. Not to mention the presence of Sonny Clark on piano. The opening bid price for this record is about $140 and, as of now, there are no bids. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve seen this record sell for nearly $700 in M- condition without an autograph. So maybe it is a time to be buying.

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Getz & An Autographed Stitt for the Price Guide

Here are some records we’ve been watching at Jazz Collector and which will be entered soon into the Jazz Collector Price Guide. We’re big fans of the Verve label and we believe there are still bargains to be had among Verve, Norgran and Clef LPs. This one, however, usually fetches a pretty collectible price, as it did recently with two separate copies: Stan Getz in Stockholm, Verve 8213. One of these was sold by Euclid Records and went for $210.50 in M- condition, both record and cover. The other copy was sold by a relatively new seller and was in VG++ condition, both record and cover, and it sold for $205.50. 

We often like to watch autographed copies of records signed by our favorite artists. Here’s one: Sonny Stitt, Prestige 7024. This was an original New York pressing signed by Stitt. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG. The price was $133.61. 

Some of the items we watch fail to get any bids. Here’s one: Donald Byrd, Byrd’s Eye View, Transition 4. This was in VG condition, both record and cover, and did not have a booklet. The starting price was $349 and there were no bids. We used to keep track of these in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, but not anymore. Now we track records that actually sell.

Today on Ebay, February 10, 2009

Pretty quiet on eBay today, although there are a few nice items, as always. We at Jazz Collector have a few auctions closing today, including: Art Farmer with Sonny Rollins, Prestige 177. This is a 10-inch LP. It’s in VG/VG+ condition and is currently in the $30 price range. We’re also selling this nice jazz guitar LP: Johnny Pisano and Billy Bean, Take Your Pick, Decca 9212. This is an original pressing that’s in VG+/VG++ condition and it’s also in the $30 range as of now. We’re also selling LPs with autographs by Woody Herman, plus George Barnes and Bucky Pizzarelli, so please, take a look. 

Among other items, there’s an original pressing of Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This one looks to be in VG++ condition. the current price is $282, but it has yet to meet the seller’s reserve. As a buyer, I’m not a big fan of reserve-price auctions. I’d rather the seller set a high base price if he

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