Odds & Ends From The Jazz Collector World

Barbara Lea copyLet’s catch up on a few odds and ends, starting with some of the promo records we’ve been watching on eBay:

John Coltrane, Coltrane, Impulse 21. This was a mono pressing with the white label promo label. It was listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It wound up selling for $493.88. Wow. From the same seller was this: John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Impulse 40. This was also a white label promo copy, also in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. This one sold for $282. Then there were the two on Prestige: George Wallington, Jazz For the Carriage Trade, Prestige 7032. This was an original New York yellow-label pressing with the “Not for Sale” stamps on the label and cover. It was listed in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The start price was $499 and it did not sell. Somewhat surprising, right? Then there was:

Read more

A Promo By Any Other Name

Carriage Trade copySo now that I’ve been writing about promo copies for the past few days, it seems that every other item I’m watching on eBay is a promo copy.  Just works out that way sometimes.

Barbara Lea with the Johnny Windhurst Quartet, Prestige 7065. This is an original New York yellow label pressing with a “Not for Sale” stamp on the back. I’ve never actually owned or even heard this record and I have no idea who Johnny Windhurst was, but it is, of course, a record I would love to have, it being an original Prestige and all. This copy is in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover and it looks quite nice overall. The start price is in the $300 range and that is already too steep for me.

George Wallington, Jazz For the Carriage Trade, Prestige 7032. This is also an original New York yellow label pressing with a “Not for Sale” stamp on the back as well as on the labels. The record is in M- condition and the cover seems to be VG++. The start price is in the $500 and there are no bidders with four days left in the auction. Perhaps I am wrong

Read more

Of Autographs, Promo Copies and More

Phil copySo this is what we’ll be watching on eBay this weekend as we brave the chills of the lovely Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, starting with Phil Woods, Warm Woods, Epic 3436. This is an original pressing with the yellow label. The record and the cover are both listed in VG+ condition and the front cover has a nice clear autograph by Phil, apparently signed in 2000 at the Blue Note in New York City. Not a bad idea to get an autograph on one of these vintage records, if you like that sort of thing, as I recently did with my Herbie Hancock Blue Notes. This one is in the $80 range with one day to go and there is only one bidder so far. We’ve seen this record sell for more than $400 without an autograph (but in M- condition) in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, so we’re curious to see what this goes for. For some collectors the autograph on the cover is a turn-off, which has always baffled me.

This one may be closed by the time many of you read this:

Read more

A Question of Ridiculous-ness

wes and jimmyI told you there’s always excitement when we’re watching the bobdjukic auctions. CeeDee is back with this note:

SUBJECT: who is paying this kind of bread for these readily found LPs?

BODY TEXT: Al, I give up. I thought I could figure out “what sells and what doesn’t” but I’m finding I have no freakin’ idea!

RECORD IN QUESTION: Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith, Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes, Verve 8766.

CONDITION: Sealed

PRICE: $455

So, for today’s quickie quiz: Which sale is more ridiculous, the Jimmy and Wes one above or the other one cited in the earlier post, namely John Coltrane, The Other Village Vanguard Tapes? This was also sealed and sold for $237.50. Or is there perhaps another that we missed? I vote for Jimmy and Wes being more ridiculous, although it was a close call. At least the Coltrane is a double record and sold for a price that was more than $200 lower than the Jimmy/Wes record.

A Random Assortment of Jazz Vinyl

eddie costaHere are a few more jazz records we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, Impulse 30. This was an original white label promo copy listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover, although it would be hard to tell from the main picture accompanying the listing. When selling on eBay, always strive for a nice clear picture. Although this one failed in that regard, it didn’t fail to achieve a nice collectible price, which was $316.

This is one I actually bid on: Eddie Costa, Guys and Dolls Like Vibes, Coral 57230. This was an original pressing listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. I own the record, so why did I bid on it? Well . . . it was sitting with no bids with three hours left on the auction and a start price of just $10. The seller didn’t include the important information that Bill Evans is the pianist on this record, which adds to its value and, more importantly, adds to its musical quality, which, of course, is excellent. A really nice record and for my bid of $20, what would be so bad having two copies? Read more

Three Tenors

SonnyThere were many records we were watching this past week on eBay, so let’s get right to it, starting with Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. This was an original deep groove pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. There were just two bids, but the record sold for $542.10. I am a big Sonny fan, as most of you know, and I think this is the only 12-inch Rollins record from the ’50s or ’60s where I am still looking for an original pressing. I’ll keep looking because the price of this one was too much for me.

Not sure when this became a $240 record, but apparently it did: John Coltrane, Live at the Village Vanguard, Impulse 10. This was an original orange-label pressing we presume, although the information in the listing was all screwed up. It was listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover, assuming that was the description for this record. Someone took a chance and won the auction at $239.

And, for the $1,000 bin we have Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing with the West 63rd address. The record and cover are both in VG++ condition. The record sold for $1,275.

 

 

Jazz Vinyl: Trane, Zoot and 10-inch LPs

Let’s catch up on some more interesting jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with John Coltrane, Africa/Brass, Impulse 6. This was an original mono pressing with the orange labels. The record and cover were both in M- condition. It’s not a record we’ve typically covered in the Jazz Collector Price Guide because it rarely gets collectible prices. I guess we’ll start covering it now: This one sold for $493.88. Wow. I’ve had an original copy of this record for a long time, since the 70s in fact, but I also remember a version of a Coltrane Greatest Hits double-record on Impulse where they had Africa but eliminated the Elvin Jones drum solo so they could get more songs onto the package. There was something that always seemed unseemly about that, a violation of some kind of moral code, particularly since Coltrane was no longer alive to object.

I always liked this record, but haven’t listened to in in a while: Zoot Sims in Paris, United Artists 14013. This was an original pressing with the grey labels and was probably in VG+ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $202.51.

Here’s an update on some 10-inch jazz vinyl:

Read more

Catching Up on Jazz Vinyl Auctions

Here’s an update on some of the jazz vinyl we were watching last week, and a few that we’re watching this week:

Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This was an original pressing. The record was listed in VG+ condition and the cover was VG. The price was $1,025.

Sonny Rollins, Volume 1, Blue Note 1542. This was not an original pressing, but was an early pressing with the West 63rd Street address. The record was in M- condition and the cover was lasted at VG+. It sold for $251.39.

Grant Green, Idle Moments, Blue Note 4154. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The seller was bobdjukic and it was only listed as “rare” not “insanely rare.” No matter. It still got top dollar: $570.

And here are a few we’re watching for this week:

Read more

Miles and Trane, Big Prices

One of our readers sent me the results of this auction with a “what the hell is going on here” type of note: John Coltrane, Africa/ Brass, Impulse 6. This was an original mono pressing with the orange label and it was probably in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $294 and there were 17 bids. Indeed, that is quite a bit higher than we normally see for this record, but is it outrageous? I don’t think so. I think it’s a sign of times to come: Coltrane, original Impulse, nice condition, hard to find. It’s got a lot going for it. Plus, it’s a great record, right? And Coltrane’s first on Impulse.

Look at the price of this one as well: Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This was an original New York pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It had more than 260 views and wound up selling for $799.10. It’s a great record and an original pressing, and the price is reflective of today’s market, isn’t it?

 

Odds and Ends and eBay

When I was buying and selling regularly on eBay a few years ago I would monitor the listings religiously. Every day I would go through all of the listings, one by one, page by page, and I pretty much never missed a thing. These days, I’m more likely to do occasional searches and focus on items I’m most interested in. Last night I had some time, so I went through my old routine of listing by listing, page by page. Here’s some of the jazz vinyl I watched.

Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz, Diz and Getz, Verve 8141. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter logo. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG+, although it seemed to have original shrink wrap. The start price was $29.95. There were no bidders. Really? When I started collecting this would have been a nice commodity, hard to find, great artists, great collectible label. And it’s got quite a nice cover to boot. Now it’s not worth thirty bucks? Wow. How about Stan Getz and Chet Baker, Stan Meets Chet, Verve 8263. This one says “trumpet logo” in the headline, but there’s no picture of the label so I actually have to wonder if it is original. The record was listed in VG++ condition, close to M-, and the cover was VG+. The price was $57.

Read more

1 2 3 4 5 6 7