On eBay: Morgan, Zoot, Chambers & Rare Mobley

Here are some nice items coming up soon on eBay:

Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing being sold by Euclid Records. The vinyl is listed as VG++ and the cover is listed as M-. The current price is a little more than $300, but it’s hard to believe that this one won’t sell for more than $1,000, perhaps considerably more, given the way prices on Blue Notes have been going.

The Great Zoot Sims, Down Home, Bethlehem 60. This is an original red label pressing. The record and vinyl seem to be in what we would grade as VG++ condition, based on the seller’s description. The current price is about $150.

This one is already close to $800 and it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve price:

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More Blue Notes, More Record Price Tags

Prices for Blue Notes — at least those in near mint condition — are continuing to rise, based on some of the latest eBay sales. Take a look at these:

A Date With Jimmy Smith, Volume 2, Blue Note 1548. This was in near mint condition and it was sold by the same seller who sold those pristine JJ Johnson records the other day. This one sold for $792. The record features Hank Mobley, Lou Donaldson and Donald Byrd, but this is still a new high price tag for it, at least for the time we’ve been watching it.

This one was from Euclid Records: The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Volume 1, Blue Note 1531. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. It was listed as M- condition for both

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Kind of Blue for $5,000?

Our friend CeeDee sent us this link the other day for this record: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This is an original promo copy with the white label, 6-eye logo. You can click the link and look at the item and go to the bottom of the listing for a laugh, or you can simply continue reading here for the punchline.

The seller has this listed for a buy-it-now price of $5,000 and in his listing he states that this is the only promo copy of this record he has ever seen. A reader is indignant at such an absurd price and preposterous claim and mentions a near mint copy that sold the other for for $355. He refers the seller to popsike where there is a history of these sold and at one point asks the seller: “Listen, are you on drugs?”

To which the seller replies simply: “yes.”

And there it is. A refreshingly honest exchange on eBay.

Catching Up: Morgan, Blakey, Kenny Dorham

Here are a few records we’ve been watching:

Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This seemed to be an original pressing listed as being in near mint condition. The price was $741. It’s hard to think of a record selling for $741 as being a bargain but given Blue Note prices lately, this seems kind of low. I had expected it to break into the $1,000 bin.

Because of some of the chatter on the site, we’ve also decided to keep an eye on more second pressings, such as this one: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, The Big Beat, Blue Note 4029. This was a New York USA pressing — not an original — and it was

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Catching Up: Blakey on Elektra, Capuchin Swing

Let’s catch up on a few recent eBay sales.

This one was sold by the Jazz Record Center: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, A Midnight Session, Elektra 120. This was an original mono pressing. Frankly, this is not a record I’ve seen very often and I had no idea what kind of value it had as a collectible. I own a copy, although mine is a stereo pressing. I’ve been going through a lot of my records to catalog them for insurance purposes and because it’s kind of fun in an obsessive compulsive psychotic neurotic kind of way. My copy is in VG+ condition, and I estimated its value at $35. This one was in M- condition and sold for $228. Perhaps I’ll have to adjust my spreadsheet.

I should have been on this one: Jackie McLean, Capuchin Swing, Blue Note 4038. This one was listed a West 63rd but it did not mention

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Catching Up: Walter Davis on UA, Jackie, Sonny

Here are a few items we’ve been watching on eBay. Given our recent interest in later pressings, particularly Blue Notes, we were curious about this record: Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. An original pressing of this would normally sell for more than $1,000, and we’ve recorded one instance of this record fetching $2,000 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. This record was not of that distinctive lineage: This was a United Artists pressing, similar, unfortunately, to the one in my collection. It sold for $34, which seems about right, unless you’re the seller bobdjukik and can somehow sell it for $400 or more.

This was from the same seller, but it was an original: Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This one was in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG or VG+ for the cover. The price was $273.60.

Here’s one of my favorite Sonny Rollins records, at a reasonable price:

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More Confessions of A Vinyl Addict, Part 2

    ReissuesOK, so I got to the JJ Johnson record and realized it was a New York USA pressing, and then I got to Blue Note 1513, Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, and realized it was a Japanese pressing, and then I got to Blue Note 1515, Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, and realized, hey, I don’t own that record at all.

I knew all of that. I knew I didn’t have a complete original collection of Blue Notes. I knew I wasn’t even close to having a complete collection of original Blue Notes. I knew I never aspired to having a complete collection of original Blue Notes. But I felt compelled to go on, to go through the entire 1500 series and know exactly what I had

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On eBay Now: Duke, Fuller, Newk

In addition to having an occasional existential crisis, I have also been putting some interesting items on eBay that are worth watching. Here are a couple:

The Complete Capitol Recordings of Duke Ellington, Mosaic MD 5-160. I got this a dozen years ago and never even opened it, so I figured it might be time to sell it. The CDs are unopened and the price is close to $100. Also: The Complete Blue Note/UA Curtis Fuller Sessions, Mosaic MD3-166. Similar situation as the Duke, with the CDs unopened. This one is currently at $50, but I’m hoping it goes for a lot more.

I had this one hanging in a frame above my desk: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This is an original New York pressing. It is

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On eBay Now: Watching Some Blue Notes

Here are some interesting items on eBay now.

Here Comes Frank Foster, Blue Note 5043. This is an original 10-inch pressing from Euclid Records. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG+. The price is around $235 with a few hours to go. This is another 10-inch LP from the same seller: Milt Jackson, Wizard of the Vibes, Blue Note 5011. This one is in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. The current price is about $190.

Heres another seller with some interesting items, including: Paul Chambers, Bass on Top, Blue Note 1569. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing. Based on the description it looks like the record is VG++ and the cover is VG+. The current price is close to $500. This seller has a bunch of collectibles closing today, many of which don’t have bids yet. Probably worth taking a look

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More Price Updates: Ernie Henry, Clifford Brown, Etc.

We updated Blue Note and Prestige earlier this week. Here’s an update on some other labels we’ve just entered into the Jazz Collector Price Guide:

Ernie Henry, Seven Standards and a Blues, Riverside 248. This was an original pressing with the blue label, deep grooves, etc. It was sold by a reputable seller and was in M- condition, for both the record and the cover. And it got quite a hefty price: $564.32.

Brew Moore Quintet, Fantasy 3-222. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $304.

Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This was an original red label pressing. The vinyl

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Updates: $1,000 Bin, Dizzy, Sonny, Trane

Still updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide. It can be a bit tedious, but it’s important, isn’t it? Let’s hope so. Anyway, here are a few items on the extremes: A couple more for the $1,000 bin and a few that normally don’t make the Price Guide but, for one reason or another, have broken through.

First the big ones: Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was an original pressing and it was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,300. Also, Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This was an original pressing. The record and cover looked to be in VG+ or VG++ condition. The price was $1,032.

Here are a couple that don’t often get collectible prices: Dizzy Gillespie, Afro, Norgran 1003. This was an original yellow label pressing with a cover design by David Stone Martin. It was only in VG condition and sold for $72. That may not be a Blue Note price, but it is still somewhat surprising. Few of the Dizzy record

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Updating The $1,000 Bin: Miles, Mobley

Let’s update the good old $1,000 bin, which seems to be getting pretty crowded these days, no?

This one was certainly expected: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original pressing. The vinyl was only in VG+ condition. The cover was M-. The price was $2,615.50. The surprise was the high price for the VG+ condition.

One of The Miles Davis Blue Notes sold for more than $1,000, which was a new high. Miles Davis, Volume 1, Blue Note 1501. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing from a very reliable seller. The record was in M- condition, as was the cover. We had written about this one when it was at $250. It eventually sold for $1,007. Also, Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 1502, from the same seller, in the same pristine condition, sold for $765.55.  There was another Miles that made the $1,000. That was:

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On eBay: Miles and Miles and Mobley

Here’s a seller with some really nice items on eBay now, including: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing. The vinyl is in VG+ condition and the cover is M-. This is one of the rare ones. It is already more than $1,000 with three days to go. From the same seller: Introducing Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1523. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the deep grooves, flat edge, etc. The vinyl is listed as VG+ and the cover is listed as VG. The current price is about $130. It will sell for more. Promise.

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A Couple of New Ones For The Price Guide

Here are a few items that don’t normally make the Jazz Collector Price Guide:

Sonny Rollins, The Bridge, RCA 2527. This was an original stereo pressing listed in M- condition by a very reputable seller who also owns the best record store on Long Island. Still, while this is an interesting record with an interesting history — the return of Rollins after his legendary practice sessions on the Williamsburg Bridge — it has never really been a collectible item, at least in terms of its selling price. Perhaps it’s starting to move up the ranks: This one sold for $90.99. Not quite Blue Note prices, but a collectible price nonetheless.

Here’s another one we normally don’t track:

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Nice Records, Very Nice Condition

Here’s a couple we’re watching on eBay now:

Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch, Blue Note 4163. This seems to be an original pressing, although it’s odd that one side is deep groove and the other isn’t. It is from the same seller who was selling all of those pristine records last week, and this looks to be of similar quality: Just beautiful if the pictures are accurate. This one is currently sitting at about and it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve price.  You may recall that we at Jazz Collector — okay, me at Jazz Collector — were quite flabbergasted when a copy of this record sold for the astronomical price is $1,524. We think that was an aberration, so it will be interesting to see what this one goes for.

Here’s another rare record that looks to be in very nice condition:

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Bird & Newk for the $1,000 and $2,000 Bins

Two of those Sonny Rollins LPs we were watching passed the $2,000 barrier: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original pressing in near mint condition from a reputable seller in Italy. The final price tag was $2,850. Also: Sonny Rollins Volume 1, Blue Note 1542. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing, also in near mint condition. This one sold for $2,025.22. Breaking the $1,000 barrier was:

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More Updates: A $1,600 Cannon, Rare Ornette

Someone had mentioned this record joining the $1,000 bin: Cannonball Adderley, Something Else, Blue Note 1595. It’s a great record, but we’ve tracked it many times in the Jazz Collector Price Guide and it had never passed $500 before. This one was in near mint condition for both the record and the vinyl and sold for $1,624.99. Wow.

Here’s a record I’ve never seen before: Ornette Coleman at Town Hall 1962, ESP 1006. I have a copy of this record with a different cover. This one has a silk screen cover with handwritten labels. It is also a review copy.  The record was listed in M- condition and the cover looked like a VG++. The price was $987.

Price Updates: Newk, Cliff Jordan, Johnny Griffin

Here’s some more jazz vinyl for the Jazz Collector Price Guide:

Sonny Rolins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York pressing with the yellow label. Based on the description we would rate the vinyl as VG+ and the cover as VG+. Considering the overall condition, this one sold for a pretty hefty price tag: $1,705.

By comparison, based on the condition, we thought this might fetch a higher price: Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This was an original pressing in at least VG++ condition, perhaps M-, based on the description. We expected it to certainly break into the $1,000 bin, but it fell just short. It sold for $939.

This one did not fall short of the $1,000 bin:

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More Blue Notes For The $1,000 Bin

Here are a few more jazz vinyl records for the Jazz Collector Price Guide $1,000 bin.

Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 1535. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing sold by Euclid Records. The vinyl was in M- condition and the cover was VG. The item was viewed more than 320 times, which is quite a bit these days, and it sold for $1,631.

Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was also an original Lexington Avenue pressing. Normally, with records fetching these high prices, I wouldn’t have to state that it was an original. But with the seller bobdjukic selling United Artists pressings for more than $400, perhaps I have to be a bit more circumspect. Anyway, this was

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On Ebay Now: Blue Notes of Note

There’s some nice Blue Note jazz vinyl on eBay now, including:

Louis Smith, Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584. This looks to be an original pressing with the vinyl in VG++ condition and the cover just VG-. The seller goes out of his way to provide some nice clear pictures of the cover, which we always appreciate. This one is only $58 with more than a day to go, but the seller has a reserve price and it has not yet been reached. I know many of you are not fans of auctions with reserve prices, which is something to consider when listing jazz vinyl.

Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This is also an original pressing and it looks to be in VG++ condition, at least, for both the vinyl and the cover. Actually, it’s probably closer to M- than VG++, based on the description. The current price is $315 and there’s more than a day to go with no reserve. I would

not be surprised to see this one sell for more than $1,000.

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Catching Up: Miles, Ernie Henry, Brew Moore

Time to catch up on a few items we’ve been watching. It’s a little scary when the auctions of bobdjukic, which are getting quite a lot of attention from some of our commentators, are fetching higher prices than those of Jazz Record Center or Euclid. But that’s life on eBay, which tends to be a great equalizer. Anyway, both JRC and Euclid had some auctions close yesterday, with some interesting items, including: Miles Davis, ‘Round About Midnight, Columbia 949. This was an original mono pressing with the white promo label from Jazz Record Center. The record was in M- condition and the cover was at least a VG++. This one sold for $291. This is another case where I believe the promo label actually helped to boost the sale price.

This beauty was sold by Euclid Records: Ernie Henry, 7 Standards and a Blues, Riverside, Riverside 248. This was an original blue label pressing in near mint condition for both the cover and the vinyl. The price was $564.32. I think that sets a record for this LP, but

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New Ones For The Jazz Collector Price Guide

Here is some more jazz vinyl that will go into the Jazz Collector Price Guide:

When did this become a $100 record: Barney Kessel, The Poll Winners, Stereo 7010? This was an original pressing with the black label. The vinyl was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The final price was $97, so it wasn’t officially a $100 record. Still, I had no idea that Kessel was this collectible. I’m not complaining about it, since I do have all of his records on Contemporary, just a bit surprised by this one. In any case, it will be making its first appearance in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Also premiering in the Jazz Collector Price Guide will be: Bill Jennings, Enough Said!, Prestige 7164. This was an original yellow label pressing with

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On eBay Now: Webster Young, Pres, Jutta, KD

A lot of the big time sellers are up on eBay this week with some big time records. Here are some of the ones we are watching at Jazz Collector:

Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This one is a personal favorite, very nice record if you’re not familiar with it. This one is being offered by Atomic Records and it looks to be in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The current price is about $315 and there are a few hours still to go. The same seller has this item: Lester Young and Buddy Rich Trio, Norgran 1074. This is a black label pressing, which I usually assume is a second press, although I think this may be an original: I’m not sure when it was issued and if Norgran had switched to black labels, but I know the copy in my collection is a black label as well. This one is in M- condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. The current price is about $75.

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For the $1,000 Bin: Blue Notes, Prestige

Time again to update the $1,000 bin.

Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing and was sold by a reputable dealer. The record was listed in M- condition and was described as “uplayed.” The cover was probably VG+, based on the description. The price was $2,000. Our previous high price for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $1,248.

This one has made many appearances in the $1,000 bin: Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This was an original pressing with a promo stamp. The record and cover looked to be in M- condition. The price was $2,175.

Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. This looked like an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the deep grooves, although the seller’s description was quite lacking, making it

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Catching Up: What’s a Promo Worth?

Here’s an update on some odds and ends we’ve been watching on eBay:

Zoot Sims, Stretching Out, United Artists 4023. This was an original deep groove mono pressing. It was a promo copy, with a promo stamp and the white label and it was in M- condition, for both the record and the cover. The price was $124. What do you think: Does the promo stamp enhance the value of a record for you, or detract, or neither. I recall in the world of rock albums, the promo stamp was always considered a good thing, but I’ve never heard that one way or another in the jazz world. Which leads me to this LP: Bill Evans, Waltz For Debby, Riverside 399. This was an original pressing with the white promo label. The record was

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