Jimmy Raney Quartet, New Jazz 1101. I like this one because of the maroon and white label, which you rarely see. There were just a few 10-inch New Jazz LPs, so they are pretty cool, and pretty rare. This one was probably in VG or VG+ condition for the record and the vinyl. It sold for $157.50.

Now a bunch of Blue Notes:

Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. This was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $600.

Lou Donaldson, Wailing With Lou, Blue Note 1545. This was an original West 63rd pressing in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $688.

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. Also an original pressing, of course, this one in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $1,343.

Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This one was in M- condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $200.

Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. Record was M- and cover was M-. Price was $1,465.

Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065. This was the 10-inch record in VG condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $305.

Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058. this was in VG+ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $512.

Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was a Lexington Avenue pressing. It was VG+ for the record and just VG for the cover. It sold for $810.

We need a new explanation for this one: Horace Silver, Song For My Father, Blue Note 4185. Admittedly this is a great, classic record and this was an original mono pressing in near mint condition for both the record and the cover. Why is there a new explanation needed? Conventional wisdom has said that because of the initial popularity of this record, there has always been a relatively abundant supply of original pressings in decent condition. Conventional wisdom may be changing. This particular copy sold for $405. Our previous high for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $334 and, at the time, we considered that to be an aberration. What’s this?

And this? Gene Ammons, Blue Gene, Prestige 7146. This was from the same seller and it was also in near mint condition for the record and the cover. You’d normally expect this in the $40-$50 range, maybe a drop higher because of the condition. This copy sold for $164.50.

This next one got quite a high price, but not a surprising one:

Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560. This was an original pressing listed in near mint condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $2,480.

This one, from the same seller, broke its way into the $1,000 bin for the first time: Dexter Gordon, Daddy Plays the Horn, Bethlehem 36. This was also described as being in near mint condition. It sold for $1,325.

I always liked this record: Abbey Lincoln with the Riverside Jazz Stars, Riverside 251. This one features Sonny Rollins and Kenny Dorham in nice support roles. The record was listed as VG+ and the cover as VG++, but the descriptions/picture might make you a bit wary, especially a mention of “feelable” marks. It sold for $177.50.

Here are a few interesting items closing in the next day or so:

John Coltrane, Giants Steps, Atlantic 1311. This is an original black label mono pressing from a reputable seller. The record is listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the vinyl. It’s closing later today and the price is around $160, but it has yet to meet the seller’s reserve price. Hard to believe but with all the years I’ve been hunting records, and the size of my collection, I actually don’t own a black label Giant Steps. The one in my collection is the stereo bulls-eye. Perhaps if this doesn’t meet the reserve price, the seller and I can trade? Are you listening out there? I know you read Jazz Collector.

Sonny Rollins, Newk’s Time, Blue Note 4001. This is an original pressing that looks to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ or so for the cover. The auction is closing today, the bidding is around $200 and there is still a reserve price that has yet to be met. I just picked up a second copy of this LP for myself. Not sure if I’ll put it on eBay or keep it. These things are so rare these days, it feels like they should be kept and preserved and treasured, even if you have more than one. Not to hoard, but to sort of own and preserve the history. Anyone else starting to feel that way?

This seller has some nice items up this week so you can take a look at this and see the other items as well: Introducing Johnny Griffin, Blue Note 1533. You need to read the listing carefully on this. The picture shows the Lexington Avenue address, but the description notes that it is a split address, one side Lex, one side West 63rd. Early second press, wouldn’t you say? Although many of you out there would call it an original, based on early discussions here at Jazz Collector. The record here is in M- condition, the cover is described as “OK” condition. There is a start price of about $350 and so far there are no bidders. For me, I’d rather have the same label on both sides, even if it’s a second press and both labels are West 63rd. Not sure why I feel that way, but I do.

Here’s one in VG condition for both the record and the cover: Jutta Hipp, Blue Note 5056. This is the 10-inch LP, quite rare. How important is condition to you? This one is at about $75 with about a day to go. It will probably sell for close to $200 even in this condition. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide our top price for this record is $662 but, of course, that one was in M- condition.

This one was interesting as well: Joe Henderson, In ‘N Out, Blue Note 4166. This one certainly looks like an original, with the mono cover, New York USA labels, etc. But the seller never makes mention of the ear in the deadwax, so you do wonder. It looks to be in VG++ or M- condition for the record and cover, and it certainly looks cool with the original shrink wrap and price. It sold for  $511.01, so someone must have been pretty sure, or quite hopeful, that  there is an ear in the deadwax.  This is the second highest price we’ve ever seen for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061. This was an original pressing with the New York address. The record was in VG++ condition and the cover was VG++ as well. The price was $665. I remember this as one of the few collectibles for which I paid top-dollar at Dayton’s back in the early 1980s. In those days, top dollar for this was about $80, and psychologically, that was a tough hump to get over for me, but I spent it. Then, I wound up selling it a few years later for about $200 and my copy now is a Japanese pressing.

I would have thought this next one would have fetched a lot more money, but the listing was a little confusing and the condition of the cover wasn’t described:

Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1543. This looked to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it has the cover by Andy Warhol. With Warhol covers, it’s important to talk about the condition. This is the last of the Blue Notes with the Lexington Avenue address, right? The record looked to be in VG++ condition based on the description. The price was $565.55. Not bad.

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This was an original promo pressing with the white and red label and six eyes. For the most part, promo copies of jazz records don’t necessarily add to the value. With Kind of Blue, however, that is not the case: We usually see the promo copies selling for a premium. I can understand why: It looks way cool and has the smell of authenticity of an original pressing. This copy was in M- condition for both the record and the cover, with a very nice picture, and it sold for $555. There were 31 bids. quite a high number.

There’s been a lot of chatter on the Jazz Collector site about the auction last week by the seller bobdjukic, who always seems to generate a lot of interest, partly because of his extensive use of hyperbole but moreso, methinks, because of his ability to generate high prices. Here are a couple of his auctions we were watching:

Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins, Prestige 7075. This is an original pressing with the New York address and deep groove. Of course, it is described as both “megarare” and “insanely rare.” I’m not sure which is rarer, mega or insane. What do you think? Maybe we can have a vote. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover the same, although I wonder about the cover from the picture. This one sold for $542.12. We did a post on this a couple of weeks ago, when a copy of this same record from The Jazz Record Center — the most credible dealer of all, right? — sold for only $192.50. See what we mean about this seller being able to generate high prices. Not bad, although, to be fair, this record should be a high-priced collectible, in my humble opinion. This next one, “insanely rare,” got a very high bid but did not make the seller’s reserve price: Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. It looked to be an original pressing and it was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The top bid $1,815. Interesting that the seller notes, in response to a question on this, that he does not play grade the records. I find it hard to accurately grade records without at least putting on a track or two, and I tend to be especially careful with high-end records that fetch top dollars. But I don’t do it for a living and I don’t deal in the same volume as a seller such as this.

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York pressing. The record was described as M- condition and the cover looked to be at least VG++, perhaps M- depending upon your grading system. This one sold for $1,536. We’ve seen this one sell for more than $2,000 several times in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, and once approach $3,000. So perhaps this is a bargain, or perhaps it’s just where the market was on this particular day. The item did have more than 400 page views, which is a significant amount.

Here’s a Riverside that did quite well for the seller, which was Euclid Records: Wynton Kelly Piano. Riverside 254. This was an original Blue label pressing with the deep grooves. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $710. Nice cover on this record, right? Straight from the ’50s.

So this next one made the $1,000 bin after all:

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,515.

Surprised this one didn’t sell for more: Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. This looked to be an original pressing and it has the Andy Warhol cover. The record was listed in VG condition and the cover was VG+. It sold for $681.02, which, on second thought, is not a bad price for the seller, even with the Warhol cover.

Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot Volume 1, New Jazz 8260. This is an original pressing with the purple label and deep grooves. The record looks to be in M- condition, and the cover probably VG+ with some seam splitting. The start price is $75, there are no bidders and there are eight days to go. We’ve seen this record sell for as much as $966 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, so we’d expect that this will fetch a much higher price than the start price. We’ll see.

Horace Parlan, On the Spur of the Moment, Blue Note 4074. This is a weird one, with a Review stamp on one label with the New York USA address, and the other address the West 63rd Street label. As noted by Fred Cohen, proprietor of the Jazz Record Center, the original pressing on this one should have the West 63rd address on both labels. So what does that make this? Here’s where we get into that whole debate again about original and first pressings. This one has a start price of $200 and no bids as of yet.

Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065. This is the original 10-inch version and it looks to be in beautiful condition, M- for both the record and the cover. The start price on this one is $500.

Lee Morgan, Volume 3, Blue Note 1557. This is an original West 63rd pressing and it looks to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ or VG+ for the cover. The start price is $750.

This one had that very high start price: Lawrence Marable, Tenorman, Jazz West 8. It was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. Not only did it sell, it made it all the way to the $2,000 bin. The price was $2,175.

This one didn’t quite make the $2,000 bin, but it did all right for the buyer and seller: Donald Byrd, Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill, Transition 17. This was an original pressing sold by Euclid Records and it included the original booklet. The record was VG++ and the cover was VG+. The labels, as they do with all Transitions, had fallen off. The price was $1,691.88. Euclid also did well on this one: Benny Golson, Gone with Golson, New Jazz 8235. This was an original purple label pressing with the deep grooves. It was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $355, quite a nice price for an LP with Golson as the leader.  Our previous high in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $335.

This next one was described as an “original” pressing, but upon further detailed reading of the listing, it clearly was not — unless, that is, you consider an “original” Blue Note anything that was issued prior to the purchase by Liberty:

Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. If you read the listing carefully, you would see that one label was West 47th and the other was New York USA. It had the deep grooves and RVG in the dead wax so it was an early pressing, before Liberty acquired Blue Note, but it was definitely not a first pressing. It sold for $460.50, definitely far lower than a first pressing would fetch in VG+ condition, so perhaps we have helped to make sure people read these listings carefully. I give the seller the benefit of the doubt on this one: He does mention that it is “W. 47 w/NY”  in the headline.

The Jazz Record Center seemed to do well with it’s most recent auction, although careful scrutiny would suggest that prices are down from previous expectations. That copy of Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134, sold for $1,891.88. Last year at this time we logged two copies of this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide at more than $2,000. Miles Davis Volume 3, Blue Note 5040. This original 10-inch LP was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $565. Art Blakey, A Night at Birdland Volume 2, Blue Note 5038. This also looked to be in M- condition. It sold for $359. One more: Sonny Rollins Plus Four, Prestige 7038. This was an original New York pressing with the frame cover. The record looked to be in M- condition and the cover was probably around VG++. The price was $345. In my view, somebody got a bargain on this one.

There was also that other copy of Conte Candoli, Cool Gabriels, Groove 1003 in VG++ to M- condition. It looked for a while that this one might go cheap, but it sold for $1,705, which, given this one’s condition and recent prices of other copies, was cheap, relatively. This one, of course, has the Andy Warhol cover.