There was this one that came close to the $1,000 bin: Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $919.

We were also watching a bunch of records from the seller bobjdukic, which is always an interesting pastime. In a way you have to admire his ability to promote a 1978 Savoy reissue of Charlie Parker as an original and get someone to pay a fairly decent collectible price. Case in point: Charlie Parker, The Complete Savoy Studio Sessions, a boxed set issued in 1978 by Arista Records. This sold for $112.50. This one seemed to get a fair price: Sonny Rollins With the Modern Jazz Quartet, Prestige 7029. This was a New York pressing with the yellow cover. An original first press would have the orange cover and the kakubshi cover. This one seems to

have the second cover, but it is a New York pressing and as close to an original as you can get. It was in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $305. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing from the same seller that squeaked into the $1,000 bin: Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. The vinyl was in VG++ condition and the cover was VG++ as well. It sold for $1,000 on the nose. I’m sure there are skeptics among our readers who would be suspicious, no?

Introducing Lee Morgan with the Hank Mobley Quintet, Savoy 12091. We’ve seen original copies of this record in nice condition selling for more than $500 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, so a new, unplayed original would be worth quite a bit. But is this an original? Only the buyer will know if, indeed, the buyer ever opens it. In this case the buyer is spending $161.50 to find out.

This one was also tempting:

Surf Ride Featuring Art Pepper, Savoy 12090. This was also sealed. The price was $150.

We were watching this record because it is a second pressing and it seemed to be getting some action: Zoot Sims, Zoot, Jazzland 2. This was an orange label pressing and it had the deep groove, but it is a reissue of Zoot!, Riverside 228. This one was in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover and it sold for $77.99, which is not bad for a Jazzland and not bad for a reissue.

My alter ego AJdoctor will be returning to eBay today after a lengthy absence of several weeks. I’ve got a couple of Jazzland LPs I’m putting up as well as a copy of Stan Levey This Time the Drum’s on Me, an original Bethlehem with some rare Dexter Gordon. Keep an eye out. It’s good to be back.

Guess what came in the mail yesterday? Remember that Jazz Auction in which I participated a few weeks ago. Well the records are here and now I can tell you how I did. Remember, I bid blind on these records, based on the written descriptions, and I gambled on quite a few of the packages. I was competing with a bunch of sellers/dealers who were at the scene and had the opportunity to physically view the records. Also, I paid an extra 17 percent above what I bid because that was the fee taken by the auction house. In any case, here are the results, part one of three: Live vicariously through me if you please. The prices listed below include the 17 percent extra fee, so they are the amount I actually paid for each package. Also, the listings as I describe them below are similar to the way they were listed in the auction itself.

Wes Montgomery, Full House. Price: $70.20. This is an original blue-label Riverside

pressing. In the auction it was listed as VG+ for the vinyl and VG for the cover. It was actually quite undergraded. The record is actually M- and the cover is VG++, very clean. This is definitely an improvement over the one in my collection, so I can sell that one and, hopefully, recoup my investment. So far, so good.

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of West Mongtomery. Price $64.35. This is an original deep-groove mono pressing. It was listed as VG+ and VG++ and the record, again, is closer to M-. This replaces a stereo copy in my collection, so I’m pleased with this purchase as well.

Three LPs: Lester Young on Savoy; Art Blakey on Blue Note; Charlie Parker on Savoy. Price: $76.05. I bought this solely for the Blakey record, which was Free for All, Blue Note 4170. I figured if it was an original pressing in nice condition it would probably pay for the package. But this was a risk, for sure. The Blakey is an original, with the ear and the Van Gelder stamp, and it is a mono and it is in M- condition, so that gamble paid off. The Lester Young on Savoy is not an original. It’s the second pressing of Savoy 12068. The Bird on Savoy is also not an original: It’s a maroon-label. But both are in M- condition and will probably be headed toward eBay in the next couple of weeks.

Two New Jazz LPs With Purple Labels. Price: $93.60. This was We Three, New Jazz 8210, with Roy Haynes, Phineas Newborn and Paul Chambers, plus, Lem Winchester, Lem’s Beat, New Jazz 8239. The Haynes LP is an original pressing in beautiful M- condition, probably unplayed. It is much better than the one in my collection, so I should be able to sell this on eBay and recoup my investment. The Winchester is also an original pressing, probably unplayed as well. I don’t have a copy of this in my collection, so I will keep it. It was interesting with these two because the listings didn’t mention condition. The fact that they both turned out to be near-mint was a pleasant surprise and a bit of a revelation in that the other bidders didn’t go higher.

As I’ve looked through all the records, preparing to do these updates, the thing that comes through is that the owner of this collection kept the records in excellent condition and the auction house that was selling them actually undergraded them pretty consistently. If I would have known this I’m sure I would have bid on more records because I think there were probably a lot of bargains in the lot, even though there was the 17 percent surcharge. But, not everything was perfect, as I will share with you in the next part of this series.

When did this one become a collectible that would fetch a price tag of nearly $200: Charles Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Impulse 54. This was an orange label stereo pressing in M- condition. It sold for $178.05. Quite a nice price for this LP, right? I have a stereo copy in my collection also in M- condition, beautiful. If anyone wants it for $175, just send me a note and I will sell it to you.

I almost bid on this one and now kind of regret that I didn’t: Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet, Blue Note 1509. This one was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it looked to be in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover, although the seller could have been a bit more forthcoming with the grading. It sold for a little more than $100, and

I would have liked it since this is one of the few gaps in my collection of 12-inch Lexington Avenue Blue Notes.

This is a record I have not seen very often: Bill Hardman Quintet, Saying Something, Savoy 12170. This is a pretty late Savoy release but it seems to have the deep red label, based on the picture. This one was in M- condition and sold for about $174.

Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. This is an odd one: It has the original vinyl, but the cover does not seem to be an original. Does anyone know the vintage of the cover — it has no address on it? The cover is by Andy Warhol, so that has always added to the value of this particular Blue Note. The record and cover are both listed in M- condition. Despite the cover the bidding has already reached more than $240 and the record has yet to reach the seller’s reserve price.

The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 1, Blue Note 1505. This is an original Lexington

Avenue pressing and it is listed in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The bidding has reached $300  and there is no reserve, so someone will buy this one.

Curtis Fuller, Imagination, Savoy 12144. This looks to be an original pressing in VG++ condition. The price is about $40, but it will sell for a bit more than that.

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:

Introducing Lee Morgan, Savoy 12091. This is an original red label pressing that also looks to be in pristine M- condition. This one is currently at about $425 and, the way things have been going lately, both with this record and on eBay in general for rare records in pristine condition, would anyone be surprised if this one entered the $1,000 bin?

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

the deep grooves and it was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $163.50.

We’ve seen this one sell for decent prices before, but never for this much: Wilbur Harden, Mainstream 1958, Savoy 12127. This was an original pressing with the blood red label. It features John Coltrane on tenor, which is why it is a well regarded collectible, at least to these eyes and ears. This copy was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $360.55.

And here’s yet another one that seems to have reached a new peak: Charles Mingus, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Impulse 35. This was an original stereo pressing with the orange label. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $111.10

just listing it as the Cafe Bohemia and not “featuring Cannonball,” , just figuring that Savoy would have tried to capitalize later on Cannonball’s growing fame and success. However, the other one feels more like an original cover because there’s no white background and it just seems older. Under normal circumstances, I’d keep that one regardless — it’s a much cooler picture, with Paul Chambers in his undershirt, everyone surrounding Kenny Clarke, Horace Silver in a striped polo shirt. My dilemma is that my copy of that cover is not in very good shape. It has a couple of bad tape repairs and a name written on the back. What to do, what to do? Well, there’s no rush on this Great Jazz Countdown of mine, so I’m going to sleep on it for a day or so and then make a decision. Or not. How’s that for ambivalence?

Here’s one that may cause a dilemma: Introducing Lee Morgan, Savoy 12091. This is a sealed record. Is it an original pressing with the red label, or a later pressing with the maroon label? It seems like you’ll have to buy it to find out. The seller has a bunch of Savoys, all in their original shrink wraps, and he hasn’t opened them to determine their vintage. Is it worth the risk risk? This record is now at $50. If it turns out to be an original pressing, unplayed, with a mint cover, what would it be worth — $500, $800, even $1,000? Who knows? Here’s another interesting one from that batch: Mighty Mike Cuozzo, Savoy 12051. Do you think Savoy even issued this with a maroon label? It’s a sealed record, priced at $9, perhaps an original featuring Eddie Costa on vibes. Worth a risk? Perhaps it is.

This seller also has some nice records, including: Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This

is an original pressing listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The current price is $660 and it still hasn’t met the seller’s reserve. I’m not a big fan of reserved-price auctions and this is one reason: To me, $660 seems quite respectable for this record, yet you may bid that high and not get it. Anyway, this seller also has a story dealing with the late jazz collector and dealer Leon Leavitt. You can click the link on this record if you would like to check out the story, and you can look at the seller’s other items for more from the Leon Leavitt trove.

Miles Davis, Young Man With a Horn, Blue Note 5013. The vinyl on this one was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was M-. The price was $510.01. This one was sold by the seller herschel78, who has been putting some nice items up over the past few weeks, including some other 10-inch LPs we’ve been  watching.

Miles Davis Volume 3, Blue Note 5040. The vinyl on this one was listed as VG+ and the cover was VG++. The price was $385.

Stan Getz Plays, Clef 137. This was an original pressing with a nice cover by David Stone Martin. The price was $68. This is a great record, one of Getz’s best.

Leo Parker, New Trends of Jazz Volume 5, Savoy 9018. This one was

listed in VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. The price was $99.

Sonny Stitt, New Trends of Jazz Volume 1, Savoy 9014. This was also VG++ for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. The price was $41.99.

Max Roach With Clifford Brown in Concert, GNP Volume 7. This was in VG+ condition for both the record and cover, although it could have been higher since the listing was a bit ambiguous. Anyway, the price was $105.49.

Here’s one that’s new to us: Serge Chaloff and Oscar Pettiford, New Stars, New Sounds, Mercer 1003. We’re not familiar with the label — it looks like Prestige but, with the “New Stars, New Sounds” moniker it sounds like Blue Note. Anyway, this record was also one of those that was either VG+ or VG++. It sold for $73.90.

Finally, there is Lester Young and Illinois Jacquet, Battle of the Saxes, Aladdin 701. This 10-inch LP was listed in VG+ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $626.