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.

Now we go to a conundrum we have mentioned before: How do you value a sealed record without knowing its provenance and then, once you have it, what do you do with it? In this case the record is: Donald Byrd, Off the the Races, Blue Note 4007. This is a mono pressing and the factory seal is still on it. There is no indication of Liberty on the back cover — it looks like an original back cover. The seller, Euclid Records, one of the most credible in our community, makes no claims about the record’s originality and offers no hype. We’ve seen records like this and they’ve been originals, we’ve seen records like this and they’ve been later pressings, New York USA or Liberty. So what would you bid on this record? And, I assume you would open it as soon as you got it, so is there a huge value in purchasing it sealed? This one is priced at more than $150 and there are still three days to go.

Here are two records we mentioned yesterday, different copies, and so far neither one of them has received a bid: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This one is described as an original although the seller, who we know and respect, would be wise to include a picture of the labels and back cover in order to get top dollar, which he is seeking. The record is in M- condition and the cover looks like VG++. The start price is $749.99 and so far there are no bidders with about a day left. The copy that we mentioned yesterday was M-/VG+ and sold for about $720. From the same seller is Kenny Dorham, Round Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia, Blue Note 1524. This one includes pictures of both labels, which clearly show the Lexington Avenue address on both sides. The record is described as VG++/Mint minus condition and the cover looks to be VG+. The start price is also $749.99 and there are also no bidders. The one we mentioned yesterday was around VG++ for the record and cover and it sold for more than $1,250.

Let’s start with a couple from the Bethlehem label, which doesn’t always get a lot of attention here: Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This is an original pressing. The vinyl is VG++ and the cover is only VG. The current price is a little over $300 and there are still 10 hours to go on the auction. This next one is a little tough to figure: Charles Rouse and Paul Quinichette, the Chase is On, Bethlehem 6021. I love this record, but this is a stereo pressing with a blue label. Can’t imagine this was issued the same time as the mono pressing, so it much be a later pressing, right, even if it is the first stereo issue?  In any case this stereo pressing is listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It’s closing later today and is in the $150 price range so far.

Here’s a Stanley Turrentine Blue Note doing quite well:

Stanley Turrentine, Up at Minton’s Volume 1, Blue Note 4069. This seems to be an original pressing. It has the ear in the deadwax and it has the West 63rd address, but those do not look like deep grooves on the label. I don’t have Fred Cohen’s Blue Note book here: Should this be deep groove, or is it past the point of deep groove? The price on this one is nearly $180 already.

And once again here is Conte Candoli, Cool Gabriels, Groove 1003. I went decades having never seen this record and now there seems to be at least one a week on eBay. This one is in nice condition and the price is still low: The record and cover are at least VG++, perhaps nicer, and the price is just in the $225 range for now. By contrast, Rudolf’s copy last week finally sold for $1,724. This one, of course, has the cover by Andy Warhol which is the reason it is of such high value.

Here’s one that will soon enter the $1,000 bin: Horace Parlan, Us Three, Blue Note 4037. This is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it is described as an original pressing, although a close-up of the labels always helps. There are a couple of days left on the bidding for this one and the price is already at $1,000. The same seller his this one: Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This one is also listed as an original pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover looks to be about VG+. The price is currently at $850.

Dexter Gordon, Daddy Plays the Horn, Bethlehem 36. This is an original deep groove mono pressing with the red label.  The record and the cover are both listed in VG++ condition. The price is already more than $300. The same seller has this one: Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This is an original pressing. It’s only in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover, but it is already bid up to more than $500.

Here’s another Andy Warhol cover:

Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1543. This looks to be an original pressing with the ear, deep groove and Lexington Avenue address, the last of the Lexes. The seller has a strange grading system, so it’s hard to characterize this one in the terms we normally use. If I were thinking about bidding on this record I would bid as if the the record was VG — there is a scratch — and the cover as perhaps VG+. This is now at nearly $200 with nearly four days to go.

Sal Salvador, Tribute To the Greats, Bethlehem 74. This was an original red label pressing with promo stamps. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. You don’t often see Salvador among the collectibles, even his 10-inch Blue Note doesn’t always rate with the other Blue Notes. This one did all right, selling for $154.

J.R. Monterose, The Message, Jaro 5004. This was also a promo copy, with a white label that had a nice vintage look to it. The record was in VG+ condition and the cover was VG+ as well. The price was $422.

Introducing Jimmy Cleveland, Emarcy 36066. This was an original

deep groove pressing with the blue label and the drummer logo. The record and the cover were in M- condition. The price was $75.

Jimmy Raney, Swingin’ in Sweden, Emarcy 36121. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for the vinyl and M- for the cover. The price was $97.

Thelma Gracen, Emarcy 36096. This was also an original pressing, drummer label, and it was in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $327.

Illinois Jacquet and his Tenor Sax, Aladdin 803. This was a 12-inch LP. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. I can tell you from personal experience that it is hard to find Aladdin LPs in this condition. The price on this was $165.

Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Second Message, Prestige 7082. This was an original New York pressing. The record and cover were listed in VG++ condition and the price was $482.

Another nice Prestige: Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This was in M- condition and sold for $529.

Almost bid on this one: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing and it was in VG++/VG++ condition. It sold for $678.

Zoot Sims, Down Home, Bethlehem 60. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $435.

Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This was an original pressing of this very rare record. It was

in VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $1,281.

Art Farmer Quintet, Prestige 7017. This was an original New York pressing. The vinyl was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $199.

James Moody With Strings, Blue Note 5005. This was an original 10-Inch LP. It was in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. The price was $199.

Stan Levey, This Time the Drum’s on Me, Bethlehem 37. This is a record that features some very rare Dexter Gordon from the 1950s. It’s amazing to think how infrequently Dexter was recorded during this period, when you would have expected him to be quite prolific. Anyway, I bought this record in a batch of other records and wrote about it under the title: Taking a Chance on Junk Vinyl. It was among a group of 25 records and the whole batch cost me $30. This is already at $40 on eBay and should sell for a bit more than that.

Red Garland with John Coltrane, High Pressure, Prestige 7209. This was one of the ones I purchased in the

recent auction. It was among a group of three Red Garland LPs with John Coltrane. I paid about $150 for the three of them and I decided to keep one: Traneing In, which is a reissue of John Coltrane and the Red Garland Trio, but it has a nice cover and it’s worth keeping, at least at this stage in my collecting life. Anyway, High Pressure is on eBay now and it’s at $67. Another one of the records from this batch is also up now on eBay, but won’t sell until next week: Red Garland with John Coltrane, All Mornin’ Long, Prestige 7130. This is a New Jersey pressing with the second cover, which is a nice cover, and it is in beautiful condition. I put a start price of $60 on this. We’ll see what happens. Take a look at my listings: I’ve been putting low start prices on the items because I want them to move. eBay recently changed its rates for stores and it really doesn’t pay to put items in stores anymore, so the more I can sell at auction, the better.

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:

Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing from a reputable seller. It is in M- condition for the vinyl and the cover. It will almost certainly pass the $1,000 mark and we’ll see if that is enough to get to the seller’s reserve price.

And finally, here’s one that has a start price of $3,000: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is one of the rare ones, for sure. This one is in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover and it looks to be a nice copy. So far there are no bidders, but there are several days left until it closes. My guess is that someone will be willing to plunk down $3,000 more for this record. We’ll see soon enough.

bottom of the picture all the way to the right. Recognize the record? I did. I recognized it as this: This Time the Drum’s On Me by Stan Levey, Bethlehem 37. I also recognized that this record features some really, really rare Dexter Gordon from the mid-1950s. The price of the box of 25 records was $15. Shipping was about $15, so the total was $30. Was it worth the risk? I thought so. Here’s why: An original pressing of This Time The Drum’s on Me has sold for more than $125 on the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Plus, my copy could have used an upgraded cover. This risk was that the record in this box was not an original, or was in poor condition. I took a shot. The box arrived yesterday. The Stan Levey record? It is an original. I have it on the turntable now. It sounds great, at least a VG+, perhaps better. And the cover is at least VG++, a definite improvement over the one in my collection. A good investment for $30? I think so. And the bonus is there was also a nice Ruby Braff United Artists LP featuring Barry Galbraith and Bob Brookmeyer that will either end up on eBay or on a shelf somewhere in my collection. So I am quite pleased with myself as I listen to Dexter wailing on Tune Up while I watch the snow continue to pour from the sky on yet another cold blustery day in New York.

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

was VG+ and the cover was VG++. The price was $825.

Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, New Jazz 8236. This was an original purple label pressing with the deep grooves. It was listed in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $380.

Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Brown and Roach, Inc., Emarcy 36008. This was an original deep groove pressing with the blue label and drummer logo. The vinyl was in VG++ condition. The cover was VG+. The price was $100.