Into the $1,000 Bin, Including Rare Autographs

We’ve been away, now we are back, and we see that we’ve missed some pretty heavy-duty sales on eBay for some pretty heavy-duty dollars.Let’s catch up.

I think we predicted these two would sell for more than $2,000 and they did: Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $2,350. From the same seller was Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was also in M- condition for the record and the cover. The price: $2,075.

How about this one? Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago, Mercury 60134. This was an original stereo pressing and it’s the one that features John Coltrane. What does it normally sell for, maybe $30? This one, however, offered by Euclid Records, happened to have been autographed by both Cannonball and Coltrane. What does that make it worth? How about $1,037. Don Lucky, where were you on this one? I know many of you are blase about autographs and actually prefer records that don’t have autographs, but to me, having a record signed by two of my heroes, that’s just priceless. Well, perhaps not priceless, but $1,037 seems a reasonable price.

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Jazz Vinyl Watch: Morgan, Mobley, Dinah

Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay:

This one is heading for the $2,000 bin, or perhaps even the tough-to-crack $3,000 bin: Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. his is an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record is described as close to mint and the cover looks to be in beautiful condition as well. The bidding has already topped $1,500 for this fine LP and there is still more than a day to go.

Here’s another nice one that will sell for quite a bit less, based on condition: Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This looks to be an original pressing with the New York 23 and it is listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The current price is a bit more than $300 and there’s still another day to go.

Is it possible this next one won’t sell at all: Dinah Washington, Dinah Jams, Emarcy 36000? This is a great LP, featuring Clifford Brown, among others, and it has sold for relatively high collectible prices in this past. We’ve clocked it in at more than $130 on the Jazz Collector Price Guide. This copy is an original pressing with the blue back cover and it is listed in M- condition. The start price is $100 and there are no bidders with a few hours to go.

Some Nice Jazz Vinyl For the $1,000 Bin

Time to update the $1,000 jazz vinyl bin:

Here’s quite an interesting one: Donald Byrd in Paris and Parisian Throughfare, Volumes 1 and 2, Brunswick 903 and 904. This was an auction of two rare records, released in France , and listed in M- condition for both records and both covers. The seller described them as like new. I’m familiar with the U.S.  Signature release of these records and, in fact, I own Volume 1. I’m not sure how and when these were released in France and the U.S., but I imagine someone out there will have that information to share. These records, quite attractive and enticing, fetched $2,400 as a pair.

Horace Parlan, Us Three, Blue Note 4037. This was an original pressing listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,675. I actually owned a copy of this record is nearly the same condition, maybe slightly less, and sold it for $1,500 last year to a Jazz Collector reader. We were both pleased, and I’m pleased to see the price is holding steady, if not increasing.

Helen Merrill, Emarcy 36006. This looked to be an original pressing with the drummer logo and the blue writing on the back, although it would have been nice to have seen a picture of the back cover. Nevertheless, this one was in VG++ condition for the record and the cover and it sold for $1,545

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Some More Jazz Vinyl For the $1,000 Bin

There’s quite a bit of jazz vinyl to catch up on, which will be have to do in a few posts, so let’s start simply this morning with the $1,000 bin, much of which, it seems, we predicted.

Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for both the record and cover and, as noted, it had the promo stamp. It sold for $1,525. Probably would have gotten more without the promo stamp.

Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 207. This was an original pressing with the red vinyl. The record was VG+ and the cover was listed in VG+, although there was a full split on the bottom and a partial split on the top. There was some question whether this would prevent it from breaking the $1,000 barrier, but it did not: This one sold for $1,136.

This one had it all going for it: Helen Merrill, Emarcy 36006. It was an original pressing, with the blue writing on the back cover, the seller was Euclid Records and the pictures accompanying the listing were quite clear and bright. The price was $1,568.

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Tracking Four For the $1,000 Bin

Here is some jazz vinyl we are watching now on eBay that we expect will end up in the proverbial $1,000 bin:

Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This is an original pressing with the deep grooves and purple label and it is a promo copy as well. The seller has it listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover and the bidding is already more than $700 with five days to go. This will end up in the $2,000 bin, won’t it?

This one may end up there as well: Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 207. This is an original pressing with the red vinyl. The record is VG+ and the cover is VG++. This one is around $200 and there are still five days of bidding.

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Favorite Jazz Ballad Vocal Performances?

I was sitting on the porch at my lakehouse with the lovely Mrs. JC yesterday afternoon and we were listing to a playlist I had made for my iPod of various ballad performances. Yes, I do have an iPod and other various digital devices and I do not only listen to music playing on a turntable, although that is always the preferred method when available. Anyway, as we were listening, one of the tracks was “Jim” from the Sarah Vaughan album with Clifford Brown, Emarcy 36004. I mentioned quite randomly that many jazz fans and jazz collectors consider this track to be one of the greatest jazz vocal ballad performances of all time. I’m not sure where I came up with that information, but it was definitely lodged in my brain somewhere: Perhaps there was a vote somewhere, or perhaps it had just come up in late night discussion over a few beverages. Anyway, I thought it might be an interesting topic for a lazy weekday afternoon in August, so I’m throwing it out there for the Jazz Collector community. Favorite jazz ballad vocal performances. Okay, go!

More Jazz Vinyl Updates: J.R., Sal et al

We shall continue our exploration of non-Blue Note jazz vinyl for the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

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

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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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More Jazz Vinyl on eBay: Cannon, Young, Mobley

We promised a few more items to watch this weekend, so here goes:

Cannonball Adderley, Sophisticated Swing, Emarcy 36110. There was a lot of discussion on the site the other day after we posted the Jazz Collector “Essential” Cannonball Adderley. Generally the Cannonball LPs don’t get collector prices, so we were surprised to see this one the other day at $75. The price hasn’t budged since then, so perhaps it won’t go much higher, which is still beyond what we normally see for this album. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG or VG+.

Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This is quite a nice record, with some beautiful tenor sax by Paul Quinichette, playing (as always) as close to Pres as Pres himself.  This is an original New York pressing that is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It is being sold by herschel78, who has been posting some nice items the past few weeks, and has some more nice items on eBay now, so it’s worth taking a look. This one is currently at $300 with about nine hours to go.

Here’s one that’s a bit of a surprise:

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The $1,000 Bin: Helen Merrill & Sonny Clark (Again)

A couple of records we’ve been watching fell into the $1,000 bin.

Helen Merrill, Emarcy 36006. This is the one with Clifford Brown, and it has become quite a collectible.  A few weeks ago we put one into the Jazz Collector Price Guide at $1,781. This one was in comparable condition: VG++ for the record and M- for the cover. Although it didn’t reach the same height, it did quite well for its seller: It sold for $1,414.

Then there was this: Sonny Clark, Dial S For Sonny, Blue Note 1570. This is a regular in the $1,000 club these days. This one looked to be in VG++ condition, for both the record and the cover, with the dealer stating that some might rate it M-. It sold for $1,670.

Of Dinah, Sarah, Helen Merrill and Clifford Brown

It was interesting to note the Helen Merrill record that sold for almost $1,800 the other day (Emarcy 36006). This is a terrific record featuring Clifford Brown and it’s highly valued by collectors. Clifford, of course, made records with other vocalists before he died so young, including the great Sarah Vaughan LP on Emarcy and this great one by Dinah Washington: Dinah Jams, Emarcy 36000. Dinah Jams not only features Clifford, it also features Clark Terry and Maynard Ferguson in a trumpet battle tour-de force. While the Helen Merrill album can be quite pricey, and the Sarah has been known to sell for more than $100, we’ve rarely seen the Dinah — or any Dinah Washington LP — sell for high-end collectible prices. So, it was nice to see that a copy of Dinah Jams sold the other day for $109.38 to someone who, obviously, has great taste in music and records.

No Summer Slump Yet: Lots Of $1,000 Records

We have quite a large number of items to add to the $1,000 and even $2,000 bins on this beautiful Monday morning in sunny New York. If there is a summer lull in prices on eBay, it hasn’t much made a dent in the prices of some of the high-end collectibles, such as these:

Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1550. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in beautiful M- condition, for both the record and cover. It was also sold by the seller Roverd-90, who had the Johnny Griffin the other day and also had a few others, such as the Lee Morgan Candy I’ll cover below. Quite a nice week for Mr. Roverd-90. This record sold for $1,825.

As mentioned, Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This is one of the rarest of the rare and was in beautiful M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $1,900.

We had pointed out the Jazz Record Center’s auction of Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This one was listed as mint condition — not even mint minus and we had predicted that it would sell for at least $2,000 and perhaps as much as $3,000. We were right the first time: This one fetched a price

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A $1,000 Bill Evans & a Few More For The Price Guide

We’ve been quite busy selling some nice records on eBay and posting a few more, but we’ve still made time to keep an eye on some of the interesting collectibles that other people are selling. Here’s an update, all of which will be entered into the Jazz Collector Price Guide sometime over the weekend:

Bill Evans, New Jazz Conceptions, Riverside 223. This was an original white label pressing with the original cover. The cover is one of the things that makes this so collectible, since subsequent versions were released with another cover. For this copy, the record was in M- condition and the cover was listed as VG/VG+. The price was $1,136.

Phil Woods, Warm Woods, Epic 3436. This was an original pressing with the yellow label. The record and the cover were both in M- condition. The price was $555.

Helen Merrill, Emarcy 36006. This was the original pressing of this LP, which features

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For the Price Guide: Duke Jordan, Dex, Jackie

Some more for the Jazz Collector Price Guide. I’m keeping pretty busy with this stuff. 

Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was M-. The price was $589.90.

Leonard Feather Presents Bop, Mode 127. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. The price was $80.

Warne Marsh, Music For Prancing, Mode 125. This was also an original pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. It sold for $68.

Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This one already has received some discussion on the

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Dodo, Kenney, Wallington For the Price Guide

Here are a few more for the Jazz Collector Price Guide:

George Wallington, Jazz For the Carriage Trade, Prestige 7032. This was an original pressing with the New York label. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $343.89.

Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Study in Brown, Emarcy 36037. This was an original pressing with the drummer logo. The record and cover were both VG++. The price was $123.62.

Artie Shaw and His Grammercy Five, Volume 4, Clef 645. This was an original pressing with the David Stone Martin cover. The price was $56.

Serge Chaloff, Fable of Mabel, Storyville 317. This was an original 10-inch pressing in VG++ condition, both record and cover. he price was $91.

Chet Baker and Art Pepper, Playboys, Pacific Jazz 1234. This was an 

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Some High Tickets: Dexter, Helen Merrill, Jackie

We were running out of the house yesterday and we had about 10 minutes to do a quick perusal of eBay, so we did a search of the records ending soonest with the highest prices. This is not a search we normally do, but it was interesting because most of the records that came up were records that could be purchased immediately for a Buy-It-Now price. Most of these were quite high-priced (after all, that was the search criteria), but it’s an interesting way to find something that might be at the top of your want list. In any case, we watched a few of the auction items, and were surprised to see some of the high prices, given what we’re seeing these days with our own auctions on eBay. 

This one was the biggest surprise: Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This was a mono pressing, New York USA, with one side deep groove. It was listed in excellent condition, record and cover, which we generally translate to VG++ in our terms. The record sold for $415.90, quite a high price for this record. We have previously followed four copies of this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, and it’s never sold for more than $200 in the past. Anyone have any idea why this copy would sell for such a high price in this supposedly down market? I have a NY USA stereo pressing of this record in VG++ condition, and would happily take $200 for it if anyone is interested. Seriously.

Among the other high-ticket items from yesterday, there were:

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This Week on Ebay: Miles, Clifford, Trane

We haven’t been very active selling on eBay lately: Just life getting in the way. However, this week we found some time to clean and post a bunch of items. It’s a mixed bag, but there are a few nice ones, including:

Miles Davis, Blue Haze, Prestige 7054. This is an original New York yellow label Prestige. It’s in VG+ condition, and sounds quite nice. We put a start price of $30 and it’s already received a bid, so we expect there to be some action.

We also put up a nice-sounding original copy of Clifford Brown, Jam Session, Emarcy 36002. This also has a start price of $30. It’s a great record, with a lot of positive energy. 

As you may have noticed on the Jazz Collector site, we’ve been going through some old Downbeat Magazines, looking for collectibles (we’re even giving one away). We’ve put a few up for sale in our eBay story, and we put a very interesting one up for auction yesterday. It is:

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Another Dolphy Collectible; Some LPS on eBay Today

Last week we were watching the record Eric Dolphy in Europe, Debut 136, which eventually sold for $1,375. This weekend there was another nice European rare Dolphy for sale: Eric Dolphy Last Date, Fontana 681-008. To my knowledge, this was an original pressing originally issued in Holland. This one was in beautiful M- condition and sold for $596.50. 

While I’m here, I may as put in a reminder that we have a few records for sale on eBay today. Here are a couple:

Mundell Lowe, New Music of Alex Wilder, Riverside 219. This is an original

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Price Updates: Thad, Clifford, Bird, Evans

Here are a few more for the Price Guide:

Chet Baker and Art Pepper, Playboys, World Pacific 1234. This was an original pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $318.

The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This was a Lexington Avenue pressing in VG++ condition, record and cover. Price: $565.

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers at the Bohemia Volume 2, Blue Note 1508. This was also a Lexington Avenue pressing in VG++ condition. Price: $162.50

Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. This was an original purple label pressing

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More On the 10-Inchers From Dex, JJ and Silver

We’ve been tracking some of the 10-inch LPs on eBay lately, so here’s a rundown of some of the prices. We tend to think perhaps the market for 10-inch LPs is soft but, actually, everything on eBay seems a little soft these days. We had a bunch of inexpensive records up the past two days and most of them didn’t even get a bid. The records we did sell, went for lower prices than we expected. Anyway, here  are the 10-inch LPs we were watching and their prices. You can make your own judgments.

Horace Silver Quintet, Blue Note 5058. This was in M- condition, both the record and the cover. The price was a very respectable $255, but that was last week.

Dexter Gordon, New Sounds in Modern Music, Savoy 9003. The record was VG+ and

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Sonny, Jackie, Miles & Bird for the Price Guide

Here are some items we’ll be adding to the Jazz Collector Price Guide today: 

Sonny Rollins With the Modern Jazz Quartet, Prestige 7029. This is an original New York pressing with the original Orange cover and the wrong catalogue number. It’s a very rare piece and this one was in M- condition, both record and cover. Price: $760

Johnny Griffin Sextet, Riverside 264. This was an original blue label pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. Price: $294

Thelonious Monk, The Unique, Riverside 209. This was an original white label pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG. The price was $161.50. Also from Monk: Thelonious Monk With Sonny Rollins, Prestige 7075. This was an original New York pressing. The record was VG++ and the cover was VG++. The price was $180.49.

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