JRC Auction: John Coltrane Autograph
Sep 2, 2010 Autographs
We’ve written off and on here at Jazz Collector about autographs. Our favorite was the letter from Bill Evans to John Coltrane that was auctioned for $38,000 five years ago. If you want to check that out, click here. We were reminded of this when we received an email announcing the latest auction from the Jazz Record Center and we saw that they are selling a John Coltrane autograph. This one is not so enticing as the Evans letter, but it is a Coltrane autograph and there can’t be too many of those, can there? Anyway, it has a start price of $100 and there is already one bidder. This is one that I think will entice jazz collectors everywhere: A nice, small Coltrane autograph, easy to frame, easy to hang up on a wall, a very nice item to show your friends and family. Hmmmm, perhaps I’m talking myself into something here.
Tags: Jazz Record Center, John Coltrane
JRC Auction: Nice Vinyl, Rare DSM Book
Jul 19, 2010 Blue Note, Books/Magazines
We always like to watch the listings from the Jazz Record Center because they generally get top prices and give us a sense of the current state of the market. They have a new auction this week and here are a few of the items:
Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This is a West 63rd Street deep-groove pressing, which I would think we be an original, but perhaps not. The listing notes that it is an “early deep-groove” pressing, but doesn’t state that it is an original. Can anyone see anything in the listing or picture that would indicate that this is not a first pressing? Anyway, the record is listed in M- condition and has a start price of $1,000. So far there are no bidders.
Duke Jordan, Flight To Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This one is listed clearly as an “original” pressing and it looks to be in beautiful M- condition for both the record and the cover. The starting price is $750 and there are no bidders yet.
I saw this item and immediately thought of Rudolf:
Tags: Cliff Jordan, David Stone Martin, Duke Jordan, Jazz Record Center, John Gilmore
Mobley Sets New Top Vinyl Price For Jazz Collector
Jun 8, 2010 $1000 Records, 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note
Time to catch up on a few items. By now, most of you have probably seen what happened with those records we were watching from the Jazz Record Center. The Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568 sold for $5,101, which is the highest price we’ve ever recorded for a jazz record at Jazz Collector. The previous high was $4,036 for a copy of Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, on Ad Lib. A lot of people have already commented on this one, so I don’t have much to add other than what I’ve often said: The market is the market and eBay reflects what the market will bear. This is the going rate for this record in this condition at this point in time. I was wrong, barely on a couple of my predictions. (1) I had opined that two of the other records from this auction would sell for more than $2,000 and only one of them did: Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560, which is the one pictured here. This one sold for $2,347. The one that did not break the $2,000 barrier was:
Tags: Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Dial Records, Dootone Records, Hank Mobley, Jazz Record Center
A Veritable Cornucopia of 10-Inch Jazz Vinyl
Jun 4, 2010 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note
As is our usual custom, we were perusing the jazz vinyl listings on eBay this evening and we happened to notice an unusually large number of interesting 10-inch LPs for sale, some of which we shall share with you henceforth, including:
Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065. A beauty, no? This one is in M- condition for the record and what looks to be VG+ for the cover. The current price is around $225 and there are three days to go.
Here’s the next one up in the 10-inch Blue Note catalogue: Hank Mobley Quartet, Blue Note 5066. This is an original pressing, of course,and the vinyl looks to be M- and the cover somewhat close to M-. The current price is $338 and there are also three days to go.
Another 10-inch Blue Note? Why not. Here’s The Amazing Bud Powell, Blue Note 5003. This is an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It is being offered by Euclid Records and is currently at about $115.
Here’s the one on the list that will probably sell for the highest price:
Tags: Bud Powell, Charlie Mariano, Charlie Parker, Dial Records, Euclid Records, Hank Mobley, Imperial Records, Jazz Record Center, Kenny Dorham
New Jazz Record Center Auction Could Be Big
Jun 3, 2010 $1000 Records, Blue Note
Got an email from the Jazz Record Center and they have an auction closing in a couple of days and it could be a doozy. Here’s one of the items we’ll be watching closely, to see if it perhaps sets a new record for Jazz Collector: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing and it’s in M- condition: In fact, it’s listed as “near new.” The combination of one of the rarest records, a Blue Note at that, and the most trusted seller, is definitely worth watching. So far, the record has a start price of $2,500 and there are no bidders.
Here are a couple more we’ll be watching from the same auction:
Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 209. This is an original red vinyl pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover seems to have been repaired, but is also listed as very clean. This one has a start price of
Tags: Dexter Gordon, Dootone Records, Hank Mobley, Jazz Record Center
A Few More For the $1,000 (and $2,000) Bin(s)
Apr 3, 2010 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Prestige
This one has been breaking the $1,000 barrier pretty consistently: Louis Smith, Smithville, Blue Note 1594. This copy seemed to be in VG+ condition for the record and VG condition for the vinyl, based on the seller’s description. Still, it sold for $1,148.
Jazz Record Center had a few more in the $2,000 bin, including: Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This one was in beautiful M- condition and sold for $2,650.07. One of the nice things Fred often does in the listings is provide little details that help to expand our knowledge of the market. In this case the little tidbit is that there is no address on the cover because Prestige at the time was transitioning from New York to New Jersey.
Tags: Donald Byrd, Jazz Record Center, Louis Smith, Tommy Flanagan, Transition Records
Updating the $1,000 Bin, Thanks To JRC
Mar 31, 2010 $1000 Records, Blue Note
As I’m catching up on the eBay action I’ve been missing the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that the Jazz Record Center recently made quite a large contribution to the $1,000 bin. Here are some of the choice items, all Blue Notes:
Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This was an original pressing that looked to be in new, pristine condition. It sold for $2,905.55.
Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was an original pressing. The vinyl appeared to be in new near-mint condition, while the cover had a few minor issues, perhaps VG++. The price was $1,954.49.
Hank Mobley, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This was an original pressing that also looked to be in near mint condition. The price was $1,580. Where does he find these records in such immaculate condition?
There was also this: Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This was
Tags: Freddie Hubbard, Hank Mobley, Jazz Record Center, Jutta Hipp, Lee Morgan, Paul Chambers, Zoot Sims
Back on eBay and The Bidding is Busy
Mar 12, 2010 $1000 Records, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Riverside
Hey, everyone. Seems since I came back everyone stopped using the Reader Forum. It would be a shame if that trend continues, because I find it very useful and, at times, more interesting than my own posts. Nevertheless, I am back and I am back to posting and I am back to looking at records every day on eBay. Which means today I am looking at pretty nice auction from Fred Cohen at the Jazz Record Center, which many of you were also watching in the Reader Forum. Here are some of the choice items, closing soon:
Donald Byrd, Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill, Transition 17. This is an original pressing, labels unattached (of course) with the booklet in beautiful condition. The current price is $1,791. I’m saying the record sells for $3,300. Anyone want to take the over or the under?
There’s also this on Transition:
Tags: Donald Byrd, Fred Cohen, Jazz Record Center, Thelonious Monk, Transition Records
More Blue Note: Another Exception
Jan 1, 2010 Blue Note, Collecting Tips, Questions
The Blue Note information provided by Larry Cohn has been invaluable and yet, it seems, there is always more to learn. We noticed this tidbit in a posting by Fred Cohen at the Jazz Record Center, which has a new auction on eBay this week: Wayne Shorter, Adams Apple, Blue Note 8232. This is listed as an original mono pressing with the Liberty label. Under normal circumstances you would expect this to be a New York USA label, based on the catalogue number. However, Fred points out
Tags: Jazz Record Center, Wayne Shorter
Catching Up: Flanagan, Clifford, Jackie’s Bag
Dec 16, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Prestige
Some of the auctions we’ve been watching just closed, so here’s an update:
Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This was an original New York pressing sold by Euclid Records. It was in VG+ condition for both the cover and the vinyl. It sold for $722.02. This is a bit less than we might have anticipated, although condition was a factor. We’ve found things a little slow on eBay this week — we had a bunch of reasonably priced records that didn’t sell at all, which was quite unusual. Perhaps there’s a pre-Christmas lull?
That Blue Note vs. French Vogue competition we were watching from Jazz Record Center? As we expected, the Blue Note commanded the higher price: $430 for Blue Note 5048 versus $256.36 for the French Vogue. You can look at our previous posts for more details on the records, as well as links. The more interesting one out of that group was: Clifford Brown Quartet, Blue Note 5047. This seems to be harder
Tags: Clifford Brown, Euclid Records, Jackie McLean, Jazz Record Center, Tommy Flanagan
On eBay Now: Some Nice 10-Inchers, Trane, Evans
Dec 15, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside
Some of the heavy-duty jazz vinyl sellers have auctions closing in the next couple of days, so let’s see what’s coming up. We had mentioned Jazz Record Center and some of the 10-inch LPs. So far, the American 10-inch Blue Note is beating out the original French Vogue: The Gigi Gryce and Clifford Brown Sextet, Blue Note 5048, is currently at $107 with two bidders (it should sell for a lot more), while the original French Vogue, Gigi Gryce and his Orchestra Featuring Clifford Brown, Vogue 173 is at $100 with one bidder (it too should sell for a lot more). Jazz Record Center also has a few nice 12-inch LPs we are watching, including this one: Wheelin’ and Dealin’, Prestige 7131. This is an original New York pressing in near mint condition. It features an all-star sax lineup of John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette and Frank Wess. It is currently in the $300 price range.
Our friends at Euclid Records also have some nice items this week, including:
Tags: Atomic Records, Bill Evans, Clifford Brown, Euclid Records, Frank Wess, Gigi Gryce, J. R. Monterose, Jackie McLean, Jazz Record Center, John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette, Vogue
New JRC Auction: Nice 10-Inch Blue Notes
Dec 10, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note
Jazz Record Center sent us an email with a new auction on eBay. It’s always interesting to watch their auctions, since they tend to get top dollar because of their strong and well-deserved reputation. One thing I’m noticing with this auction is that some of the starting prices seem a bit lower than usual. Here’s an example: Gigi Gryce and Clifford Brown Sextet, Blue Note 5048. This is an original 10-inch pressing that looks to be in either near mint or VG++ condition. The start price is $100. My sense is, a couple of years ago, JRC would have started this more in the range of $250. I personally think a relatively lower start price is a better way to go for most records, since it gets more bidders involved in the process. In the end, I’ll bet this record sells for at least $300-$400, if not higher. There are some other nice records on this list as well, including Clifford Brown Quartet, Blue Note 5047. I’ve rarely seen that one either on eBay or live and up close. The price on that is also at $100 and we’ll expect it to fetch quite a bit more.
Jazz Vinyl Updates: Clef, Verve, Norgran
Oct 27, 2009 Clef, Norgran, Verve
Last week we recorded a bunch of high-end Blue Notes for the Jazz Collector Price Guide, and a batch of nice Prestiges, and even some nice 10-Inch jazz vinyl. So, today, let’s turn our attention to another of our favorite labels — or, in this case, a series of labels. How about some nice Norgran, Clef and Verve LPs? Here are some of items we’ve been watching and will be entering into the Jazz Collector Price Guide.
Lester Young, The President, Norgran 1005. This was an original yellow label pressing with the cover illustration by David Stone Martin. It was sold by The Jazz Record Center, so it was bound to get top dollar. This one looked to be in VG++ condition for the vinyl and M- condition for the cover. The price was $320.55.
This is a great record with a great cover: Lester Young and Teddy Wilson, Pres and Teddy, Verve 8205. This one was in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It was sold by the seller Herschel78, who had a bunch of nice Verves/Norgrans/Clefs a few weeks ago. This one sold for $316.11. Also from the same seller was this:
Tags: David Stone Martin, Harry Carney, Illinois Jacquet, Jazz Record Center, Lester Young, Teddy Wilson
Catching Up: Miles, Cannon — What’s Going On?
Oct 19, 2009 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Riverside
Back on eBay after a couple of days’ break. Those auctions we were watching from the seller bobdjukic closed and, while we’re not looking to give this seller any undue publicity, we are quite fascinated with the prices he is somehow able to obtain — even higher than top dealers such as The Jazz Record Center and Euclid Records. We will give a few examples: This one we noted before: Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool, Capitol 762. This is an original British pressing, not even an original U.S. issue. It was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover and sold for an astounding $812.15. I recently sold a beautiful mint U.S. pressing of this record and was happy to get close to $100 for it. Is there something about the British pressing we’re not aware of? Doubt it, but somebody out there in the Jazz Collector world will know if there is. The other thing is, look at this quote from the seller’s description of Birth of the Cool:
Tags: Birth of the Cool, Cannonball Adderley, Capitol Records, Euclid Records, Jazz Record Center, Miles Davis
No Summer Slump Yet: Lots Of $1,000 Records
Jul 20, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide
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
Tags: Art Pepper, Emarcy Records, Euclid Records, Hank Mobley, Helen Merrill, Intro Records, Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins
New JRC Auction Includes Mint Saxophone Colossus
Jul 14, 2009 $1000 Records, Prestige
There’s an auction this week from the Jazz Record Center and it’s always fun to watch their auctions because they generally get top dollar. One of the items we’re watching this week is Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This one is listed as being in MINT condition — not even mint minus — and the cover is described as “extraordinary.” I have a feeling the price will be extraordinary as well. Right now it is at about $1,200, but I think the first number of the final selling price will be at least a two or quite possibly a three.
Tags: Jazz Record Center, Sonny Rollins
If You’re Looking For Mosaics . . .
Jun 21, 2009 Boxed Sets
Just got an email from our friends at the Jazz Record Center. They have put up another auction on eBay, this time it’s all boxed sets from the Mosaic Label. Among the items are sets from Tina Brooks, Charles Mingus, Art Pepper and Lee Morgan. There seem to be 31 sets in all. If you’re interested you can view them here. We’ll keep track on the prices of some of these so that we can add them to the Jazz Collector Price Guide. We also have a bunch of Mosaics of our own that we will be selling soon.
Tags: Jazz Record Center, Mosaic Records
Updating the $1,000 Bin
May 10, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide
We’ve been updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide this morning and we just added a fairly large group of records that surpassed the $1,000 price barrier. We’ve mentioned some of these before on Jazz Collector, but it’s interesting to see the group all at once. There are no links attached to these, by the way, so don’t try clicking them. Here goes:
Bent Axen, Let’s Keep the Message, Debut 133. There are actually two copies of this that fit into the category. They were both in M- condition, both cover and record. One sold for $1,790.90 and the other sold for $1,326.
Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. There are two copies of this as well. One was sold by the Jazz Record Center and was in M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $1,492. the other was in VG++/VG+ condition. It sold for $1,575. Go figure.
Here’s the only one on the list that was a bit of a surprise:
Tags: Bent Axen, Debut Records, Dexter Gordon, Dootone Records, Hank Mobley, Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Louis Smith, Sonny Rollins, Tina Brooks
New Auction from JRC: Have a Cigarette, Please
May 9, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
We received an email from our friends at Jazz Record Center that they have another eBay auction this week. We’re always interested in what they post. There are a few nice records for sale in this auction, including: Sonny Rollins, Volume 2, Blue Note 1558. This record looks to be in VG++/VG++ condition, although Jazz Record Center tends to describe their records as opposed to ascribing a rating to them. Anyway, this is already priced a about $150 with nearly five days to go. One of the more interesting items that caught our eye is listed as: Gene Krupa Cigarette Premiums. We’ve never seen these before. Apparently, these were part of a series of cards, like we have baseball cards in the U.S., given away to help promote cigarette brands in Europe. Pretty interesting. We’ve included the picture.
Coming Up on Ebay: Rollins, Melle and Booker Ervin
Apr 24, 2009 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Here are some interesting items we’re watching on eBay over the next few days:
Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This is an original New York pressing with a promo stamp on the cover. The record is listed as M- and the cover is listed as VG++. The current price is about $115 with three days to go. It will be interesting to see the final price of this one, compared with the one sold earlier in the week by the Jazz Record Center, which went for $1,492.
Gil Melle, Gil’s Guests, Prestige 7063. This is an original New York pressing with the yellow label. The record is listed as M- and the cover is VG++. The current price is about $100. As Rudolf pointed out in an earlier comment, the seller, Sweedeedee, has a nice variety of items up this week, including several vintage Prestige pressings, such as
Tags: Booker Ervin, Euclid Records, Gil Melle, Jazz Record Center, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Rollins
One for the $2,000 (almost $3,000) Bin
Apr 22, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Many of you probably saw that the item we were watching yesterday from the Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538, wound up selling for the whopping price if $2,927. That’s great. It’s nice to see the demand high and the price high and a happy customer and (I’m sure) a happy seller. Dave asks in one of the other posts if we have a list of the highest prices on eBay. We don’t have a formal list, but you can go to our Jazz Collector Price Guide and do a search of our 4,000-record database and sort them by highest prices first. The top item we have is a copy of Cool Struttin’ by Sonny Clark that sold for $3,750.
Tags: Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Sonny Clark
A few More For the $1,000 Bin, Courtesy of JRC
Apr 21, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide
As we expected, several of the items from the Jazz Record Center auction sold for well more than $1,000. Here’s the rundown of the ones we were watching:
Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York pressing. On further inspection, this copy looks to be in M- condition, both record and cover. The final price was $1,492.
Sonny Rollins Volume One, Blue Note 1542. This was also an original pressing — Lexington Avenue on both sides. The record was M- and the cover looked to be VG++. The final price was $1,281.
Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. This one also seemed to be in M- condition, both record and cover. The final price was $1,259.
In addition to these for the $1,000 bin, there is also this one from Jazz Record Center:
Tags: Hank Mobley, Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins
From JRC: Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Sonny Rollins
Apr 19, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
We were checking our email and we noticed that the Jazz Record Center is another auction coming up on eBay this week. The check out the link, click here. This one will be quite interesting to watch, since there are at least three records we expect to break the $1,000 barrier, and there are a bunch of other records that will test the softness of the market. When you have a dealer with the sterling reputation of the Jazz Record Center, you are getting the truest sense of market conditions, since bidders don’t have to worry about the veracity and credibility of the seller. In any case, among the top items being auction by Jazz Record center this week are: Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record is M- and the cover is somewhere between VG++ and M-. The current price is $912; Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. This one looks M- all the way around and is currently at $777; Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This is a New York pressing in beautiful condition and is currently at $521.
Tags: Hank Mobley, Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins
Ebay Auction From Jazz Record Center
Mar 26, 2009 Jazz Vinyl on eBay
I’m on an email list for the Jazz Record Center in New York and they ping me every time they have a new auction on eBay. I got such a ping the other day. They have some interesting records and autographs on eBay now, closing next week. You can click here for a peak. This is not necessarily something we would do all the time, but if you’re posting some interesting items on eBay, feel free to let us know, either by commenting on the Jazz Collector site or by sending an email to al(at)jazzcollector.com.
Tags: Jazz Record Center
Ebay Versus The Storefront: A Cultural Shift
Feb 17, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
The thing with eBay: The inventory replenishes every day, by at least several hundred new items. It’s much different than when we used to buy our records in physical stores. If you didn’t get to your favorite store for a few weeks, you may not have missed anything. Or, if you happened to walk in at just the right time, you might have been in luck for a major score. With eBay, you get the sense that if you miss something one day, don’t worry, it’ll eventually come back. The challenge with eBay, versus the traditional record stores, is that there is only one item and you are competing on price with every other collector in the world. That’s one of the reasons the prices on eBay are high versus what you might find in a store, and why so many of the top sellers — such as Euclid and Jazz Record Center and Atomic — do a lot of their business on eBay these days. What do you think? If you comment on this post, you can be eligible to win the free Leo Parker Blue Note record we’re giving away.
Tags: Atomic Records, Euclid Records, Jazz Record Center, Leo Parker, Record Stores