Filling Up the $1,000 Bin

Catching up on the eBay jazz vinyl watch list. Let’s start with one that was sent to me by Japhy: Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original deep-groove. West 63rd Street mono. The record and the cover were both in VG++ condition. The final price was $1,650. Japhy’s note was titled “Swinging for the fences,” and he did my homework for me: “A new high of $1,650 for Jackie McLean Swing, Swang, Swingin’ in reported VG++/VG++ condition. Prior high was $1,283 back in 2005.” Speaking of “Swingin’” new highs, we were watching this one the other day: Read more

Random Vinyl with Random Musings

Time to clean out my watch list in time for the holiday weekend. Some of this stuff goes  back a few weeks (or more) but I kept them in the queue thinking that someday I would do exactly what I am doing now. Here goes, starting backwards, from May there was Howard McGhee, Dusty Blue, Bethlehem 6055. This was an original mono pressing that was listed in VG condition for the record and G for the cover. It was in pretty bad shape, yet it sold for nearly $500. I don’t understand what it is about the record or condition that warranted that kind of price, with a bidding war to boot, so perhaps someone here can elucidate me. Read more

Four Updates For the $1,000-Plus Bin

This one comes to us via Clifford, with the comment “Basra into the big boy bin” followed by the pithy commentary “OOF!” Pete LaRoca, Basra, Blue Note 4205. This was an original New York USA mono pressing listed in M- condition for the record. As for the cover, the seller grades it as Ex. From the pictures it is no better than VG+ and probably  on the low end of the VG+ scale at best. The final price was $1,575. Prior to this year, the top price for Basra was $820. But this is the second copy this year to sell for more than $1,000, following a $1,350 sale in February, according to Popsike. OOF! Indeed. Read more

Heavy Hitters, Day Two

Let’s get right to it: The Hank Mobley Blue Note 1568 from the Jazz Record Center sold for $7,600. Is that a record for a jazz vinyl record? I think it is. There was an earlier copy of Blue Note 1568 that sold for $11,000, but we later ascertained that was a bogus bid and the sale didn’t actually go through as described. Unless I get better information from someone in the Jazz Collector universe, I’ll assume this is now our apex. Not a surprise, although I had the record pegged more in the $6,000 range. I actually placed a rare bid on the auction, not for the Mobley record, since I knew that would be WAY out of my price range, and it was. No, after seeing Joe L’s comment on the previous post I became somewhat enamored with the idea of owning that test pressing of Horace Silver, Finger Poppin’, Blue Note 4008. Test pressings have never been my thing, but

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Heavy Hitter Day

Lots of heavy hitters on eBay this week, including a high-end Blue Note auction from the Jazz Record Center that includes this beauty: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original original pressing, meaning side two has the New York 23 address, which makes it the one most prized by the most avid collectors. The record is probably in VG+++ condition and the cover looks to be M-. The auction closes tomorrow and the bidding is now in the $4,000 range with 18 bids and eight bidders. Anyone want to take a guess on the final price for this baby? We’ve seen $9,000 in the past, but my memory is that was not a legitimate bid or sale. I’m guessing this one sells for somewhere in the $6,000 range. Here are a couple more from the same auction:

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And Four Blue Notes, For a Price

Since I was away for so long, I’d like to catch up on some jazz vinyl auctions I missed, starting with a few from our friends at the Jazz Record Center. Let’s start with John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- pristine condition. The final price was $1,382. This may sound weird, but that price seems a little low to me, considering the condition and the reputation of the seller. Just did a quick check over at Popsike and, indeed, this record has sold for more than $2,000 in the past. I have no theories to offer on this, particularly now that the Jazz Record Center accepts Pay Pal, but the market is the market and it often simple reflects who is bidding against whom at that particular time.

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Stuffing the $1,000 and $2,000 Bins

Welcome, Mr. President

My goodness, the $1,000 bin is overloaded, including all four of the records I was watching last week (A New Crowd For the $1,000 Bin?). They were:

Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. Final price:$1,300

Kenny Dorham, Cafe Bohemia, Blue Note 1524.  Final price: $1,482

John Jenkins and Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. Final price: $2,025.01 (wow!)

Paul Chambers, Bass on Top, Blue Note 1569. Final price: $1,126

And then there were:

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A New Crowd For the $1,000 Bin?

Just a reminder, that auction we wrote about last week (An Old Fashioned Jazz Vinyl Auction) is taking place tomorrow. I spent some time looking through the list and I didn’t see that much of interest to me, although there were a few lots. I may place a few bids just for the experience of doing it. If any of you do participate, please share the experience with us here at Jazz Collector.

Now back to the “normal” eBay auctions that we watch, starting with a record that is near the top of my own want list, since it is the only rare Sonny Rollins records missing from my collection: Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. This is an original pressing that looks to be in about VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. Looks like a nice copy but, alas, it will not be mine. The bidding on this has already exceeded $900 with more than a day left. So it seems pretty safe to say this one will reach the $1,000 bin and perhaps even higher.

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One Sells, The Other Doesn’t

John Jenkins copyBack to watching jazz vinyl on eBay. Here are some of the records that we missed in the past few days, starting with John Jenkins and Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address on both labels. The record was listed in VG+ condition and the cover was as well. It sold for $865.55, which is getting up there for a VG+ record. At the same time there was this copy of the same record. This one also looked to be an original pressing and seemed to be in better condition than the other one. The seller listed it as Ex+, which typically translates to around VG++. Yet, this one only received a top bid of $224.50 and failed to reach the seller’s reserve price. I’m sure I’m missing something in the listings, but I can’t figure it out. And it can’t be because one of our readers doesn’t like the seller for whatever reason. If we had that kind of clout, we’d start our own eBay for Jazz Collectors only.

Here’s one for the $1,000 bin:

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A Few More For the Jazz Collector Price Guide

flanaganHere’s some more jazz vinyl from the watch list, then we will attempt to put some of these into the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Is this yet another copy of Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134 from Atomic Records? Someone mentioned that they had seen feedback on the previous listing, so the assumption that this is a second copy. Hard to believe. It took me 42 years to find one copy, and they end up with two. This one was in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $2,850.

John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. This looked to be an original West 63rd Street deep groove pressing. The record was in VG+ condition and so was the cover. The price was $676.66.

Jackie McLean, A Fickle Sonance, Blue Note 4089. This was an original mono  pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $338.

This one did not sell and has been relisted:

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