Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This was an original promo pressing with the white and red label and six eyes. For the most part, promo copies of jazz records don’t necessarily add to the value. With Kind of Blue, however, that is not the case: We usually see the promo copies selling for a premium. I can understand why: It looks way cool and has the smell of authenticity of an original pressing. This copy was in M- condition for both the record and the cover, with a very nice picture, and it sold for $555. There were 31 bids. quite a high number.

There’s been a lot of chatter on the Jazz Collector site about the auction last week by the seller bobdjukic, who always seems to generate a lot of interest, partly because of his extensive use of hyperbole but moreso, methinks, because of his ability to generate high prices. Here are a couple of his auctions we were watching:

Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins, Prestige 7075. This is an original pressing with the New York address and deep groove. Of course, it is described as both “megarare” and “insanely rare.” I’m not sure which is rarer, mega or insane. What do you think? Maybe we can have a vote. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover the same, although I wonder about the cover from the picture. This one sold for $542.12. We did a post on this a couple of weeks ago, when a copy of this same record from The Jazz Record Center — the most credible dealer of all, right? — sold for only $192.50. See what we mean about this seller being able to generate high prices. Not bad, although, to be fair, this record should be a high-priced collectible, in my humble opinion. This next one, “insanely rare,” got a very high bid but did not make the seller’s reserve price: Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. It looked to be an original pressing and it was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The top bid $1,815. Interesting that the seller notes, in response to a question on this, that he does not play grade the records. I find it hard to accurately grade records without at least putting on a track or two, and I tend to be especially careful with high-end records that fetch top dollars. But I don’t do it for a living and I don’t deal in the same volume as a seller such as this.

While we’re updating the $1,000 bin:

Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This was an original pressing. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was in between VG+ and VG++. It was a reputable seller and the price was $1,815.

This is destined for the $1,000 bin, or the $2,000 bin or perhaps even higher: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This is an original pressing and it is listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. As of this writing it is about $1,250 with three days or so to go.

The seller has this listed for a buy-it-now price of $5,000 and in his listing he states that this is the only promo copy of this record he has ever seen. A reader is indignant at such an absurd price and preposterous claim and mentions a near mint copy that sold the other for for $355. He refers the seller to popsike where there is a history of these sold and at one point asks the seller: “Listen, are you on drugs?”

To which the seller replies simply: “yes.”

And there it is. A refreshingly honest exchange on eBay.

Speaking of Miles, we’re also watching this: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This looks to be an original pressing with the rare

white promo label. This one is said to be in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The current price is about $200, with just a few more hours to go.

Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowin’ in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing . The record was VG+ and the cover was VG. Price: $599.60

Duke Pearson, Hush!, Jazz Line 3302. This was an original pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. Price: $486

Art Taylor, AT’s Delight, Blue Note 4047. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. Price: $344. 89

Art Taylor, Taylor’s Wailers, Prestige 7117. This was an original New York pressing.

The record was M- and the cover was VG+. The price was $363.

Miles Davis, Cookin’, Prestige 7094. This was an original New York pressing in M- condition. Price: $312

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This was an original mono pressing in M- condition, both record and cover. Price: $179.50

Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2, Blue Note 1506. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. Price: $152.50

Gil Melle, Patterns in Jazz, Blue Note 1517. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG+. The price was $255.30

Finally, Jackie McLean, A Fickle Sonance, Blue Note 84089. This was an original stereo pressing. The record and cover were both  M-. The price was $191.

It’s been a few days, so we’ll spend today catching you up on some of the interesting action we’ve been watching on eBay. Here goes:

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355, represents one of the defining jazz albums and now it is taking its place as a collectible of value as well. We’ve seen copies in nice condition begin selling in the $100 range earlier this year and now we have this copy breaking the $200 price barrier. It sold for $203.37.

Here’s a rare 10-inch LP sold this week by Atomic_Records: Beryl Booker, Dale 23. Price: $351

Here’s another 10-incher from Atomic_Records, but this one failed to meet its reserve price: Moondog and Friends, Epic 1002. High bid: $146.94

I used to be able to remember where and when I got every single record in my collection. However, now that the number has swelled to more than 10,000 and my age has swelled past 50, it’s not so easy anymore. I do remember getting a copy of this record, Abbey Lincoln, Straight Ahead, Candid 8015, for free. Years ago a colleague at work was throwing out a bunch of old records and knew I was a collector. Most of it was junk, but this LP, featuring Eric Dolphy, was sitting in the pile, and it was in great condition. It sold this week on eBay for $182.50.

A couple of big-ticket Blue Notes went this week:

Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. Price: $2075

Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. Price: $1,590.50

A few more interesting Blue Notes

Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. Price: $798

Freddie Hubbard, Goin’ Up, Blue Note 4056. Price $361

Dizzy Reece, Blues in Trinity, Blue Note 4006. Price: $347

And, finally, a couple from the Prestige catalog:

Jerome Richardson, Roamin’ With Jerome, New Jazz 8226. Price $724.93

Jackie McLean, 4, 5 & 6, Prestige 7048. This was in beautiful condition. Price: $812.12

That’s it for today. We’ll be back one more time with another eBay update before our next newsletter on Friday, July 23. Keep looking for us on the web and don’t forget to check out Price Guide and Latest Prices over the weekend for the latest information on eBay. — al