Selling on eBay; Not Selling on eBay; Mobley on Film

Clearing out my watchlist and inbox, starting with The Return of Art Pepper, Jazz West 10. This was an original pressing listed in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $405. Given the state of the market lately, I would have expected a higher price tag for this one. According to Popsike, there have been two copies of this record that have sold for more than $1,000 in the past, including one that sold for $2,026 in what one could only guess was a fairly massive take-no-prisoners bidding war. Read more

A Diversion Into the World of 78s

Charlie Parker copyMy eBay watch list is overflowing and there are some interesting items we don’t often see here, including some 78-RPM records. Let’s start with Charlie Parker, The New Sounds in Modern Music, Savoy 510. This is a boxed set of Charlie Parker 78s. Unfortunately, the seller doesn’t say which ones, although if I were interested (as I may be) I would at least attempt to pose the question. The records — can’t call them vinyl — are in VG+ condition and the cover is probably VG or VG+, depending upon the condition. I am probably one of the few among us who still collects 78s. I’ve had the good fortune to run into a few inexpensive collections, and then I was very fortunate with the 78s I purchased in the infamous Baltimore collection. I probably have about 1,000 78s, with probably about 40 Parkers on Savoy, Dial and Mercury, but a Bird Savoy boxed set would make a nice addition to the collection. There is a big concern with buying 78s on eBay, because

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eBaying With Horace, Lou, Newk & Leo Parker

Some interesting items on eBay now. Shall we see?

Horace Silver, The Cape Verdean Blues, Blue Note 4220. This looks to be an original mono pressing with the ear and the Van Gelder in the deadwax, although there is no close-up picture of the label to tell. This one is closing soon and is at more than $150 in VG+ or VG++ condition. Anyone out there have an explanation? Not that it’s not an excellent record, but it’s never been one of those that has garnered high prices. Perhaps because it’s a mono pressing?

We’d mentioned this one a couple of weeks ago when it sold for $81 in VG condition: Leo Parker and Bill Jennings, Billy in the Lion’s Den, King 395-527. The record here is VG+ and the cover is VG, but the pictures with the listing are very nice. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and, in this case, they seem to be worth several hundred at least: This one is already more than $325.

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Catching Up on Some 10-Inch Jazz Vinyl

Can’t sleep so I’m up early updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Here are some 10-inch records that will be going in:

Miles Davis All Stars Volume 2, Prestige 200. This looks to be an original pressing with the yellow label, probably one of the first Prestiges to have the famous yellow label. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $204.50.

I think this was the first LP issued by Blue Note: Mellow The Mood, Blue Note 5001. It features Ike Quebec, Benny Morton, Buck Clayton and others. The record was VG and the cover was VG++. You’d think it would fetch a high price just for the historic value. But, alas, this copy did not: It sold for $28.

I’ve never seen this one and it has quite a cool cover: Bill Jennings/Leo Parker Quintet, Billy in the Lion’s Den, King 527. This was listed in VG condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $81.

Hard to find this one in M- condition, but here was a copy: Gerry Mulligan Quartet, With Chet Baker, Pacific Jazz 5. It sold for $115.52.

And now for some 10-inch Blue Notes:

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Jazz Vinyl Price Guide: Wallington, PC, 10-Inch King

Here’s one we missed for the $1,000 bin: Paul Chambers, Bass on Top, Blue Note 1569. This was an original pressing. The vinyl was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $1,036.

This is a nice New Jazz LP with Phil Woods and Donald Byrd: George Wallington, New York Scene, New Jazz 8207. This was an original pressing with the purple labels and the deep groove. The vinyl was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $565.55. I remember walking into a local store and seeing this record for three bucks about 15 years ago. Needless to say, it didn’t last long in the store and is still sitting on my shelf at home.

Here’s another original Blue Note: Herbie Nichols Trio, Blue Note 1519. This one looked to be in M- condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It had the Lexington Avenue address, flat edges and

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10-Inch Mania: Miles, Getz, Savoy, Serge, Prez

Let’s catch up on some 10-inch LPs we’ve been watching. It’s always interesting to keep an eye on the 10-inchers just to see if the market is holding up. So far, it is, based on these records.

Miles Davis, Young Man With a Horn, Blue Note 5013. The vinyl on this one was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was M-. The price was $510.01. This one was sold by the seller herschel78, who has been putting some nice items up over the past few weeks, including some other 10-inch LPs we’ve been  watching.

Miles Davis Volume 3, Blue Note 5040. The vinyl on this one was listed as VG+ and the cover was VG++. The price was $385.

Stan Getz Plays, Clef 137. This was an original pressing with a nice cover by David Stone Martin. The price was $68. This is a great record, one of Getz’s best.

Leo Parker, New Trends of Jazz Volume 5, Savoy 9018. This one was

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Leo Parker LP — And The Winner Is . . .

It’s time to announce the winner of the free record, Leo Parker, Rollin’ With Leo, Blue Note BST 84095. This is the 1986 release of this LP, which was the first time it was released with the cover art and catalog number that was originally intended by Blue Note in 1962. What’s more, this is a promo copy, with a promo stamp on the cover. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is M-. The rules of the contest are simple: All you have to do is post a comment on the Jazz Collector site, anywhere on the site. Over the past two weeks, since we’ve been running the contest, we’ve had quite a bit of commenting on the site, but as I looked back, it’s not that many people. There are only six eligible to win the record. They are: Jason, Rudolf, Michel, Bethellodge, Mike M and Erich Schultz. And the winner is . . . . Read more

Quickie Quiz

I posed a question in a post yesterday, but nobody has responded yet. I know you all know the answer, so perhaps you just missed it. But here’s the question I posed yesterday: On the album Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584, the alto player is listed as “Buckshot La Funke.” Who is it really? By the way, there’s still time to post a comment on the site and be eligible to win the Leo Parker LP. We’re going to have Mrs. Jazz Collector draw the winning name tonight, and we’ll post the results tomorrow.

Sonny Plus 4, The Real Deal

Yesterday we posed the question about the original cover to Sonny Rollins Plus Four, Prestige 7038. Michel provided us with the correct answer and here, from our own collection, is a picture of the original cover. By commenting on the site, Michel became eligible to win the Leo Parker record on Blue Note that we are giving away. There’s only a little bit more than a week left in the contest, so please comment on the site if you would like to be eligible to win it. By the way, the copy of Sonny Rollins Plus Four that was on eBay yesterday, wound up selling for $165.

Ebay Versus The Storefront: A Cultural Shift

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.

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