And Now For the $1,000 Bin

A lot of the records we were watching this past week ended up in the $1,000 bin, starting with the one that has already received a loet of comments from the Jazz Collector audience: John Lewis and Sacha Distel, Afternoon in Paris, Versailles MDEX 12005. This was an original French pressing listed in M- condition for the record and at least VG+ for the cover. It sold, to the surprise of many, for a whopping $2,415.

The Magnificent Thad Jones Volume 3, Blue Note 1546. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that was listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $1,784. That would be a new high price for any Thad Jones record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1543. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the cover design by Andy Warhol. The record and the cover were both in VG+ condition. We predicted that this one would break the $1,000 barrier and it did, selling for $1,215.

 

 

Bonjour, Mon LPs

Just swung over the eBay and, mmmm, there are some nice records for auction right now. Here are a few, starting with: John Lewis and Sacha Distel, Afternoon in Paris, Versailles MEDX 12005. I know, I know, another European pressing. But this is quite a beauty, isn’t it? And great music featuring Barney Wilen on tenor sax. This one is in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The price is already $600 and, no, I am not bidding on it despite my post yesterday. I may be crazy, but I’m not insane. The U.S. Atlantic pressing will definitely suffice for me.

 Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1543. This is an original pressing with the Andy Warhol cover design as well as the Lexington Avenue labels. This was the last of the Lexington Blue Notes. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition and the bidding is in the $315 range with nearly three days to go. It will fetch a hefty price.

The Magnificent Thad Jones Volume 3, Blue Note 1546. This is an original West 63rd pressing with the New York 23 labels. The record is M- and the cover is VG+. Would love to have this but, alas, I will keep searching for a copy that doesn’t cost as much. This one is already more than $400 and there are more than three days left on the auction.

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A Story Goes With It

You may recall several weeks ago I wrote a post for The Lovely Mrs. JC. It wasn’t entirely altruistic: She was seeking help from the Jazz Collector community in acquiring a birthday gift for me, preferably an original Blue Note that would fill a gap in my collection (A Blue Note Birthday). Helping her was, of course, helping myself. Well, it is a milestone birthday and the day has arrived and, as you can see from the accompanying picture, my birthday wish has been fulfilled, quite nicely I must say. I also promised I would tell you the story that went with the gift, so here it is, or at least as much as I can ascertain from The Lovely Mrs. JC. I will say that after my plea to the Jazz Collector community there was hardly a groundswell of enthusiasm. The Lovely Mrs. JC received one email. About a week after the initial post I asked her how it was going and she said not so well, so I put up another subtle reminder or two on Jazz Collector. Perhaps I was too subtle, for nothing came in. I gave her an updated wish list with a couple more records and she told me she would follow up with the one person who responded and we decided to leave it at that and I was not to ask about it anymore, lest I run the risk of ruining any suprise. She didn’t

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Blue Notes, Prestige, Vinyl, eBay

Here’s some jazz vinyl I ‘ve been watching on eBay this week:

Phil Woods, Gene Quill, et al, Prestige 7116. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. The record was in VG+ condition and the cover was VG. It sold for $157.50, pretty reasonable for an original Prestige, although the condition was lacking. A Blue Note of the same era in the same condition would have probably fetched double the price.

The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was listed in VG or VG+ condition, which usually means VG. The cover was listed in VG++ shape, but there were taped repairs, which makes it more like VG+ to me. This one sold for $373.88.

Hank Mobley and His All Stars, Blue Note 1544. This is the first of the non-Lexington Avenue 1500 Blue Notes that was originally issued with the West 63red address. The record was VG++, the cover was VG, the price was $1,259.56, more than 10 times that of the Woods Prestige.

Dealing With a Case of Vinyl Envy

Sometimes I get vinyl envy. I see a record on eBay, one that I don’t have as an original pressing, usually a Blue Note, and I think my collection isn’t complete until I get that record. But then, if I get it, there’s always another to remind me that the collection will never be complete. So I think the vinyl envy is not such a bad thing. What would be the fun of collecting if there was nothing more to collect? So this is a record that gives me vinyl envy: The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. I have a United Artists pressing and I’ve probably never even listened to it, so I’m not even sure of the quality of the music, although I bet it’s great: It’s really that Lexington Avenue label and cover in the pictures that does it. You can almost feel the cardboard and the heavy vinyl. Anyway, this one is in VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover and it is approaching $300 and will probably sell for closer to $1,000, so it will not be added to the Jazz Collector collection.

This is a cool one I’ve never seen before:

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Blue Note Gapping With (And Without) Thad Jones

So here’s the problem with organizing all of my original Blue Notes in catalogue order. I have the first 12, even the Jimmy Smith,  either original or in one case a West 63rd. So now there’s this gap at 1513. And here, on eBay, is this: That Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, Blue Note 1513. And look at the condition on this one: Beautiful, near mint, with a cover that looks the same. The start price is $700 and it will probably sell for quite a bit more than that. So when I look at my collection, I don’t see the first 12 pressings, all I see is the missing gap, the 1513 hole, and the temptation to throw a bid out on this one is quite appealing. But I won’t. Patience will out. From the same seller, another gap for me: The Magnificent Thad Jones Volume 3, Blue Note 1546. This one is also an original, but the condition is not quite so nice, in the area of VG and VG-. Still, the start price is $250. If I were to fill the gap, and pay close to dollar, I’d want one in better condition.

An Interesting Trio of Rare Jazz Vinyl

Here’s some more rare jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with: Thad Jones, Debut 127. This looks to be an original 12-inch LP, which looks to me like a combination of his 10-inch LP with Mingus and another 10-inch LP, also on Debut? Don’t have this particular record, so I’m not sure. Someone will know, i.e., Rudolf. Anyway, this one was listed in VG+ condition for the cover and Ex for the record, which is probably VG+ as well. It sold for $258.

Benny Golson seems to be more popular as a collectible artist than he ever was as a jazz artist, if you know what I mean: Benny Golson, Groovin’ With Golson, New Jazz 8220. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $310.

Here’s a record that’s not only unplayed, it is actually in a virgin state: Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. It sold for $511.01.

Tracking Some Rare Beauties on eBay

Couple of interesting jazz vinyl auctions taking place now from sellers who would be quite familiar to the Jazz Collector audience. First up is collossus3: He’s the one who had access to the Leon Leavitt vault and was, he says, able to pick and choose the best copy of each of the rare records. Among those rare records now available on eBay are: Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This is an original pressing and it is described as being in pristine condition, M- all the way fro the record and the cover.  There is a reserve price, which of course is undisclosed, as well as a buy-it-now price of $2,500. So far the bidding has not yet hit the reserve price and is in the $250 range. We’ve seen this record sell for as much as $1,500 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, so we’d certainly expect the bidding to top $1,000 at some point. Whether that will be enough to hit the reserve price, we’ll see, assuming no one gobbles it up at $2,500. From the same seller comes Horace Silver, Six Pieces of Silver, Blue Note 1539. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge. It is not only described as being in extraordinary immaculate condition, the vinyl even has  a”jewel-like” finish. Gotta love it. In any case, this one is still under $200 with a couple of days left on the bidding and it hasn’t reached the reserve price either.

The other interesting auction we’re watching is from the seller Sweedeedee from Stockholm, who often has nice pieces for sale on eBay. This week some of his listings include:

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Jazz Vinyl Update: An Argo, A Blue Note, a Verve

Here’s some more jazz vinyl we’ve been watching recently, just to catch up on stuff:

Paul Gonsalves, Cookin’, Argo 626. This was an original pressing with the black labels and the deep grooves. It looked to be in M- or VG++ condition for the record and similar condition for the cover. The seller didn’t actually apply grades, which I think would affect — negatively — the sale price. This one fetched $264, which is the highest price we’ve recorded for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, so perhaps  it’s better to not list a condition.

Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, Blue Note 1513. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. Love to see those original Lexes, especially when they are in my collection (which this one, unfortunately, is not).  The record was in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $767.

This one was a leftover from the recent bobjdukic sale:

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A Dash of Pepper, Mad Thad, Jackie’s Bag & More

It isn’t often I see records or even labels I’m not familiar with, but here’s one that was on eBay this weekend. It was listed as an Art Pepper record: Mucho Calor, Andex S3002. Not only have I never seen the record before, I’ve never seen the Andex label. I have a strong feeling this is some kind of reissue or compilation, but not sure what the root label is. It’s a stereo pressing, but it’s supposed to be 1957, which is pre-stereo. Plus, with the other artists listed, it doesn’t look like an Art Pepper record nor does it look like a record date that was led by Pepper. This one was probably VG++ for the record and VG+ for the cover and it sold for $87.66. I’m sure someone out in the Jazz Collector audience will be able to shed a little light on this one.

This one fetched quite a nice price: Thad Jones, Mad Thad, Period 1208. Admittedly, this is a hard to find record, but I haven’t seen it often go for this price. The record was in VG++ condition and the cover was VG. The price was $610 and there were 27 bids, which is a pretty high number.

This one would typically get a higher price, but the listing wasn’t very complete, so purchasing the record was a gamble:

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eBaying With Thad, Sonny Clark, Vice-Pres

Here’s some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge. The record was in VG condition and clearly had some issues with surface noise based on the seller’s description. The cover was VG+. The opportunity to own an original Blue Note is always enticing. This one sold for $261, not at all unreasonable, but I didn’t pull the trigger. Perhaps next time.

That copy of Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576, finally wound up selling. If you recall, this one was in great, mint condition, but it was not an original. It had the West 63rd label but no deep grooves. The seller was able to get $399.99. More power to him.

This one seems to perhaps be a bit over-graded based on the seller’s description, but it is still a nice original collectible in nice condition. Paul Quinichette, On the Sunny Side, Prestige 7103. This one sold for $213.50.

eBay Watching: Blue Notes, Prestige

Which jazz vinyl shall we watch on eBay today? Here’s a few of note.

This one is quite tempting to me, since I do not own an original: Mal Waldron, Mal/2, Prestige 7111. This looks to be an original New York pressing and it has the presence of John Coltrane. The record looks to be what I would grade as VG++ and the cover is M-. There are a few days to go and the price is in the $150 range. When I see records such as these I have to remind myself that I am getting rid of records, not acquiring them. It is a tough sell to myself, however, since the joy is in the hunt.

This one is also strangely tempting to me, even though it is not an original: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. The copy in my collection is a black and blue Liberty stereo. Yuch. This one is not an original because it doesn’t have the deep grooves, but at least it has the West 63rd Street address. It wouldn’t give me the creeps every time I would look at it in my collection. But, alas, the start price is about $400 and that’s a little too steep for me for a non-original, even a great record like this in beautiful condition.

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Tracking eBay: The Cats, Blue Notes, Cannonball

Before we look ahead at the coming week, let’s look at some of the jazz vinyl we were watching last week:

Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. This was an original pressing with the purple label and the deep grooves. It features John Coltrane. I haven’t listened to this record in a few years, but my recollection is that it’s not among Trane’s better efforts, but I should go back and check again. Nevertheless it is a New Jazz and it is Trane and Flanagan and it is thus an important collectible. This one was listed in excellent condition by the seller, which I took to mean about VG++. The price was $404.99.

This one was from the same seller and also looked to be in excellent VG++ condition: The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and sold for $869.99.

Speaking of Blue Notes, as we so often do at Jazz Collector, here are a couple of 10-inch Blue Notes we were watching:

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Jazz Vinyl Catch-Up: Two For the $2,000 Bin

Let’s catch up on some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching.

As some of you have noted, this one did sell after all: Hank Mobley Quartet, Blue Note 5066. This was the one that had the start price near $2,000 and was in M- condition for the record and cover. So, welcome to the $2,000 bin: It sold for $2,050.

Also in the $2,000 in is this from the Jazz Record Center: Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro  606. This was also in M- condition for the record and the cover and it sold for $2,025.

How about the Sonny Rollins with the cover on the side: Sonny Rollins, Blue Note 1542. This was a Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge. We’re assuming that when the seller took the picture, he turned the cover around to show the name clearly and the opening is really by the yellow, where it belongs. We’re also assuming the winning bidder is assuming the same thing, since the price was $766.

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Watching eBay: Wes, Sonny Clark, Dex & More

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

The latest auction from the Jazz Record Center is closing today, with some interesting items, such as: The Wes Montgomery Trio, Riverside 310. This is an original pressing in near mint condition for both the record and the cover. We haven’t seen this record sell for high prices very often, but this one will: It is already close to $175. Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091. This is an original pressing with the New York USA labels. It is in M- condition and is priced at more than $300 with a few hours to go. Did you see the Sonny Clark articles referred to by Mike in the Reader Forum? They are terrific. Go to the Reader Forum for the links. Here’s one more: Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This is also an original pressing in beautiful condition.  It is currently in the $180 price range.

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A Plug For Us, A Few For the Price Guide

I must say, I got some pleasure out of reading this listing:

The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and the seller was not an expert and he took it to a professional cleaner to have cleaned. Even better, when he posted the listing he provided a link and referenced Jazz Collector to help people learn more about the record. Nice touch, if I do say so myself. Anyway, the record looked to be in M- or VG++ condition, and the cover was probably around VG. The price was $385.

Here are a few more going into the Jazz Collector Price Guide this morning:

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Hefty Prestiges, Hefty Price Tags

Let’s catch up on some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching at Jazz Collector. We’ll start with the Prestiges and move on to the Blue Notes later.

John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This was an original pressing with the original cover (the second pressing on this is Traneing In). The record was M- and the cover was VG+ and the price was $660. We’ve watched this one many times in the Jazz Collector Price Guide and it never surpassed $400. Quite a change. I’ve been cataloguing my records for insurance purposes and I had this one at $300. Guess I’ll have to change that.

This one also seemed to hit a new high: Olio, Prestige 7084, with Thad Jones, Frank Wess, Teddy Charles, Elvin Jones, Mal Waldron and Doug Watkins. This one was in M- condition all the way around and sold for $504.

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Tracking Some Prestige Jazz Vinyl

We have an eye on some Prestige jazz vinyl on eBay. Despite the high price of the Jackie’s Pal we noted yesterday, it seems the disparity between prices on original Blue Notes versus original Prestiges seems to be getting wider. Here are some of the ones we’re watching:

Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Idrees Sulieman, Three Trumpets, Prestige 7092. This is an original New York pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover sounds to be VG++ as we would rate it. The starting price is around $170 and there are no bids.

This one is of a similar vintage but from a different seller: Art Farmer and Donald Byrd, Two Trumpets, Prestige 7062. This is also an original yellow-label New York pressing. The record is M- and the cover is VG+. The start price is $150 and, again, there are no bidders. There’s a $200 buy-it-now price on this, which would seem pretty reasonable to me.

Olio, Prestige 7084. This is an album featuring

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On eBay: Mingus, Newk & Unplayed Records

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

Charles Mingus and Thad Jones, Jazz Collaborations Volume 1, Debut 17. This is an original 10-inch LP and it is in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. Quite hard to find this LP in this condition. The seller is Euclid Records, which has been posting quite a collection of rare 10-inch LPs the past couple of weeks. Anyway, this one closes in about 15 hours from this post and is still in the $100 range.

This one has a buy-it-now price of $2,800 and is currently at $1,000 in the bidding but has not yet reached the seller’s reserve price:

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Tracking Prices For Later Blue Note Pressings

People have been asking about prices and values of later-pressing Blue Notes, so I’ve been watching a few just to keep tabs on the market. There was a seller last week that was selling a bunch of United Artists pressings, including: The Magnificent Thad Jones, Volume 3, Blue Note 1546. This one was in VG+ condition for both the record and the vinyl. The start price was $40 and there were no bids. So that price was definitely too high. However, if you look at his other completed listings, there were a bunch more United Artists pressings in better condition and they sold in the range of $15 to $25 each, for the most part. There was a Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550, that sold for $25.49 and a Lee Morgan Indeed, Blue Note 1538, that sold for $15. There were others as well, including a couple of blue-and-white label Liberty pressings that sold for between $30 and $40. I also watched this blue

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A Tale of Two Blue Notes

The Blue Notes remain through the roof. Here’s a new one for the $1,000 bin: Clifford Brown Memorial Album, Blue Note 1526. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it was listed as “very close to mint” condition. It sold for $1,280.50. Our friend Rudolf recently put this on a list of expendable Blue Notes. So what do you think about this price?

This one came from the same seller: Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, Blue Note 1513. This was also an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it was also listed as near mint. It sold for $692.02, not quite half of the Clifford, but pretty close. Who knows why? That is a rhetorical question by the way, although if some thinks there is an answer, be my guest.

‘Tis Better To Have Bid And Lost . . .

These records all have one thing in common: I bid on them and lost:

I thought I could sneak this one in because the picture accompanying the listing wasn’t clear and perhaps that would turn people off: Alto Madness,  Prestige 7114. This features John Jenkins and Jackie McLean and I do not own an original copy. It was not getting a lot of action and I threw in a bit of about $130. Not even close. In the end there were 13 bids and the winning bid was $405.

Louis Smith, Smithville, Blue Note 1594. I mentioned this one yesterday and posted the picture. For some reason, this record was not getting much action. With several hours to go before it closed it was in the $100 range. I thought perhaps the listing wasn’t clear as far as the condition and there was something in the listing about price guides and $100. Anyway, there was light action, so I used by BidNip sniping service — if you bid on eBay you really should be using one of this — and put in a bid of about $360. Well it sold for $811, so I wasn’t even in the game.

I tried to sneak this one in at about $20: Frank Rosolino, I Play Trombone, Bethlehem 26. The vinyl was only VG, but it had a nice cover and the seller didn’t mention the presence of Sonny Clark

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More Big Blue Notes, More Big Prices

Shall we Blue Note this evening? Here are some recent sales:

This one set a new high for this LP: Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 4140. This was an original pressing and it was listed in M- condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $565.58.

Another high one: Benny Green, Back on the Scene, Blue Note 1587. This was also in M- condition. It sold for $620.

Kenny Dorham, Unas Mas, Blue Note 4127. This was an original mono pressing and it was listed in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $283.

This one just ended, as we were typing:

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More Confessions of A Vinyl Addict, Part 2

    ReissuesOK, so I got to the JJ Johnson record and realized it was a New York USA pressing, and then I got to Blue Note 1513, Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, and realized it was a Japanese pressing, and then I got to Blue Note 1515, Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, and realized, hey, I don’t own that record at all.

I knew all of that. I knew I didn’t have a complete original collection of Blue Notes. I knew I wasn’t even close to having a complete collection of original Blue Notes. I knew I never aspired to having a complete collection of original Blue Notes. But I felt compelled to go on, to go through the entire 1500 series and know exactly what I had

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Catching Up: What’s a Promo Worth?

Here’s an update on some odds and ends we’ve been watching on eBay:

Zoot Sims, Stretching Out, United Artists 4023. This was an original deep groove mono pressing. It was a promo copy, with a promo stamp and the white label and it was in M- condition, for both the record and the cover. The price was $124. What do you think: Does the promo stamp enhance the value of a record for you, or detract, or neither. I recall in the world of rock albums, the promo stamp was always considered a good thing, but I’ve never heard that one way or another in the jazz world. Which leads me to this LP: Bill Evans, Waltz For Debby, Riverside 399. This was an original pressing with the white promo label. The record was

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