Nice Records, Quite High Price Tags

Let’s catch up on some rare jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching, starting with: Gene Ammons, HiFi Jam Sessions, Prestige 7060. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. The record and cover were in M- condition. You may recall I posted on this last week when there were no bids and a start price of $200. I was speculating about whether it would sell at all for that start price, and my prognostication was that it would sell. Indeed, it did: for $607. Quite a nice price for a Gene Ammons Prestige, which don’t often sell for such quite a lofty figure. The seller SweeDeeDee had quite a week, with several of his records selling for quite high prices. Here are a couple more: Horace Silver and Spotlight on Drums with Art Blakey and Sabu, Blue Note 1520. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing in VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover. It sold for $681. Thelonious Monk with Sonny Rollins, Work, Prestige 7169. This is a New Jersey yellow label pressing, but the record is a reissue, an early reissue, but a reissue nonetheless. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $293. Wow.

 

 

A Couple of Nice Ones, A Monk Autograph?????

Sorry for sporadic posting schedule this week. Been crazy with work and now I am in Las Vegas, of all places. I’ll do my best. Here are some nice records that have been sold on eBay in my absence, starting with:

Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original pressing in what was described as “fantastic” condition, which we would assume would be M-. It sold for $713.

This one got a nice price, not quite like the one last month: John Lewis and Sacha Distel, Afternoon in Paris, Versailles 12005. This was an original French pressing in VG condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $345. Clearly, this record is moving up in desirability among collectors.

This one didn’t sell yet, but it’s quite interesting: Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Blue Note 1511. This looks to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing with a very clear autograph of Monk on the cover. Whether the signature is legitimate, we’ll leave that to our readers. Don Lucky — what do you think? Oh, yes. The price is about $2,000.

 

 

 

Miles, Monk and a New Face

Here are some of the items I was watching from the recent auction by the Jazz Record Center, starting with: Wynton Kelly, New Faces – NewSounds, Blue Note 5025. This was an original 10-inch pressing that looked to be in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $191.38. I should have bid on it. Great music, great cover. How can these 10 inch Blue Notes not be worth more money, given what’s going on with 12-inch Blue Notes?

Miles Davis, Steamin’, Prestige 7200. This was an original New Jersey yellow label pressing that was in probably M- condition for the record and at least VG++ for the cover. It sold for only $75. Weird. Why wouldn’t this get more. It’s actually my favorite among the Miles Prestiges that were all recorded in that one session — Steamin’, Cookin’, Workin’, Relaxin’. By contrast, look at this one from the same auction: Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This was an original New York pressing in virtually identical condition to Steamin’. It sold for $393.

I thought this one might fetch a higher price as well:

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Aberration is in the Eye of the Beholder

Since everyone is getting so worked up over the prices of some of the latest auctions, I decided to take a look at all of the recent completed listings from the bobdjukic sales to get an overall sense of things. There are definitely some aberrations between what we expect to see in the market, and some that fit in just fine with market expectation. Just for fun, I’ll pull out a few more of the aberrations.

Sonny Rollins, What’s New, RCA 2572. I love this record, but I’ve never really looked at it as a collectible. I have several copies, in fact. This was a promo copy in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $161.50.

Horace Silver, Song For My Father, Blue Note 84185. This is a stereo pressing. It was listed in VG++ condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover, although you can clearly see ring wear on the photo. It sold for $385.

Chet Baker, Baker’s Holiday, Limelight 86019. This is an original stereo pressing. The record was in VG++ condition, the cover around VG+. It sold for $136.50.

Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Dream, Columbia 8765. This is a stereo pressing, with 2-eye label. The seller claims it is much rarer than the mono??????? It sold for $152.50.

 

 

 

 

 

Jazz Vinyl With Cool Covers

I happened to be browsing on eBay last night when several of the auctions we’ve been watching from the seller robertb8640 were closing, so I plucked a few to watch and share, starting with: Thelonious Monk, Piano Solo, French Swing 33.342. I’m definitely developing a thing for some of these European pressings. This is a 10-inch pressing, apparently first issued in France? The record was VG and the cover was VG++. The price was $225.82. Fantastic cover, with a great picture of a pensive Monk.

Johnny Griffin Quartet, Argo 624. This was an original pressing with the very weird split cover. The seller showed some nice pictures of the cover and how it worked surrounding the record. This one was in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $471.88. Is this highest priced of all the Argo records. It is, indeed, according to the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

 

 

 

Blue Notes & Prestige: A Day at Jazz Collector

Let’s catch up on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching, starting with: Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding was slow on this one, as you may recall, in the low $100 range with just one day left on the bidding. Well, it may have started slow, but it ended on a high note for the seller. The record sold for $919.99. There are no bargains on Blue Notes on eBay, are there, unless you get lucky with condition.

My friend Dan was urging me to get this record when the bidding was close to $400 with just a few hours to go: Sonny Rollins With Thelonious Monk, Prestige 190. Put in a bid of $700, he said. It’ll be your birthday present. I thought about it, but decided against it. Good thing I didn’t get my hopes up because I wouldn’t have won the record. It sold for $799.55. Speaking of my birthday present, the Lovely Mrs. JC says she’s only gotten one response so far to her request. There’s still time, but it’s running low — birthday is in two and a half weeks. Contact Mrs JC at mrsjc(at)jazzcollector.com.

I thought this one might reach the $1,000 bin, but it came up just short:

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Tracking Jazz Vinyl From The Jazz Record Center

Sorry to be so inconsistent with my posting schedule. Lots of real work, the paying-the-bills kind, these days. Anyway, back on eBay and I see there’s a new auction from the Jazz Record Center with some choice items, including:

Bill Evans Trio, Explorations, Riverside 351. This is an original blue label pressing in what looks to be M- condition for the record and “extraordinary” condition for the cover. The pricing on this one starts at $200, there is already a bidder and the auction closes in four days.

Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This is also an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is $1,500 and, as yet, there are no bidders.

This one seems headed for the $1,000 bin: Jackie McLean, Lights Out, Prestige 7035. This is an original pressing in “virtually new” condition, M- for both the record and the cover. The bidding is already in the $700 range and there have already been eight bids.

One more: The Unique Thelonious Monk, Riverside 209. This is an original pressing with the white label. It is also in “near new” M- condition for the record and the cover. The price is now in the $425 range.

 

 

Various Vinyl Odds and Ends

Haven’t been on eBay in a few days. Here are the results of some of the jazz vinyl auctions we missed:

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was an original black label pressing. It was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $510. It’s nice posting Giant Steps every once in a while so I can put a picture with the post and just take a look at it again — inspiring me to put the record on the turntable.

Perhaps I owe CeeDee an apology for this one: Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams, Out of this World, Warwick 2041. This was an original pressing in what looked to be VG+ condition for the vinyl and probably VG+ or VG++ for the cover. It sold for $159.99, higher than I would have expected. CeeDee and I made a trade involving this record and Dexter Calling a few months ago and at some point I may have made some kind of disparaging remark about the Byrd/Adams record. No doubt, it had more to do with the quality of the recording than the quality of the music. My copy just sounded very dull and flat, particularly compared to a Blue Note pressing from the same era.

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Catching on On Some Interesting Jazz Vinyl

When I last left eBay, about a week ago, here were some of the items I was watching:

Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside 226. This was an original pressing with the white labels. It was listed in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover and I recall the seller as being very reputable from previous dealings, as buyer and seller. As I was packing my records to move, I noticed that my copy of Brilliant Corners was a blue-label pressing and it was in maybe VG+ condition. I put this one on my watch list to potentially bid on it, not just as potential fodder for Jazz Collector. I think I would have gone to at least $180 for an original pressing. This one sold for $100, so I missed out.

I also had my eye on this for my own collection, but I knew the price would go way beyond my comfort zone — and it did: Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and the vinyl was in M- condition. The cover was VG+. It sold for $1,475. One of these days I’ll find a reasonable copy for the right price. Right?

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Rare Autographs: What’s in a Name

Perhaps I’m naive, but when I see an autographed record I always assume that it is legitimate and not a fraud. It seems kind of weird to me that someone would try to copy the autograph of a jazz artist to try to inflate the value of the record when, in many cases, the autograph actually devalues the record, another oddity that I will never understand. I was watching this record on eBay: Thelonious Monk, Work, Prestige 7169. This was a yellow label pressing and an “original” in the sense that it was the first pressing of this record, which is a reissue of an earlier record. Normally it would be worth about $50 or so, but this one happens to have signatures on it from both Monk and Sonny Rollins. To me, this is a gem, assuming the autographs are legitimate, which I do. I tend not to collect autographs, although something like this is tempting, so I passed the listing on to one of our loyal readers who does collect autographs. I see from the geography of the winning bidder that our friend did not bid for this. The start price was $500 and there was one bidder. Don-Lucky — what happened? Seems like a good price for this one.

Jazz Vinyl Update: A Smattering of 10-Inch LPs

Let’s catch up on some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with: Thelonious Monk Trio, Prestige 189. This looked to be an original pressing, a 10-inch LP, of course, and it was in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $227.50.

Here’s another 10-incher: Howard McGhee, Volume 2, Blue Note 5024. This one was VG+ for the vinyl and between VG++ and M- for the cover. When we were watching it it was in the $150 range and it didn’t really move from there, selling for $159.50.

This 10-incher didn’t sell at all: Lester Young and his Tenor Sax, Aladdin 706. This one was in VG- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The start price was $99.99 and there were no bidders.

May as well stick with the 10-inch theme today: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Volume 3, Blue Note 5039. This was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the vinyl and sold for $229.

Labor Day Blues: Kind of Blue, Candy, Monk & Sonny

Here’s some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching over this Labor Day weekend here in the U.S., the nominal end of summer:

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:

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Updates From The Jazz Record Center Auction, Part 2

We did promise a Part 2 of our post on the recent auction from The Jazz Record Center, so here goes (apologize for the delay):

Why isn’t this record worth more: Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins, Prestige 7075? This was an original New York pressing. The record was in M- condition — nearly new — and the cover looked like it was at least VG++, maybe better. It sold for $192.50. I happen to think this is a terrific album. I love Sonny’s interpretation of The Way You Look Tonight. When I was first getting into jazz I used to compare this version to the Stan Getz version on Stan Getz Plays and it took me a while to reconcile not only that it was the same song, but that it was even the same instrument. My ears are obviously much more sophisticated now, but at the time the difference in approach seemed so stark. And I liked both versions. Anyway, I repeat my query: Why is this great original Prestige, featuring two of the geniuses of modern jazz, not even a $200 record?

This has always been one of the rarest and more expensive of the Riversides, for good reason: Sonny Rollins, The Sound of Sonny, Riverside 241. This was an original white label pressing and it was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $765. It’s the presence of Sonny Clark with Rollins that makes this one so sought-after, no?

Now for a few Blue Notes:

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Jazz Vinyl Update: Richardson, Monk, et al

Here’s some jazz vinyl we were watching over the weekend:

Jerome Richardson, Roamin’ With Richardson, New Jazz 8226. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $305. Looks like a new seller on eBay who will be posted some more items in the next few weeks.

Thelonious Monk, Prestige 7027. This looked to be an original pressing with the kakubushi cover. It looked to be in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $250.

This seller from South Korea sold some nice records this weekend, including: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The vinyl was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $638. Also, Curtis Fuller, Volume 3, Blue Note 1583. This was also an original pressing and this one was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $421. Finally, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, Idrees Sulieman, Three Trumpets, Prestige  7092. This was an original New York pressing in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $344.

Watching Some Collectibles & Not-So-Collectibles

Let’s look at results of some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching.

This one made the $1,000 bin, but not the $2,000 bin: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original pressing with the record in M- condition and the cover VG+. I thought it might pass $2,000 but it sold for $1,703.77.

Is this now becoming a collectible: Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Dream, Columbia 1965? It’s a great record to be sure, but it seems to have been pretty common. Anyway, this was a 2-eye mono pressing in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover and it sold for $61.

And this one, I always thought was a high-end collectible, but there’s something odd about this listing: John Mehegan, A Casual Affair. In my collection, the number on this record is TJ-A1. On this listing, the number is TJ 78463. Perhaps that’s why it only sold for $64.

Catching Up on Some Jazz Vinyl

Let’s catch up on some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

First there were those beautiful 10-inch Blue Notes: Clifford Brown, New Star on the Horizon, Blue Note 5032. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in M- condition for the vinyl and what we would characterize as VG++ for the cover. A beautiful copy. It sold for $535.49. From the same seller was this: Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue  Note 5022. This was in similar condition to the Clifford record and sold for $630.

That brilliant copy of Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside 226, did not reach the  $1,000 bin, to my surprise. This was a white-label pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $898.08.

We’ve never seen a copy of this record fetch a higher price:

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Jazz Vinyl on eBay: Brilliant Brilliant Corners, et al

Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl to watch on eBay as we head into the Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S.:

This seller has some nice items up now, including: Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside 226. This is an original pressing with the white label, quite hard to find, and it is in M- condition for both the record and the cover. This one is a bit more than $300 and there’s another day to go and I wouldn’t be surprised if this one breaks into the $1,000 bin. This one is from the same seller: Dizzy Gillespie, Horn of Plenty, Blue Note 5017. This is an original Blue Note Lexington Avenue pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover looks to be VG+. It hasn’t even hit the $100 mark yet. Correct me if I’m wrong — and I’m sure someone will — but I think this is the only Dizzy record on Blue Note, right?

This seller also has some beauties, including: Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 84091. This is an original stereo pressing, which means it doesn’t have the same cachet or value as a mono pressing, but it is still about $140, closing later today. It is in M- condition with the shrink wrap still on it.

Okay, I need some help figuring this one out:

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More Jazz Vinyl: Monk 10-Inch & A Few Bargains?

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

Look at the great cover on this one: Thelonious Monk Plays, Prestige 189. This is a 10-inch pressing that was listed in M- condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It was part of a nice crop of 10-inch Prestiges offered by the Philadelphia Record Exchange and it sold for $295. You may recall that I bid on the James Moody 10-inchers from this auction. I wound up winning all three for about $150 total, about $50 each. To me that’s a fine deal, great music, even though, perhaps, the resale market for these records won’t be so great. Won’t matter though, since I’ll have thousands of records to sell before I get to these.

Some interesting, lower, prices than usual: Sonny Rollins, Tenor Madness Prestige 7047. This was an original New York pressing in VG condition for both the record and cover. This is quite a classic, of course, yet it sold for less than $60. The dealer mentioned something about the cover being “professionally” repaired, whatever that means, so that could have impacted the price. Still, even in VG condition, you’d expect more, based on the prices we’ve seen lately for original Blue Notes and Prestiges. Here’s another:

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The Return of Art, The Blue Note Story, Blue’s Moods

Another day, another batch of jazz vinyl on eBay. What’s up there now?

The Return of Art Pepper, Jazz West 10. This is an original pressing. The record is VG++ and the cover is VG-, which is pretty clear from the picture. The price is $240.50. When I first started collecting jazz records all I cared about was the music: The cover didn’t matter nearly as much. Now, however, that I have more music than I will ever listen to, I find that the condition of the covers is of pretty much equal value. Not that I don’t appreciate an original Blue Note with a little wear on the cover. I do. I also appreciate an original Blue Note with a little wear on the vinyl as well.

Remember I wrote that post about The Blue Note Story, a little pamphlet I found in an old Sidney Bechet record? Well, there’s one on sale on eBay now with an original copy of this LP: Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Blue Note 5002. This is an original 10-inch pressing and it is listed in what looks to be M- condition. It also has the pamphlet which is way cool. The current price is $201.50. It will go for a lot more.

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Tracking Blue Note Jazz on 78-RPM

I bought that collection and I found that it had a bunch of 12-inch Blue Note 78s so I did a search this morning on eBay for Blue Note 78s, since it is not something I have tried to collect in the past. It turns out the records I acquired — the Sidney Bechets and Albert Ammons and Art Hodes — don’t seem to have much cachet as collectibles. If you look at closed items, they generally sell in the range of $10 and less. However, in doing the search I found a few interesting bop 78s that sold for higher prices, including:

Bud Powell’s Modernists with Sonny Rollins, Blue Note 1568. This 78 includes Dance of the Infidels and 52nd Street Theme and it was described as being in better than VG+ condition, but not quite M-. This sold for $89.88.

Max Roach Quintet, Blue Note 1569. This contains Prince Albert Part 1 and 2, with Kenny Dorham and James Moody. Let’s see how well my memory is working: Prince Albert is a head based on All the Things You Are, if I recall properly, and this version, in addition to being issued on 78, was issued

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Tracking Some Blue Note 10-Inchers

Here are some 10-inch Blue Notes that sold for some pretty high prices recently:

Milt Jackson, Wizard of the Vibes, Blue Note 5011. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $343.50.

Miles Davis Volume 3, Blue Note 5040. This was an original pressing. The record was in VG condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $160.

Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Blue Note 5002. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $493.50.

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Lee, Newk, Pepper For the $1,000 Bin

Here are a few recent eBay sales we missed:

Lee Morgan, Volume 3, Blue Note 1557. This was an original West 63rd pressing that looked to be in VG+ condition, perhaps a little better, but not nearly mint. It sold for $1,704.

Here’s another copy of Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition. It sold for $1,425.

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. Based on the description it sounds like this record was VG+, although it was listed as VG++. The price was $1,300.

Pretty cool so far: Three records for the $1,000 bin and none of them

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Guest Column: Making The Case For CDs

When we started Jazz Collector we invited members of the community to contribute to the site and, if you check out the About page, we apparently still do. To date, no one has really taken us up on the offer and all of the posts have been written by yours truly, which has been fine. The other day, however, we got a note from one of our readers asking if he could post an item and, of course, the answer was yes. So here it is:

“Greetings-my name is Ceedee and I’m a jazz collector. I’ve been using this music and the never-ending search for the next ‘must-have’ as a source of pure pleasure and inspiration for nearly 40 years now. And if the latest list of items I’m watching at eBay is any indication, it’s a search that’s not about to end any time soon. It’s the access to collections and collectors worldwide that eBay has made possible – not to mention great web sites such as Jazz Collector – which go a long way towards enabling this ‘healthy’ habit.

Before the 12-step analogy goes any further, let me assure you that for me, it has been necessary

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Back on eBay and The Bidding is Busy

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:

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For the Price Guide: Mingus, Bags, Rare Savoy

Here are some new records for the Jazz Collector Price Guide:

When did this one become a collectible that would fetch a price tag of nearly $200: Charles Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Impulse 54. This was an orange label stereo pressing in M- condition. It sold for $178.05. Quite a nice price for this LP, right? I have a stereo copy in my collection also in M- condition, beautiful. If anyone wants it for $175, just send me a note and I will sell it to you.

I almost bid on this one and now kind of regret that I didn’t: Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet, Blue Note 1509. This one was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it looked to be in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover, although the seller could have been a bit more forthcoming with the grading. It sold for a little more than $100, and

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