No Surprise: Colossus in the $1,000 Bin . . . However
This one was forwarded to me by one of the Jazz Collector readers: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. It was listed as an “original U.S. mono pressing” and the condition was probably VG++ for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $1,009, so welcome to the $1,000 bin. So why did our reader send this to me? Well, there was definitely some kind of aberration in the price and, surprise, it wasn’t too low. See, the record was not an original U.S. mono pressing, unless you consider original U.S. mono pressing to mean that it was originally produced in the U.S., which perhaps if you were to stretch the truth would be a technically accurate statement. In any case, this one was a New Jersey pressing with the yellow label. It didn’t sell for what a New York pressing would typically fetch, but it sold for quite a bit more than what a New Jersey pressing might typically get. Hard to figure if the price was legitimate — someone wanted to pay $1,000 for a second pressing of a great record in nice condition — of if the buyer was careless and/or ignorant. In any case, the responsibility should be with the buyer because there was a clear picture of the Jersey label. But the seller could also have been more circumspect, don’t you think? I wonder if this means early second pressings of some of the really rare ones — such as Saxophone Colossus, or the Sonny’s Crib we’re also watching — will now become regulars in the $1,000 bin. I wouldn’t be surprised.
That is interesting that a second pressing sold for over $1k. Does anyone know if the covers are any different on the NJ second pressing compared to the NY first pressing, or are they identical?
the front of the cover is identical, on the back there is the NYC adress for the first pressing, whereas the NJ pressing does not have any adress at all: they took the old adress off. Very often the reference to G E M albums is found on the bottom right, for the NYC and for NJ versions.
Thanks, Rudolph! I found a copy of this album, but the disc was trashed. The cover looks great in a frame.
Here are some pics of my Bergenfield copy. The Cover at least
http://postimg.org/image/l1sv8ic89/
http://postimg.org/image/syypbdzk1/
I wonder if the buyer knows that the seller misrepresented it? Said it was an original. LOL! (we went into that bit last month I believe! Interesting how grey/vagueness is rampantly sweeping it’s ugly head all through ebay. Oh, it’s been like that for years and years!)
I bid $200+ on a Bergenfield press (SAX COLLOS) a few months back. That’s a LOT for a repress! Wow I want one of these so bad! Preferably the 50th St. press. I guess my cd will suffice for now (?)
GEM is a printers code most noteably found on REPRISE stuff from the mid 60s to early 70s. Can’t remember which print plant but I’m sure it would be easily looked-up-able (LOL!) I don’t know if the co goes back to the 50s(?)
zarabeth74: what do you mean by LOL?
G E M appears on original first pressings of Prestige, but has not lasted longer than the late fifties.