One of our perplexed readers sent me this: Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch, Blue Note 84163. This was in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $93, okay for a stereo copy. Except this was not a New York USA pressing or even a Liberty. It was a United Artists pressing, circa the mid-1970s, early 1980s. This happens once in a while, doesn’t it, where these United Artists pressings fetch collectible prices. The buyers are either 1. ignorant; 2. careless; 3. desperate; or 4. all of the above.
This one also came in from a reader, perplexed I think as well, from the high price considering the condition: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was a not-quite-original original because the picture clearly shows the absence of the New York 23 on the label. Beyond that the record is graded VG+, with an audible ticking noise, and the cover was graded VG to VG+. It sold for $2,500.
Wow! That cover looks beat, VG++? VG at best. I am not surprised at this, I was afraid this would happen, the high end stuff is only window shopping for most, and now I think maybe these second, third, and fourth pressings will rise accordingly, I have seen Andrew Hill’s Black b liberty Black Fire sell for over 50 bucks, as well as Grachan Moncur III 70’s Blue Note pressings approach $100.
I remember when you could get those 70’s presses for all under 20 bucks, not now!
Agreed, Jason ! Not very surprising. I supppose in the future, market will be focused on Blue Note, plus a bunch of Prestige, plus a bunch of +/- 50 collectible from various labels, period.
Look at this one, for instance : even a warped copy can be sold to a high price !
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HANK-MOBLEY-soul-station-BLUE-NOTE-4031-47w-63st-/130901093860?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item1e7a502de4
Man,oh man..that’s a nutty amount of money to spend on a item with a warp. Unless they’re replacing a cover or something? To Jason’s point re:Liberty,$50 is cheap if you know you can’t just walk into your local used lp store and find one. Most likely,you’ll find neither the record NOR the store!
Hope this is not a bad omen for me. I’ve been trying to snag an original clean copy of Out to Lunch for years. Might soon be out of my range.
I sold my VG+(+) Liberty OTL for $29.99 through a friend’s shop some years back, as at the time I was purging some “lesser-condition” items. It’s a classic session that I’ve heard so many times, it didn’t seem like a big deal to let it lie for a bit. But yes, a clean original is well out of my price range and even an M- Liberty or King might be soon overpriced.
Look at this one : http://www.ebay.fr/itm/300899742710?clk_rvr_id=477786402432
All of this is making me consider selling some of my beat-up Lexingtons. If a rare record with a warp can sell for nearly $500, one wonders for what price a playable, but noisy, rare record might sell?
or 5. Dont obsess about owning an original pressing, and realise that re-issues can be fine too.