Jazz Records: One of a Kind! Too Good To Be True! Amazing Bargain$!
I’m sure all of you get stopped in your tracks at times by weird listings on eBay or other outlets. Here are a few from my list, starting with Lester Young, Norgran MG N-1022. I’ve noticed this on eBay for at least a couple of months. I can’t imagine why it hasn’t sold yet. The buy-it-now price is only $250,000 U.S. dollars or, as we might say here in the states, a cool quarter of a million. Apparently what makes the record this valuable is the stamp that states: “For Demonstration Only Not For Sale.” This is what the seller says about this record: “Our extensive research shows that this may well be the only such demonstration copy in the world or the only surviving one, as there is no record of another such demonstration-only copy ever being sold and there is no catalogued example of it with even similar demo stamp designation or any of the professional vinyl websites.” The seller won’t show full pictures of the cover due to “confidentiality purposes.” I’m not going to make any catty comments, beyond the fact that I’m sharing this with you in a post about weird listings. I looked at the copy in my collection and it is a beauty, definitely from the collection I bought in Baltimore because the previous owner, Bruce M. West, kept his records in mint condition and put the date or month he acquired it in small ink on the back cover. The date was 5/56. Alas, there is no “For Demonstration Only Not For Sale” stamp on my copy, so I guess I will have to put off my retirement. That wasn’t too catty, was it?
This is another weird “only one in the world” listing, but the seller seems to have specific knowledge and credibility and his asking price is “only” $2,000 as opposed to $250,000. I will use the headline from the listing: Rare 78rpm Machito ‘No Noise’ Outtake c. 1948 – Possibly One of a Kind. The seller explains that he is a collector, salsa musician and possible expert on records issued in this era. He claims that this is an alternate take disc that was mistakenly issued by Mercury. He also claims that most copies were recalled and/or destroyed for being the “wrong” take. Interesting. Not something I’ve ever heard of but, based on his knowledge and description, I have no reason to question his version and veracity. I guess the question I would have is, even if it is true and this is the only copy, is there a Machito or Flip Phillips completist collector out there who would have to own this record and would be willing to pay $2,000 for it. I guess the answer is maybe? Stranger things have happened. Perhaps not as strange as paying $250,000 for a Lester Young LP on Norgran, but somehow I don’t think that will happen either.
Here’s another record by a seller who’s chutzpah you have to admire: Hank Mobley, Prestige 7061. This looks to be an original New York yellow label. The seller lists the record in VG condition and the cover in VG+ condition, but with caveats all around. First, the seller says he has his own grading system. He wants to make sure you don’t miss this point because there are a couple of dozen exclamation points scattered in the listing. For example: “IF YOU DON’T AGREE WITH THE PICS AND OR GRADING SYSTEM DO NOT BID!!!!!!!!” I, for one, do not agree with the grading system. When I look at the pictures of the cover, what I see, rather than a cover in VG+ condition, is a cover that I would generously describe as G+ to VG- (on a good day). Weird enough. But what threw me over the top with the claim that the record was VPI cleaned and play graded “WITH MY OWN INVENTION OF REMOVING 90% OF NOISE AND DIRT ON MOST LPS.” I like that 90%. It has a nice ring to it. There is also the warning that all records might have a slight warp and surface noise, manufacturing defects and flaws. The bidding starts at $350 and the buy-it-now price is $1,200. So far there are no bids.
It’s annoying that we can’t see the entirety of that Lester Young cover or label. $250 seems fair. Maybe they just got carried away with the zeroes.
If you can find the U.K. version of this record, take a look at Lester’s portrait. It’s not the U.S. (D.S.M.) but shows a man who seems to be dumbfounded by the whole thing…. this goes for me too ! Dear Al, can we get back to reality ? By the way, the record is a joy.
I was following this 250k Pres album for a while. Had concluded the guy is completely nuts.
The Lester listing is one of the strangest listings I’ve ever seen, even ignoring the ridiculous price. You have to sign an NDA to see the cover! You have the option to donate it to the Library of Congress! WTF is this guy talking about?
When you look at the other stuff this guy’s been selling,mostly clothes and shoes, you can see why he might have priced this LP over optimistically.Ridiculous!
Seller is in Fort Myers Florida, on the gulf side of the state. Somethin’ in the water over there for real. (Not to say us’n’s on the Atlantic side are all that sane).
VG++ on that Mobley sure sounds great, until you read that according to his proprietary grading system, VG++ records “may or may not play through without any skips”. Funny how non goldmine grading that some sellers use always errs in favor of the seller.
Yeah, VG+ seems to mean Poor in that Mobley seller’s grading descriptions. So VG++ is probably Fair to Good.
The thing that baffles me is that with a couple of more or less globally recognized grading systems in place, why on earth would you even come up with your own completely different one in the first place? So weird. I agree with @what_can_brown — it’s a very convenient (and tricky) way to confuse buyers and then refute their post-sale complaints.
Got an Alert from EBAY this morning… “Bidding at $2,000.00. Last call for RARE 78rpm MACHITO ‘NO NOISE’ OUTTAKE c. 1948 – POSSIBLY ONE OF A KIND”. Well… bidding is not at $2000. The reality is there are NO bids.
May I call your attention to this listing? Not quite as crazed as the ones listed, but just as unreasonable for a record stated to skip.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/294572130265?hash=item4495ddffd9%3Ag%3AYmwAAOSwyrthkyZb&LH_ItemCondition=3000
Enjoyed this post immensely, Al. It drives the JC car outside the familiar ruts in the road to explore something closer to the ditch. I appreciate the surprise! Note: many of my fave lp descriptions and commentary turn out to be from sellers who primarily specialize in apparel, shoes, carnival glassware, and model cars–w/original box.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255356484074?hash=item3b746eb9ea:g:kskAAOSwISlh88nF
A new grading system would be relevant for this one.
(N B : most of our lps are sent in brand new outer poly sleeve and anti static inner sleeve)
@Michel wow, this Art Blakey is so over the top that it becomes beautiful.. It could be a perfect cynical cartoon in the New Yorker about the ridiculously strange habit of collecting vinyl, or
a perfect new work by Anselm Kiefer.
The last thing a Record Collector ever wants to hear is,
“I’m sorry, but it appears your collection has Mold”.
At least Covid has taught us to Isolate the Infected as Mold is Vaccine resistant.
Seinfeld’s The Bubble Boy episode has some helpful hints too.
Folks, I really enjoy saying this, so here goes! You remember that Lester Young on Norgran. Only known one of its kind. I have it, and, yes, I’ll take $250,000. for it.
I also have the Lester Young on Norgran. Had no idea it was one of a kind. I’ll consider offers of only $200K. If the buyer would like, I could arrange a stamp of “For Demonstration only”.
I’ve been recently on Ebay and it looks like some collectors are selling their collection for the biggest money ever.
I happen to live in Fort Myers, Fl. but have no idea who the seller is. Maybe I will message him to see if I can see the lp in person…
Here’s the deal. Many of these sellers see some huge prices from overseas buyers. With free “relisting” on eBay, the seller just puts it up and maybe get an offer. It’s almost like the “Prince from the Middle East needs a US bank account to store $300 million” scam emails. The problem is…there is eventually some who bite. Any real collector would place an album worth $250,000 in the hands of a major auction house.
maarten- one of the funniest comments I have ever read on JC and spot on. I admire the work of Kiefer enormously and this Blakey was once an amusing OTP (one time play) for me before I sold it. For $14.99 I should jump on it and break my stylus for Art.