Candy, An Autograph and 10-Inch Vinyl
Here are a few more items from our watch list on eBay, starting with Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. As a bidder I would be careful of the “light background noise” part of the description because the cleanest copies of Blue Notes don’t typically have background noise, at least not the original 12-inch pressings. Other bidders seem to be more sanguine about the description. The bidding is now in the $1,800 range with two days left.
Dizzy Gillespie Volume 1, Atlantic 138. This looks to be an original 10-inch pressing signed on the front by Dizzy Gillespie. I’m sure Don-Lucky or one of our other readers will weigh in on the authenticity of the autograph. The cover looks to be in VG+ condition and the record is described as VG+ as well. Bidding is in the range of $110 and there’s more than a day left on the auction.
Speaking of 10-inch records, we also had our eyes on these:
Lee Konitz Featuring Miles Davis, The New Sounds, Prestige 116. This was an original pressing listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. You don’t often find these 10-inch pressings in such nice condition, unless you happen to get lucky, as I did with the Bruce M. West Baltimore collection last year. This one sold for $360.55
Fats Navarro, New Sounds in Modern Music, Savoy 9005. This was from the same seller and was also listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $113. Any theories as to why the Konitz Prestige sells for more than triple the price of the Navarro Savoy?
That does not look like Dizzy’s autograph at all, to my eyes it’s a totally different name, like “Cory Singer” or something.
Because it’s Konitz “featuring Miles Davis” ??
I’ve noticed a few of these pop up in recent weeks..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Prophetic-Herbie-Nichols-Vol-1-Blue-Note-BLP-5068-Original-10-/151266194456?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item23382af418
first one went in the $300s, second one in the $700s.. this one looks pretty rough, but I’m positive the seller is attempting to ride whatever wave may have been started.
There was a bid retracted on Lee Morgan Candy. There is something fishy there IMO
Agree with Aaron; can’t make that out as “Dizzy” at all – can anyone post a real Diz autograph?
My observation is that both Diz and 10 inchers have seen recent rehabilitation in price – and the Konitz, in what seems to be unequaled condition, would seem an example of this
…I tend to agree with Aaron & Earl regarding the signature on the Dizzy Gillespie LP, although portions of the signers last name share similarities with the way Dizzy generally signed (ie. His G’s looked like a Cursive “S”) the conflict lies in the way they signed the first name on this one. It isn’t something I’ve run across in the past. The other red flag on this one is the style of handwriting above, and the fact that it is signed on the cover as opposed to the back of the LP… Not unheard of back in the day, but certainly not typical, as a ball point pent doesn’t take well to the cover slicks, and most artists preferred to sign lps on the back until the advent of the sharpie… Then again, it looks like the signer did a pen test on the lower right hand of the front cover before signing as well… It is definitely a tough one to call as artists signatures can often vary considerably, but in my mind this one is not worth the gamble without decent provenance.
…I tend to agree with Aaron & Earl regarding the signature on the Dizzy Gillespie LP, although portions of the signers last name share similarities with the way Dizzy generally signed (ie. His G’s looked like a Cursive “S”) the conflict lies in the way they signed the first name on this one. It isn’t something I’ve run across in the past. The other red flag on this one is the style of handwriting above, and the fact that it is signed on the cover as opposed to the back of the LP… Not unheard of back in the day, but certainly not typical, as a ball point pent doesn’t take well to the cover slicks, and most artists preferred to sign lps on the back until the advent of the sharpie… Then again, it looks like the signer did a pen test on the lower right hand of the front cover before signing as well… It is definitely a tough one to call as artists signatures can often vary considerably, but in my mind this one is not worth the gamble without decent provenance.
While I certainly don’t have the experience of don-lucky, I have a fair few signed LPs, and I’ve only ever seen ONE signed on the cover with ballpoint pen (and, alas, it has not aged well). Every single other signed LP I’ve ever seen is signed on the back, almost always in the upper left (for Prestige, for example), next to the names. Then, when sharpie came in, you started to see it on the front. So I’m always extremely skeptical of 1950s signed LPs on eBay which feature rare autographs very attractively right on the front. That doesn’t mean they are not genuine, but it’s a gamble.
‘Joe L’ is right, those front cover autographs generally dont age well. I have an early Miles Davis Lp signed on the cover in his usual red ball point pen in my collection, but it had sadly grown faint with the passage of time. Today’s sharpies aren’t much better unless you gently buff down the high gloss finish on the LP cover before getting the autograph as they can easily be removed or smudge & fade unless the surface is porous enough to absorb the ink… Not to mention the ever present fear of UV exposure. Ahhhhh the joys of collecting rare Jazz vinyl and autographs !
Although I agree with all of you that it probably is not genuine, are you discounting the possibility that the cover was signed many years later? People did bring their albums from early days to be signed by the artist many years after issue.
True Earl, it is entirely possible that Dizzy signed it later in his career, and artist signatures can certainly vary considerably over the course of a lifetime. Some even vary from item to item believe it or not… Case in point, Sonny Rollins has signed a bunch of LPs for me over the years, and the last time I saw him perform live in Tarrytown NY he signed my copy of Saxophone Colossus, and a buddy of mine got him to sign my copy of A Night at the Village Vanguard for me next… The signatures definitely varied. So you just never know when buying second hand unless you were there to get it in person. In either event, there is just something about getting those original first pressings signed by the artist… For me, It’s the proverbial icing on the Jazz Collectors cake !