Catching Up: Blakey on Elektra, Capuchin Swing

Let’s catch up on a few recent eBay sales.

This one was sold by the Jazz Record Center: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, A Midnight Session, Elektra 120. This was an original mono pressing. Frankly, this is not a record I’ve seen very often and I had no idea what kind of value it had as a collectible. I own a copy, although mine is a stereo pressing. I’ve been going through a lot of my records to catalog them for insurance purposes and because it’s kind of fun in an obsessive compulsive psychotic neurotic kind of way. My copy is in VG+ condition, and I estimated its value at $35. This one was in M- condition and sold for $228. Perhaps I’ll have to adjust my spreadsheet.

I should have been on this one: Jackie McLean, Capuchin Swing, Blue Note 4038. This one was listed a West 63rd but it did not mention

whether it had a deep groove, an RVG in the wax or an ear. One potential buyer asked about the ear and the deep groove, and the seller didn’t really know what he was talking about. He said it had a groove, but he wasn’t sure if it was a “deep groove.” And he said it didn’t have an ear but a “small round circle.” My bet is that the groove was, indeed a deep groove, and the small round circle was, indeed, an ear. I’ll never know. I didn’t bid on the record and someone else got it for $224.50. It was in pristine, M- condition. Near mint original pressings of these great LP almost always sell for more than $300 and we’ve seen it sell for more than $560 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. I think someone got a bargain and will be quite pleased.