Diggin’ a Pony and More
Here’s another collectible jazz record that is new to me: Pony Poindexter, En Barcelona, Spiral LP 11. This looks to be an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The final price was $495 and there were four bidders. The seller lists it as a European “holy grail,” an expression I have come to hate after all these years on eBay. I did a quick search and found some information on the record: Recorded in Spain in 1972, only issued originally in Spain. The music seems to be available on disc and on download. Is it worth a listen?
I was also watching a few Lee Morgan records, starting with: Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. This was a pressing that had one side Lexington Avenue and one side West 63rd. It looked to be in nice shape, but the seller wanted $1,400. There were no buyers at that price, no surprise to me considering that it is clearly not an original pressing. So the buyer didn’t get any offers at $1,400 and now has a listed at $2,000. Go figure.
This one was in far worse condition:
Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. This was in VG condition for the record and the cover, according to the seller, who nonetheless put a price tag of $1,500 on the record. No surprise, there were no bids. The seller has changed strategy: The record is listed now and the price is $11.50 — but there is also a reserve price, so who knows whether it will sell this time. Then there was Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This one was listed in VG- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $264, which is reasonable, I guess.
Never heard that Pony but it’s pretty dang rare (whether or not it’s interesting is another matter). That said, it looks like one went for just $81 in similar condition a few years ago.
man, if i spent $264 for a record and it played VG-, which on eBay usually means “used as an ice-skating rink by the hulk”, i would be pretty sad as i listened to it play. but i suppose some people can deal with that much crackle, or the occasional skip. bless ’em.
It’s also a French VG– which has to be pretty rough!
Hi. I’ m from Barcelona. The Pony’ s is a rare record and nice issue but mussically not worth.
PS. The original Poindexter in Barcelona has one insert. In this $495 copy was missing.
VG- copies of records that desired (especially Candy) wouldn’t preclude me purchasing and enjoying them. However I’m with you that anything I pay $250+ for would need to be a heck of a lot nicer than that. I also don’t tend to bid on rare records from overseas. Call me gun shy but the hassle of dealing with it if something goes wrong scares me.
The seller on the Lee Morgan Indeed in VG is a well known person in the scene for 50 odd years. I was offered the record at $1000, so I would imagine that’s where the reserve is for anyone interested.
I’ve got the reissue of the Piny on Vinyl. Played in once, IMHO uninspired musically from memory…
I find the trade between rare and quality of music an interesting subject. If it’s rare and poor musically
surely it’s not worth the purchase? and in VG- !!
oops…*Piny..Pony.
The Pony, Gumbo LP is a great record IMHO, but others seem to disagree with that too.
Steve, same here, but I’m assuming VG- means there will be skips. It isn’t SUPPOSED to mean that, but we all know that it probably does in the end, especially on eBay. And that would keep me from enjoying. But I agree with you in general, a little crackle isn’t the end of the world.
Speaking of crackle, Carolinasoul has a bunch of records going in the next day or so, and there are a lot of VG records that normally a lot of us can’t afford, but in this field, we might be able to get our hands on some records that play well for a price we can afford. Good luck. I bought two from this guy before and I got what I thought I was going to get, and I’ll go back and see if I can get a few more.
I think it was Carolinasoul that I won my copies of Go and Somethin’ Else from… Although I felt that the jacket gradings may have been just a little high, the records themselves were undergraded. Both were described as VG-, and were actually about VG. I’d definitely buy from them again.
Also, prices on eBay have seemingly been a little lower than usual, so now might be a good time to go win stuff… I’ve won a few things for lower than expected and have watched a few things end for lower than expected. Anyways, good luck.
Carolinasoul is great if you ask me, I’ve gotten some good deals there in the past half year or so, they often have a great selection and grading is mostly spot on. There’s the occasional slip-up but they process over 1000 records weekly with (I think) a fairly small team so it’s understandable. They offer no questions asked returns and pay your return shipping so it’s no big deal. Shouldn’t be blowing their horn as I’m looking to bid on some of their items this week again but there you go. 😉
(That said their auctions do seem to be attracting some silly prices as of late. They currently have a ‘poor’ copy of Blue Train (West 63rd, R) sitting at $ 36,00 with two days to go. Ridiculous.)
not all prices are slumping. i got WAY outbid on a copy of ‘dakar’ that ended up going for $150+. that’s pretty high for that record.
Hmmm… Maybe I just got lucky on those auctions and saw a few other people have lucky outcomes, too. That happens sometimes even when the market is at a high water mark. I’d like to be seeing a little bit of a slump, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part… A lot of records to get, a lot less money to spend.
And yeah… $36 is a bit much for a Poor West 63rd “R” copy of Blue Train… I’ve been meaning to replace my copy, since the cover is great, but the record is mangled. I can’t say that I feel that optimistic about getting a good price on a replacement, seeing a reissue in bad shape approach $50.
Speaking of Blue Train, did ya’ll see the NY 23 version that closed yesterday? $4,717 is certainly the highest price I’ve ever seen for a copy. http://www.ebay.com/itm/371685634548?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
^ wtf?
Huh…. What was it that Dylan said? “The times, they are a-changin’….”
Wow, that’s crazy. The cover doesn’t even look all that fantastic. VG+(+) is probably right but you’d expect stone M- for both record and cover with a price like that.
Man, I’ve been looking to snag a Plastylite Blue Train (don’t mind what press exactly) for under a 100 bucks for a while now but prices just keep rising. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and go over my house limit before it goes entirely out of reach.
Come gather round jazz fans, whereever you roam
For you know that the prices of Blue Notes have grown
So you beter start buying or you’ll sink like a stone
If this music to you is worth saving …
Plastylite mono Blue Trains, non-DG, are easily around $300 nowadays.
Was watching zzy49’s auctions this past week and can only attribute the price of that Blue Train to the ‘Herb Wong effect.’ They had a lot of classics from a collection of one J. N. Hullett.
Man, it’d be golden if someone did a comprehensive statistical analysis of these rising prices on Ebay with the rising popularity of vinyl these past few years.
The days of reasonably priced Blue Notes, Prestige, even Impulse are over. If you want one you will unfortunately have to step up. There are some people who get lucky finding some of these but for the most part the prices have become out of reach.
Crate diggers unite! We know that it is the hunt and the story that goes along with it which brings the greatest reward. The rich buy with a click and a huge bankroll. We smile with sore knees and are greatful for that beat up blue and white label that peeks out of that beat up cover. Yours truly, pop, hiss, and crackle.
Eh, I’ve amassed about 15 or 20 Plastylite Blue Notes since getting into jazz about two years ago and have never paid more than 100 bucks for one. Granted none of them are better than VG+ and they’re mostly avant garde titles from the 4100 series (that’s where my main interest lies). But if you’re dilligent and willing to take the occasional gamble it’s still possible to get some good stuff on a budget.
“The days of reasonably priced Blue Notes, Prestige, even Impulse are over. If you want one you will unfortunately have to step up. There are some people who get lucky finding some of these but for the most part the prices have become out of reach.”
I’m proud to say I paid $15 for my NY 23 copy about five years ago. It’s hardly NM like the one that sold this weekend, but there’s still bargains to be had if you just dig deep enough!
I personally do not enjoy listening to records where the pops and crackles degrade my listening experience. I would just assume get a reissue and listen to that. It’s all about the music (for me anyway). Yes you can dig and find low grade records (and to me low grade is anything below VG+ and sometimes VG+ is bad depending on the seller) and once every so often you can find NY 23’s in great condition but that is extremely rare. Having said all that, I would never pay thousands for any record. If you are patient and wait long enough there will come that one auction where the bidding is low but it takes patience.
My max is around $500. And that’s an insane amount of money to pay for a record.
yeah, the most i have ever spent on a single record was just past $100, and it was for a record that i would expect to typically sell for upwards of $600. though I do have one record that cost slightly more than what I spent on that, however it was a gift.
I generally prefer a clean 2nd pressing to a poor first pressing. While a 2nd may not have the vibrancy of a true 1st (once you hear it, you understand), listening through background noise and tics can be tiresome. Clean 2nd pressings retain most of the recording ambiance and air of 1st pressings, but are available at lower prices.