For the $1,000 Bin: Jimmy Smith, Blue Note

I entered this one into the Jazz Collector Price Guide the other day and I had to give it a special call out: Jimmy Smith, A New Sound, A New Star, Blue Note 1514, Volume 2. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge, deep groove and all of the other markings that would guarantee that this would have been an original pressing. It was sold by a reputable seller and it was listed in M- condition and, in fact, was noted to be in “superb” condition. I cite this record because of the sales price, which was $1,074. It was quite a surprise to us to see one of the Jimmy Smith records, even an original Blue Note, in the $1,000 bin. In addition, this is a record that does not feature any of the Blue Note hornmen, so that this would be the Jimmy Smith record to break the $1,000 barrier was equally surprising. But, there it is. Just goes to show the power of original Blue Notes in today’s market.

Here’s another that came up just short of the $1,000 bin:

Jimmy Smith, A New Sound, A New Star Volume 1, Blue Note 1512. This was from the same seller and had all the same characteristics as Volume 2: Lexington Avenue address, deep groove, flat edge, near mint condition. This one sold for $855