Heavy Hitter$
I went a few weeks back to clean out my eBay watch list and found a few items to share before moving forward. Here are some high-end items from the seller 1molecularrman, starting with Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This was an original New York yellow label listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $2,175. I didn’t recall ever seeing a higher price for this record, but I don’t watch eBay every day the way I used to. Checking with Popsike . . . . yes, this is the highest price ever recorded for For Lady.
From the same seller there was Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This was an original pressing listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG for the cover. The final price was $4,412. And one more: Paul Quinichette, On the Sunny Side, Prestige 7103. This was an original New York yellow label listed in VG++ condition for the record and the cover, although the description of the record sounded more like VG+ to me. The final price was $745. That was the second highest price recorded for this record, the highest being $875.
Here are a few more to stick into the $1,000 bin. Geez, what a startling coincidence: They are all Blue Notes, starting with Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in VG condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $1,194.
Art Taylor, AT’s Delight, Blue Note 4047. This was also an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was listed as VG+ and the cover was Ex. The final price was $1,613.
Kenny Drew, Undercurrent, Blue Note 4059. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing with the deep groove Side 2. The record and cover were listed in VG+ condition. The final price was $3,450.
Freddie Hubbard, Hub Cap, Blue Note 4073. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $1,425.
3 of the 7 records discussed here are not Blue Note. Hallelujah!
Playing off of Paul’s comment as I seek to expand our jazz vinyl topics, have you visited Blue Note with its “new” vinyl releases? 🙂 https://store.bluenote.com/?utm_campaign=246637_09.26.22_Blue%20Note%20Records_AOTW%20%28BN%20All%20stars%29%20V1%20%28STORE%20LINK%29_AOTW%20Opt-ins_231870_US&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dotmailer&dm_i=4YWU,5AB1,1JTBD7,Q0PB,1
the seat cushion is what really sticks out to me.
I’ve got a copy of that Quinichette. It’s the strangest thing, though, as one entire side is unplayable. Not scratches or wear, but rather it has a weird “wavy” (not a warp, but maybe heat damage?) look on the entire side and the needle just slides right across. The other side is perfectly fine! Weird.
Also, the Kenny Drew and Freddie Hubbard were sold by Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis, a shop we’ve talked about before as famously paying chump change (first-hand witnessed) for valuable records people bring in. I’d wager they paid a couple bucks apiece for those.
I guess at this point record-setting high prices shouldn’t surprise me, but it still seems odd these top prices are for VG+ records. Near mint/unplayed—sure. These are especially rare and don’t come along very often. But there’s enough wiggle room in the descriptions of these VG+ records that I would expect nice but far from perfect copies.
Times have certainly changed. I hardly recognize the marketplace, as compared to a few years ago. The whole reissue-recycling craze is mind boggling.
I’m surprised that the seller 1molecularrman, of the Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601,gets the prices for almost all of his rare records, for one, most of them are Vg/Vg+, and he does not sale to international buyers ,i would think that would hurt his sales
Beautiful record “For Lady” by Webster Young. I remember paying 10 years ago, about $400 NM
The Paul Quinichette is very underrated
For Lady (clean) brought a thousand dollars in the early days of ebay. Then it dropped, but now it seems to be back. It’s one of the rarest Prestige, and its very good. Webster Young was rarely recorded.
Man,oh man-that Hub Cap release is a favorite from Freddie. His “Cry Me Not” performance should be mandatory listening for young trumpeters(and for anyone else with ears). I’ve been trying to score an original for years w/o any luck-at $1,400 I’d say my luck has quickly changed(for the worse). The music and graphics capture Hubbard’s forward-looking, adventurous, immensely talented sound at the time. It was a clarion call-at least,it was to those lucky enough to have heard it upon its release. More than fifty years later,it STILL brings tears to my eyes.
By the way, another lp mentioned-“Undercurrent”-was one I owned some 40 years back. It was in great shape,but it didn’t move me at all. I think “the cats” may have been phonin’ it in that day,compositions and solos. So I did the only reasonable thing-I traded it in with some unwanted vinyl to a place long gone,Titus Oakes. If I got 40 bucks for them all,I’m sure I felt pretty good about myself.
So it went for 3.4k,huh? I guess it’s not only great music that can move me to tears. Yikes!
Ceedee it’s nice to hear I’m not alone in my opinion of “undercurrent”. I don’t dislike it, but nothing on the record really moves me or gets me excited. So I’m content with my music matters pressing. Unless of course I find it in my local used bin for $100!
Ceedee! Enjoyed reading your post. In hindsight, I also remember lps such as ‘Undercurrent,’ some Stanley Turrentine, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, etc. Blue Note lps that sounded dead to my ears and thus I let go/traded for perhaps, decades ago, a fair sum but nowadays a pittance. Guess it’s all in the ears of the behearer or, these days, the one with the fattest bank account.
Anyone else notice the $30K in bids on the OG Sun Ra collection from Carolina Soul Monday??? Wow!!
I miss Al.
Hear! Hear!