No Clowning Around: What’s Going On?
I’ve been perusing eBay this morning and a few items caught my eye, including Art Blakey, Blue Note 4003. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing and it looks to be in very nice condition. Based on the seller’s description, probably VG++ for both the record and the cover. There is a start price of $200 and so far there are no bidders, even though the auction closes in just one day. Just last week a copy of the same record, probably a little bit cleaner, sold for more than $1,000. What gives?
This one also startled me: Charles Mingus, The Clown, Atlantic 1260. The record is in M- condition and the cover is in M- condition and there is some torn shrink wrap. The bidding is now at $455. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention — it’s not an original pressing. It’s a later pressing with the purple and orange label. What gives here? You’ll notice that it’s part of the sale of the collection from the late Dr. Herb Wong, but surely that can’t be enough to vault a second (or third) pressing into a new stratosphere, can it? It can’t be the shrink wrap, can it? Help me out here: $455 (and counting) with five more days to go?
This seller has some nice items on eBay now, including: Kenny Burrell, Prestige 7088. This looks to be an original New York yellow label. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG+. The bidding is in the $340 range with five days left on the auction. From the same seller is Curtis Fuller, Bone and Bari, Blue Note 1572. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The bidding is in the $200 range.
I expect the bidders on The Clown don’t know it’s not a first pressing.
I think folks see that purple atlantic logo and assume that its old, not realizing the labels go back even further. It would be wild if the messengers LP went for less than this Mingus.
the Clown is a third pressing (black>bull’s eye>orange/purple). Some people are happy in their ignorance and you cannot blame them.
the other seller “carolinasound” has got a nice bunch of Prestige albums running into high numbers with still five days to go. A few only are NM, but many VG items which various minuses.
The Wong feeding frenzy is off the charts – 70s and 80s Ellington sets going for over $100 – but we can rest assured that the funkyou folks will be getting their investment back!
The “Clown” is a fourth pressing, Black Label, Pinwheel Label, White Fan, Black Fan. The seller Funkyousounds was primarily a DJ centric dealer when they started on ebay. In the early 2000’s they used to get high water prices for lps with “breaks” no matter what the condition of the vinyl because the all the wannabe producers could “clean it up on the computer”. Other sellers would have the same records in NM condition but would get lower and sometimes much lower prices???? This pressing of the Clown sells steadily for around $35 on Ebay. Even the black label mint has only sold above $277 three times. I just don’t get it!!
I believe the vinyl resurgence that has happened over the past few years is bringing in a lot of new buyers who are not taking the time to research before they bid. I’m seeing so many $30 dollar records selling for $100 or more.
I’ve gone through over 20 pages of completed Wong LPs and have yet to find one that doesn’t have at least a bid. That’s shocking!
Twenty pages of straight sales–now that’s impressive. I’ll reserve the word “shocking” to describe the price this Jamal LP received from the Wong auction…
http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-AHMAD-JAMAL-TRIO-The-Awakening-IMPULSE-LP-NM-PROMO-/311512872627?hash=item48879d36b3%3Ag%3AL7cAAOSwhkRWfyCm&nma=true&si=RV2i6cWWDzNCOVdvwcpu5qGeSSk%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Funkyou is known for going to cities across the US and blanketing communities with flyers then swooping in to buy collections…and even whole record stores.
I just picked up a nice mono copy (of a holy grail item for me) of Oliver Nelson “Blues and the Abstract Truth” for $30, plus an old “Jazztone” record of Kai Winding and Sonny Stitt and “First Place” by J.J. Johnson for an additional $11. There are finds out there, you just have to be patient and move away from your keyboard. An excuse me for the snark.
I copy/paste my previous comment from the other post… Apparently there has been bid retraction on the Clown… now it is “only” at 277… The guy had bidded 701 $… No comment….”Clown” seems to be the appropriate word
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHARLES-MINGUS-The-Clown-ATLANTIC-LP-NM-SHRINK-/381507337725?hash=item58d39bfdfd:g:MhgAAOSw5dNWhbho
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHARLES-MINGUS-The-Clown-ATLANTIC-LP-NM-SHRINK/381507337725?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140602152332%26meid%3De9235544d79b44b69391e20e8e0b6e3a%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D9%26sd%3D311512872627
Now it as 49 $ !! Gear down !
Maybe the guys who put bids on that one have seen this topic? 😉
The Curtis Fuller “Bone & Bari” listing makes no mention of “deep groove” or “ear stamped in deadwax”— only “RVG stamp”. Most likely a Liberty pressing. Nice record by all means, but not one I would break my wallet for.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Curtis-Fuller-Bone-Bari-LP-Blue-Note-BLP-1572-Mono-RVG-47-W-63rd-VG-/381508890943?hash=item58d3b3b13f:g:TlEAAOSwX~dWiJlG
The seller stated that there is no ear or DG on the Bone & Bari so it looks like a Liberty Press for sure.
I have the same Bone & Bari pressing but it’s signed by Curtis Fuller..