Strange (And Not So Strange) Prices on Jazz Vinyl
Wow. That Ben Webster record I mentioned yesterday — Ben Webster, Soulville, Verve 8274 — sold for a whopping $201.50. Although the seller listed it as an “original” there was a clear picture that showed it was an MGM pressing. What do the MGM’s sell for, generally, $20 or $30, at best. The bidders either weren’t paying attention to the picture or they mistakenly thought it was a bobdjukic auction.
Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This was an original pressing in VG condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $415. These original Blue Notes are so coveted and hard to get that $415 for a VG seems like a reasonable expectation. I bet is sounds nice too. Although this one failed to sell at all: Sonny Rollins, Newk’s Time, Blue Note 4001. The record was listed in VG condition and the cover VG+. The start price was $400, but there was no action.
$400+ for a VG Blue Note. Ugh. I just picked up an original pressing of Dexter Gordon-Go for $20. The vinyl is VG+, but the cover is trashed-poor would be an understatement. With any luck I’ll be able to marry it to a nicer cover.
I think, like perhaps in the bobdjukic auctions, the buyer of the Soulville Lp must just be to lazy to do the research and just trust the sellers description? Shame! If they ever need to sell it, they will most definitely lose big.
“The bidders either weren’t paying attention to the picture or they mistakenly thought it was a bobdjukic auction.”
LOL.!!
The seller of the highly-sought after later MGM pressing looks like the anti-djudik. Barely any text or description at all for the listing. No multi-colored fonts. No exclamation points!!! But apparently, similar, uneducated bidders. Worth noting that the seller has a rating of 3 and there were only two bidders battling it out — although unlike a djudik auction, the two bidders have lots of feedback.
The Newk’s Time didn’t sell. Now why would that be? Personally I blame the poor photo material. That snapshot is so lo-res, so crumby and shot under such a dumb angle, I just can’t stand it. I would have never bid on it because of that. Even if I had the cash. Which I, almost proverbially, don’t 😉