Category: $1000 Records

Watching Rare Jazz Vinyl In Tip-Top Condition

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We’re watching the latest auction of jazz vinyl from the Jazz Record Center, which closes in a few days. Here are some of the highlights:

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This is an original New York pressing that looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. This one is in the $900 range. I am happy to say, I recently purchased a near mint New York copy of Colossus in the Irving Kalus collection, which I will be writing about as soon as I get a chance.

Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This is an original pressing in beautiful M- condition for both the record and the cover. This price is already more than $1,800 and at the rate it is going you would expect that it may even top $3,000.

Kenny Burrell, Blue Notes Volume 1, Blue Note 1596. This is an original pressing and of course it has the Andy Warhol cover. This one is also in beautiful condition and is currently at $500. I’d expect this do break into the $1,000 bin, wouldn’t you?

A couple more:

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Tracking Some Very High End Jazz Vinyl

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While we were busy buying the Irving Kalus collection, a lot of rare and valuable (and high priced) jazz vinyl was being sold on eBay. Here are some of the high-end items we’ve missed.

Tommy Flanagan, Overseas, Prestige 7134. This is one of the major rarities and it sold like one. The record and cover were both in M- condition. The price was $3,216.66. That’s the first time we’ve seen the record surpass the $3,000 mark in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

While we’re on the topic of $3,000 records: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and the cover. This is the listing that mentioned Jazz Collector as a pricing/value source, which we appreciate. The sale price was $3,600.

This didn’t quite make the $3,000 bin, but it gave it a good run: Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was an original purple label pressing in near mint condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $2,650. Do you think there’s a distinction between a record described as “near mint” versus one described as “mint minus?” Just thought I’d ask. “Near mint” has a nicer ring to it, IMHO.

One more:

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Moving On: A Trio of Blue Note LPs

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It was an interesting week on Jazz Collector following the chronicles of my purchase of the Irving Kalus collection and the subsequent comments, which are ongoing as I type this. Later in the week, when I have time, I will do an epilogue and I will also put all of the posts together in a single story, which will be downloadable as a PDF. The whole thing will probably read a bit like novel all at once. It’s a marvel of our era that through the Internet we could give life to a college essay written more than 60 years ago and create a living online legacy for a man who had passed in relative obscurity, except, of course, to his beloved family and friends. I certainly feel honored and blessed to have been able to play a part in that, so the gift to me is not just Irving’s records but the psychic reward of having done some good work. For all of the time and effort and money I’ve put into Jazz Collector for the past 10 years, this is a real nice payback.

Having said that, let’s move back on the mundane business of watching collectible jazz vinyl on eBay. Here are some items of interest this week:

Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. Irving did not have an original pressing of this, just a blue label Liberty. However, I was fortunately able to pick up an original in a previous collection I purchased. For that whole story you’ll have to wait for the Jazz Collector book, which is still a vision in my brain at this point. This original pressing of Cool Struttin’ is in beautiful M- condition for the record and the cover and is currently priced at more than $2,000. Even at that price it may not sell: It has not yet reached the seller’s reserve.

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A Trio of Blue Notes For a Monday Morning

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Here’s some of the jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay this week:

Here we go again: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. It closes soon and the bidding is in the $2,150 range, except it has yet to reach the seller’s reserve price. I noticed on the listing that the seller points to Jazz Collector for help in ascertaining the value. We’re pleased an flattered and also reminded that we better upgrade our Price Guide this week.

Here are a couple more nice Blue Notes, starting with: Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Tough to find these Lexington Avenue Blue Notes in such nice shape. The price for this one has already surpassed $500 and we won’t be surprised if this one goes beyond $1,000. Not just an original Blue Note, but also has the presence of John Coltrane. Also, Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. The vinyl on this one is only in VG condition and the cover is VG++. Still, the bidding has already topped $500. My personal experience with original Blue Notes of this era is that records that look to be in VG condition, generally sound pretty darn good, so perhaps other potential buyers are hoping that is the case for this record as well.

Catching Up On the $1,000 (Plus) Bin

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Here’s a few I missed, including one for the $4,000 bin and one for the $2,000 bin.

Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original original pressing with the New York 23 on side 2. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover looked to be VG++. It sold for $4,617. Do you ever think about what these artists would feel about their records selling for this kind of money? This single record is a lot more than Mobley ever made for a record date and probably isn’t that far from what he got paid for his cumulate output as a leader on Blue Note. Amazing, when you think about it.

John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was also an original pressing from the same seller. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $2,045. That’s the first time we’ve ever seen Blue Train sell for more than $2,000 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

May as well stay in the $1,000 bin:

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Catching Up On Some Rare Jazz Vinyl

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Here’s an update on some jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay:

Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Interesting, isn’t it, that we’re no longer surprised when VG+ records sell for more than $1,000. This one fetched a price of $1,009. Interesting to look at the cover of this record, given most of the covers that Blue Note was producing at the time, usually featuring some kind of picture of the artist. Simple graphic of a red suitcase and not sure what that has to do with Peckin’ Time or Mobley. There are also no pictures on the back cover. A little bit strange, no? I wonder if there is a story behind the cover?

Here’s another one that broke into the $1,000 bin: Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This looked to be an original pressing, although the seller put in the wrong catalog number. It was listed in VG++ condition for the vinyl and Ex for the cover, which I still take to mean around VG+, although it could be better. This one sold for the same price as the other, $1,009.

I seem to be a bit focused on $1,000 Blue Notes today. Here’s another:

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It’s Quite A Prestige-eous Day At Jazz Collector

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Here are a couple of nice Prestiges, closing soon, ready to take their place in the $1,000 bin: Hank Mobley, Mobley’s 2nd Message, Prestige 7082. This was an original pressing, yellow label, deep grooves and New York address, and it looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It closes within the next couple of hours, as of this posting, of course, and is already at $1,025. From the same seller is Red Garland, All Mornin’ Long, Prestige 7130. This too is an original yellow-label New York pressing and it is in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding has reached $1,000. One more from the same era and the same seller: Ray Bryant Trio, Prestige 7098. This is also an original and also in M- condition for the record and the cover. The bidding is close to $700. Will this too enter the $1,000 bin. Stay tuned.

Updating the $1,000 Jazz Vinyl Bin

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Sorry for taking so long between posts. I had a ton of work on my real job, but no excuses. I promise to do better. So, let’s catch up on some of the records we missed while we were off in the real world.

I had my eye on this, but the price was too high even if I had been paying attention: Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. I was looking at this with a couple of days to go and the price was relatively low. I thought, given the condition, perhaps it might be worth a snipe. It wound up selling for $1,125. However, I do have hope for acquiring this record in the future. I’ve got an idea I may be getting a copy for my birthday one of these days. How did I finagle that? I’ll tell you in another post this week.

John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,602.77.

Whilst we’re perusing the $1,000 bin, here are a few more:

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No Economic Crisis In Collectible Jazz Vinyl Market

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Now that I have that Bird article out of my system, it’s time to get back to the task at hand, watching rare jazz vinyl on eBay. Here are some of the items we’ve been watching:

Phil Woods, Woodlore, Prestige 7018. As you may recall, this one was sitting at $200 with no bids and I was considering taking the plunge myself. Glad I didn’t. The record wound up selling for $527 — way beyond my comfort level — and, to make it worse, there is now a dispute about the sale, as you can see on the Jazz Collector site under the earlier post. From the same seller was: Charlie Rouse, Yeah!, Epic 16012. If you look at the listing, you’ll have a hard time figuring out the record’s condition. It says both ex+ and ex- and it talks about light scratches that will sound on both sides. Hmm. Someone paid $538 for this record. We’ll see if there’s a dispute about this one as well.

Wow — didn’t expect this record to reach the $1,000 bin: Hank Mobley, Workout, Blue Note 4080. This was an original New York USA pressing, with the RVG and ear in the deadwax. It was in beautiful M- condition for the record and cover and sold for $1,009.99.

This one also entered the $1,000 bin, but not all that suprisingly:

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Watching A Pair Of Heavy-Duty Jazz Collectibles

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My goodness, here’s a jazz collectible to make the heart flutter (my heart, at least): Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, Prestige 7150. This is an original yellow label pressing, although the record itself is a reissue. No big deal, right? Except this one is autographed by, get this, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. That’s about as an impressing a lineup of jazz autographs as you could get on one record. This one is being auction by The Jazz Record Center so I would be one to trust that the signatures are original. Perhaps Don-Lucky or another autograph collector might shed more light. In any case, the bidding on this one starts at $2,500 and there is already a bid so the record will sell. If I had this one, I’d frame it for sure.

Here we go again: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original original pressing, based on all of our feedbacks and comments last week, and it has the New York 23 on the B Side. This one is in M- condition for both the record and the cover and, based on the seller’s description, it sounds like it’s in amazing shape. The auction closes later today, in about four hours, and the bidding is in the $2,000 range. My guess is that it goes in the $4,000 range. If it was from a seller with more history and more of a reputation using this description it would probably break the $5,000 barrier. Maybe even more. And maybe it will with this seller. We’ll see soon.

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