Wow

The comments on the previous post were intriguing, to say the least, so I jumped over to eBay to see this auction in particular: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address from the seller vinyl-house-uk. The record was listed in Ex+ condition, which I translate into M-, and the cover was Ex/Ex+, which I translate to VG++. The final price was approximately 6,200 British pounds, which I translate to $8,132.92. By my calculation that’s the top price I’ve seen for True Blue, which seems to be confirmed by Popsike. For those who keep an eye on these sorts of things, is this the highest legitimate price we’ve seen for any 12-inch jazz LP? If not, what is? Looking at some of the other items from this auction, my eyes are popping out of my head. Read more

Volumes of Jazz Vinyl

I’ve been back in New York for the past week or so, but haven’t had a chance to visit any record stores. If you had a few days in New York, where would you shop these days? If you were shopping on eBay, here are some of the items you may have considered, starting with Pete LaRoca, Basra, Blue Note 4205. This was an original New York USA pressing that looked to be in VG+ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover, although the seller listed it as VG++ (it wasn’t). When we wrote about it last week, the bidding was in the $750 range. The final price was around $1,190. I kind of assumed this would have been the highest price ever for this record, but according to Popsike a copy last summer sold for $2,375. There were also a few others that ended up in the $1,000 bin, so my assumption was not quite accurate. Read more

Blue Notes, Millennials, Autographs

Back to eBay. Closing the files on some of those auctions from Carolina Soul, we start with The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This was an original pressing. The record was listed in VG condition with a slight warp. The cover was listed in VG- condition with a 6-inch seam split. The final price was $1,911.56. Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, Blue Note 1513. This was another original Lexington Avenue pressing. This one was in VG+ condition for the record and VG for the cover. The final price was $1,525. Read more

“A Pretty Nice Batch of Sides”

Let’s turn this one over to our friend Japhy, who sent me the following note under the subject “New Trombone, New High!”

“Heya, Al, just randomly nosing around eBay and noticed a few records, all from the same seller. Not one of the more-known sellers we talk about, but the guy recently sold a pretty nice batch of sides for some hefty sums. Included in those were Curtis Fuller New Trombone, Prestige 7107, which at $1,259 set a new record, and also a Riverside white label Monk Plays Ellington, which, at $1,077, was the third highest ever, according to Popsike. Read more

A Hot and Heavy Threesome

It’s pretty rare for me to come across a rare jazz record on eBay whereby I had never heard of either the artist or the record. Here’s one: The Mike Taylor Quintet, Pendulum, EMI Columbia 6042. This is an original 1966 UK pressing listed in EX+ condition for both the record and the cover. A quick eBay search tells me that I probably should have heard of Mike Taylor because of his association with Cream as a songwriter. But I don’t know his music and his story seems quite tragic: drowning in the River Thames at the age of 30 following years of heavy drug use and homelessness. Anyway, the bidding for this record is pretty hot and heavy, with the price already at $2,100. Read more

Filling Up the $1,000 Bin

Catching up on the eBay jazz vinyl watch list. Let’s start with one that was sent to me by Japhy: Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original deep-groove. West 63rd Street mono. The record and the cover were both in VG++ condition. The final price was $1,650. Japhy’s note was titled “Swinging for the fences,” and he did my homework for me: “A new high of $1,650 for Jackie McLean Swing, Swang, Swingin’ in reported VG++/VG++ condition. Prior high was $1,283 back in 2005.” Speaking of “Swingin’” new highs, we were watching this one the other day: Read more

Still Here, Still Watching That Jazz Vinyl

Whew, it’s been a long time  between posts. Sorry about that. All is well, but there’s been a lot going on here. I’m even back in New York City for a bit. Set up a new turntable here and brought some records back to the apartment, mostly duplicates. Haven’t been following eBay closely, but I should be back in regular action, such as it is, starting today. So, let’s look at some of the jazz records and auctions we’ve missed along the way, starting with Hank Mobley Sextet, Blue Note 1560. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing with the deep grooves, ear, etc. The record and cover both looked to be in M- condition. The final price was $3,036.23. Read more

High Tide for Jazz Vinyl

Ella and Louis, Verve 4003. This was an original pressing with the orange and yellow label. It was listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The seller was Carolina Soul. The final price was $465, the highest we’ve ever seen for Ella and Louis. Music doesn’t get any better than this, IMHO. Pretty good cover too, wouldn’t you say? I didn’t realize this had become this highly valued as a collectible but, hey, if I didn’t have a copy of this record I’d be fine to pay the going rate. Maybe even sell one Blue Note and get two or three copies of Ella and Louis, just in case.

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Whims

I’m back watching eBay and it’s really hard not to return to the Blue Notes, particularly in light of the discussion on the previous post, but let’s resist the temptation and start with one from a few weeks ago: Booker Ervin Quintet, Cookin’, Savoy 12154. Someone, I think it was Gregory the Fish, mentioned that the bottom may be collapsing on some of the non-Blue Note, non-Prestige pressings from the ‘50s. I don’t doubt that it may be happening, as GTF is far more active in the market than I am these days. However, I must say I’m not seeing it from some of the records I’ve been watching on eBay and this is one of them. It was a second pressing with the maroon label. The seller identifies it as a second pressing. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG+. The final price was $788.99. I’ve had a copy of this record for years, also with the maroon label, and I used to wonder if, perhaps, maroon was the original label, since I had never seen a red label in person. But, eBay has cleared that up and, indeed, if you have a red label of Cookin’, you have an original.

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More Love (And Higher Bids) For Blue Note 4200 Records

I was watching the latest auction from the Jazz Record Center, so let’s get into another Blue Note day, starting with Sam Rivers, Contours, Blue Note 4206. This was an original New York USA pressing with the Van Gelder stamp and “Audition Copy” stamped on the back. The record looked to be in M- condition and the cover was probably VG++. The final price was $754. From what I can see on Popsike, this is the second highest price for this record, or any Sam Rivers record. Several years ago, a copy of Contours sold for $810. Read more

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