Category: $1000 Records

Outward Bound, I Wish I Was

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Today we have some random jazz vinyl we are watching on eBay, starting with a pair of Dolphy New Jazz LPs: Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, New Jazz 8236. This looks to be an original purple label pressing with the deep grooves. The record is in VG condition and the cover is VG+. The auction closes in a few hours from when I am posting this, with a start price of about $300 and no bidders. The seller does mention “surface sound” during some soft passages, so that may be scaring away potential bidders. Great album with a great cover. The same seller has Eric Dolphy, Out There, New Jazz 8252. This also looks to be a deep groove purple label original. Same condition as the other, VG with surface sound for the record and VG+ for the cover. This one has bids and is currently in the $200 range. Read more

Patterns, Icons and Socks

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Here are some of the items in our eBay watch list, starting with Gil Melle, Patterns in Jazz, Blue Note 1517. This looked to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing in M- condition for the records and VG++ for the cover. The final price was $2,716. That is the highest price ever recorded for this album, according to Popsike. I own a Japanese pressing of this LP and, frankly, I’ve never listened to it, but somehow I get the sense that it is the label and not the music or the artists that makes this record so coveted among collectors. Maybe next time I get a chance, I’ll put it on the turntable. FYI, the highest price for any of the Melle Prestige records was $544 – and that wasn’t even the one with Kenny Dorham, Gil’s Guests. That one has had a top price of $381. Read more

Shorter Shilling?

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I’m watching a couple of Wayne Shorter auctions on eBay now, starting with Wayne Shorter, JuJu, Blue Note 4182. This looks to be an original New York USA pressing with the Plastylite ear, RVG and deep groove on one side. The record is in VG condition with “surface marks and some scratches” and the cover is also listed as VG. The auction closes in a couple of days and there is a single bid at $300. The more interesting record, to me, is Wayne Shorter, Speak No Evil, Blue Note 84194. I put this one second in this post because I typically like to use a picture with the first record I mention and, for aesthetic purposes, the idea of putting this particular Speak No Evil cover violated my sense of good taste. Read more

Just Another Ho-Hum Day on eBay

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Here are some of the more interesting jazz vinyl collectibles we’ve been watching on eBay. Let’s start with Dexter Gordon, Dexter Calling, Blue Note 4083. This is a mono pressing with the New York USA labels and the RVG stamp in the dead wax. It does not have the Plastylite ear, which, to my knowledge, would probably make it a second press. The seller calls it an original first pressing and states clearly that he will never use any Blue Note guide to assess the generation of any Blue Note pressing. Fair enough. I should note that the seller is Bobdjukic, who, with all due respect, is a tremendously successful marketer on eBay who apparently has a coterie of devoted collectors who trust him and pay top dollar for many of his listings, including this one, which was listed in M- condition for the record and some version of VG++ for the cover. The final price was $1,913.90. According to Popsike that is a new high for Dexter Calling, nearly lapping the previous high price of $1,045. Read more

Really, McCoy!

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I realize it’s a long gap between posts when readers send me links to records that have sold  recently on eBay. It’s like a gentle reminder that you are still out there, which I appreciate. This link came to my in box yesterday from Aaron: McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy, Blue Note 4264. This was an original mono Liberty pressing from the seller Carolina Soul. It was listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. I’ve never purchased from them, but based on the prices they get and their descriptions of the records, I have a sense that they are pretty conservative with the grading. Is that true? In any case, this record sold for $336, with the following note from Aaron: “Hi Al, Not sure if you saw the latest auction for an original mono McCoy Tyner The Real McCoy but it brought back memories of your post from 2014 (Really, McCoy?) when it ‘sold for $171.05, quite a high price for a later Liberty.’” To Aaron and all: In hindsight, I probably misjudged the rarity of and interest in this record back in 2014, particularly the original mono version. According to Popsike, there have been many instances of The Real McCoy selling for more than $200, with a top price of $406. Read more

Four Updates For the $1,000-Plus Bin

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This one comes to us via Clifford, with the comment “Basra into the big boy bin” followed by the pithy commentary “OOF!” Pete LaRoca, Basra, Blue Note 4205. This was an original New York USA mono pressing listed in M- condition for the record. As for the cover, the seller grades it as Ex. From the pictures it is no better than VG+ and probably  on the low end of the VG+ scale at best. The final price was $1,575. Prior to this year, the top price for Basra was $820. But this is the second copy this year to sell for more than $1,000, following a $1,350 sale in February, according to Popsike. OOF! Indeed. Read more

The New Abnormal?

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Interesting article in The New York Times yesterday about how the pandemic has created a spike in the market for collectibles (Here’s How Bored Rich People Are Spending Their Extra Cash). While I think the headline is not quite accurate and designed to attract eyeballs rather than inform (hey, I am still a journalist/editor at heart), the premise of prices going up for collectibles certainly pertains to our jazz vinyl market here at Jazz Collector. Although records are not one of the collectibles mentioned in the article, a lot of our recent posts have been about skyrocketing prices. Perhaps it’s a phenomenon of the pandemic and will wither a bit when the world goes back to some kind of new normal, or maybe it’s indicative of a market that seems to know no ceiling. Whatever it is, it’s becoming more and more tempting to get back in the game and start selling records again. Let’s see why, starting with J. R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in Ex condition for the cover and record. Based on the pictures of the cover that Ex would translate into VG (at best) if I was looking to buy. The final price was $2,650. Read more

The First Blue Note, Anyone?

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Perusing eBay this morning and came upon this listing: “Ridiculously RARE Blue Note Number 1 Meade “Lux” Lewis Pink and Black label.” It stopped me in my browsing tracks because this is a record I have never had the opportunity to own or even to see in person, only as random and rare listings on eBay. It would be nice to own, the first Blue Note release, but the price tag is quite steep. This copy is listed in E+ condition, which is great for a 78. The start price is at $700 and so far there are no bidders, but I’m sure that will change over the course of the next six days until the auction closes. The seller says there were 200 copies pressed with this label. I don’t doubt him, just wondering where the information came from. Just a couple of weeks ago there was this article about this record on Discover Music, The First Blue Note Record is Released: Meade “Lux” Lewis ‘Melancholy Blues.’ Looking on Popsike, the high water mark for this record in the past was about $2,000, and there have been at least four other recorded instances of the record selling for more than $1,000. Pretty cool. Read more

Condition Still Counts (At Least For These Records)

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Normally my eBay watch list is filled with records I am watching to fulfill my mission here at Jazz Collector. There are very few occasions when I actually bid on records and, if you’ve been keeping track, even fewer occasions when my bids are successful. One of the records in my watch list that was for both Jazz Collector and potential purchase purposes was this one: Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 84140. Somehow in more than 50 years of jazz collecting, this record has never made it onto my shelves, and it is a classic, isn’t it, with Blue Bossa and Recorda-Me and Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson? Anyway, this is an original stereo pressing and, I was thinking, perhaps because it was stereo and not mono, the price might be in line with my sensibilities. The record is in VG++ condition and the cover is M- and when I first spotted the record it was in the $200 range. We are now two hours from closing as I write this and the price is close to $600. I expect it to sell for a bit more than that, so I will just keep looking. I still don’t know why I don’t have a copy. I mean, back when I started collecting I probably could have gotten a Liberty pressing for $5 or so at any of the local record stores. Read more

Jazz Vinyl From Europe, U.S., and a Wish List

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Another day, another batch of rare jazz vinyl from eBay. Let’s start in Europe with Barney Wilen, Tilt, Swing LDM 30.058. This looks to be an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. The bidding is in the $300 range and there are four days left on the auction. This has been a high-end collectible since I began watching eBay many years ago and has sold for more than $1,000 several times, including a high of $2,700, according to Popsike. I’ve never owned this record, nor have I heard the music. In fact, if it weren’t for eBay, I probably wouldn’t know about it. I’ve always been impressed whenever I’ve listened to Wilen, so I imagine it is collectible not just because it is rare, but because the music is also first rate. Oui? Read more

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