Prestige | jazzcollector.com

End of an Era

February 10, 2016 Al 40 comments

I see there was a mention in the previous post of the impending closing of the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago. Thought it is worth having a separate post if people choose to comment. I had some great experiences at that store. I’m sure I’ve told the story here before, but let me tell it again. Back in the mid-1980s I would go to Chicago fairly often on business and I would typically stay at the Hilton on Grand Avenue. It was just a short walk to the Jazz Record Mart and I always made sure I had extra time to do some record shopping. I think it was the first time I was there, I was looking through the rows of LPs when I noticed that there were also 78s on bottom shelves. I got down on the floor and began looking through the 78s and, to my great pleasure and surprise, there were hundreds of Prestige 78s — all of which looked like they were old store stock and had never been played. I started pulling them out, one after another after another after another. Pretty soon I must have had at least 60 Prestige 78s in various piles next to me on the floor. Read more

Catching Up (Again) On Jazz Vinyl Auctions

February 7, 2016 Al 11 comments

And now I will clean out some more jazz vinyl from my eBay watch list, starting with Louis Smith, Smithville, Blue Note 1594. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The seller listed the record and cover as VG++, although the picture of the cover looked less than VG++ to these eyes. Nonetheless, the record sold for $1,677.

Jazz By Sun Ra, Transition 10. This was an original pressing with the booklet. The record was listed in Ex condition and the cover was VG++. The final price was $1,475. In a similar vein there was also Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra Playing Secrets of the Sun, Saturn GH 9954. This was an original pressing. The record was probably VG+ based on the seller’s description and the cover was also VG+. The final price was $1,135.

These have all been mentioned in previous posts, but now we have final prices to consider:

Milestones and More

February 6, 2016 Al 5 comments

I don’t want to interrupt the discussion on the previous post, so please keep it going. With all of the action the past few days, we’ve reached somewhat of a milestone here at Jazz Collector. According to the statistics compiled by WordPress, yesterday we went over 2 million page views since we began tracking such things back in the fall of 2008. Our first month we had 296 page views and last month we had about 40,000.We are now averaging more than 1,350 page views every day. In all we’ve had 1,557 total posts, of which I have written all but seven (although, to be fair, we’ve had several guest columns in which I have been the poster, but it’s been someone else’s words). Anyway, I feel pretty good about all this, how we’ve been able to build the community organically all these years and how we’ve been able to keep the site independent and fun and still just a hobby. No plans for any major changes from my end.

Now, back to jazz vinyl. I see that our friends at the Jazz Record Center have a new auction with a few nice items, including:

Collectible Jazz Vinyl Through the Years

February 3, 2016 Al 57 comments

I’ve been saving this note from Rich (DG Mono) with the idea that someday I would address his questions. That day is today:

“After reading your collecting stories, Al, it’s clear that you’ve been collecting since at least the ’70s. Relatively speaking, where are the biggest spikes in average value over the years? Is the biggest one in the past decade? If so, why do you think that is? eBay? A ‘rediscovery’ of vintage jazz vinyl? Also, when comparing the relative value of a Prestige vs. a Blue Note, do you feel those average proportions have changed, meaning do you think demand for Blue Notes has disproportionally increased in comparison to demand for jazz records on other labels?”

Indeed, Rich, I have been collecting since the ‘70s. 1970 to be precise. When I started out, I was just buying music I liked and didn’t think in terms of prices or value. I didn’t have much money anyway, so a lot of my shopping was in the bargain bins at Sam Goody’s. There came a point where I realized that a lot of the music I liked was out of print and not so readily available. My friend Dan was a jazz guitarist and had “discovered” the great Tal Farlow records from Norgran and Verve from the 1950s and was on a perpetual mission to find and accumulate each of these records. That led him into the world of collectible records, and I followed. Read more

A Rare JAzz Vinyl Quartet

January 21, 2016 Al 15 comments

Here’s a nice 10-inch Blue Note you don’t see very often: Tal Farlow Quartet, Blue Note 5042. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The seller describes the record as being in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The pictures of the record look horrendous. I assume that is just the flash, but as a seller, you’ve got to be more careful when posting pictures. This has a start price of $99 and there are no bidders. Not sure if that is a function of the start price being too high or the poor quality of the pictures. I’d like this record, but not sure I’d be willing to take the chance.

Here’s another one that appeals to me: Elmo Hope, Meditations, Prestige 7010. This is one of the few early Prestiges I don’t own. The record and cover are both in Ex condition, which translates to VG+ in my lingo. It’s an original New York yellow label. There’s shrink wrap and a price label, and I don’t quite know what to make of that because they weren’t using shrink wrap when the record first came out. Probably doesn’t mean anything. There are 10 bids, but it’s still only in the $100 range, which would be quite a bargain for this record. Of course, the price will go up, but by how much? We’ll see tomorrow.

Back to Reality (Sort of)

January 20, 2016 Al 7 comments

I see that everyone is quite focused on the Dr. Herb Wong collection from the seller funkyousounds, so please feel free to continue the discussion on the previous post. For me it’s time to move on to some other records on eBay, starting with a batch from the seller vinyl.unlimited. You may recall that this seller had a bunch of very nice jazz vinyl, seemingly from the top of my want list, but the bidding wasn’t reaching the reserve prices. Well, that changed as the auctions closed and most of the records did wind up selling, and fetching top prices as you might expect. A couple of examples: Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This was an original pressing that was described as VG++ for both the record and the cover, although, IMHO, the dirt on the back of the cover and the labels precluded this record from being VG++. Hopefully the seller was more scrupulous with the vinyl. This one sold for $1,275. Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was an original purple label pressing with a promo stamp. The record was listed as M- and the cover was VG++. The final price was $3,284.56.

Lovely Jazz Vinyl . . . But at What Price?

January 13, 2016 Al 9 comments

I’m watching a lot of rare jazz records on ebay now that have reserve prices. As a seller, I used to occasionally use reserves, but as a buyer I find them annoying. I’d much rather place a bid and know that, if it is the top bid, then I will get the record. Even though I rarely buy on eBay these days, there is a record I’m watching closely, as we are getting close to my birthday once again. I probably shouldn’t mention it here because that will only heighten the interest, but it’s doubtful I’ll actually bid for it so here goes: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG+ condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The bidding closes in four days and is in the $150 range, but it has not yet reached the seller’s reserve price.

The seller vinyl.unlimited has a great batch of records on eBay now, but they mostly seem to have reserve prices as well, and many have not yet reached those prices. Some of the listings are:

Catching up On Jazz Vinyl Auction$$$$$

January 11, 2016 Al 18 comments

Here’s an update on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Sonny Rollins, Rollins Plays for Bird, Prestige 7095. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. It sold for $430.55. This was one of the records in the batch from the seller carolinasoul, which seemed to capture the attention of a number of readers. A few other items of interest from this auction: Roy Haynes, Out of the Afternoon, Impulse 23. This was an original mono pressing with the orange label. The record was M-. The cover was VG+ and it had a cut-out hole, which always diminishes the record in my eyes. This one was undiminished to others however and sold for $334. Red Garland, All Mornin’ Long, Prestige 7130. This was an original New York pressing with the original cover. The record was VG++ and the cover was VG+ with writing on the back. The final price was $709.99.

No Clowning Around: What’s Going On?

January 5, 2016 Al 16 comments

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?

Later Pressings and Rising Prices: Merry Christmas

December 25, 2015 Al 13 comments

CeeDee sent a note last week with a few links, including the Red Garland Manteca we mentioned the other day. Another one from the list: Stan Getz, The Steamer, Verve 8294. This also came from the Herb Wong collection. I love this record, but this was a second pressing with the MGM logo. It was in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $97. An aberration or a shift in the market? Seed’s comment was that it “looks like even the more commonly seen LPs can bring in a haul these days.” That’s true to an extent, although it’s hard to say that even the MGM presses are commonly seen. We’ll keep an eye on this trend. I saved a lot of the MGM pressings from the Irving Kalus collection. I grew my collection on these pressings, almost all purchased from my late friend Red Carraro, who had boxes and boxes in his basement for many years. No doubt, Irving purchased them from the same place.

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