A Misadventure in Jazz Collection, The Final Chapter

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What a relief. No more phone calls from Debby, no more emails of pictures, no more soul searching, no more thinking about logistics, about renting a van, hauling records down three flights, driving 10 hours, figuring out where to put the records, trying to flip a portion of the collection to get my money back quickly. All in all, I was very satisfied with the way things had transpired.

I probably could have purchased the collection, perhaps for $40,000, perhaps a little more, perhaps a little less, if I had really wanted it and was very aggressive and unconcerned about driving to Rochester and all of the logistics. But, in the end, it didn’t seem like that great a collection, I already own most of the collectibles, and as The Lovely Mrs. JC asked right at the outset, “Do you really need more records?” The answer was “no” – or at least not these records. Read more

A Misadventure in Jazz Collecting, Part 5

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Five hundred thousand. Dollars. Half a million. That’s what Debby told me her collection was worth. After all the research she’d done, the piles she had pulled together, the broken dining room table, the $250 Woody Hermans and Benny Goodmans, the Japanese reissues and Blue Note originals, after all of that, the grand total was $500,000. And that’s not all. She’d had several subsequent conversations with the Big Shot Record Dealer From Chicago, who shall henceforth be known here as the BSRD from Chicago. He told her that he would pay her half of the retail value for her records.

I tried not to choke. I tried to remain calm and cool as I explained to her, for at least the tenth time, how things actually work in the real world. That what she thought the retail value of her collection was worth, would not be the same as what the BSRD from Chicago would think it was worth. That dealers are in business to make money and they need margin, they need to account for their time, they need to clean the records, put them on eBay, pay the fees, deal with fickle buyers who return items for no reason at all. That any buyer would have to transport the records, ship them, rent a truck to haul them, who knows. Read more

A Misadventure in Jazz Collecting, Part 4

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Back on the phone with Debby. She’s reading titles, again. I can’t stop her. She doesn’t listen when I talk, she talks over me. So I listen. I’m hardly paying attention. But this I hear.

“Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd on Blue Note.”

“Which one?” I ask.

“Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd on Blue Note.”

“What’s the address on the label?”

“47 West 63rd. That’s an original, right?”

“Right.”

The collection just got more interesting to me. I realize there is no logic to this. As I’ve said before, I can go on eBay any time, now, this minute, and buy a copy of this record. I can listen to it on vinyl right now in either my house in the country or my studio apartment in the city. So why do I care that it is in this collection that I may or may not be interested in purchasing?

It’s the existential question for many of us, isn’t it? What is it about the pursuit that makes it better, more intriguing, more rewarding? Why do I want to find and purchase this record the hard way, rather than the easy way? Read more

A Misadventure in Jazz Collecting, Part 3

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Debby and I spoke again on the phone and it was another one of those hour-long conversations. She would tell me about the records in her $250 and $350 piles, the Woody Hermans and Charlie Barnets mixed in with the occasional original Riversides, Prestiges and Blue Notes. Then she would pick up a pile of records and start reading titles and telling me what they were worth.

I’d try to explain that the Goldmine price guide was inaccurate, but she would just move on to the next record. Normally, I tell people who really want to know the value to look at completed listings on eBay or to look at Popsike, but I was hesitant to do that with her. That’s all she would need – seeing a $7,500 price tag for Hank Mobley Blue Note 1568, she’d be starting a $7,000 pile and who knows what would end up there.

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A Misadventure in Jazz Collecting, Part 2

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If only I’d been prescient enough to record my calls with Debbie, then I’d be able to provide an accurate blow-by-blow account of the roller-coaster ride she took me on over the next six weeks, but, then again, reliving it in all of its sordid detail might have proven too much for my sanity. I had a pretty good sense of what was to come during our first phone call. I was feeling things out, not necessarily interested in buying the collection for myself, but genuinely interested in providing help and guidance. For all I knew she was a widow who desperately needed the money.

Turns out her hub, as she called him, was alive and relatively well, at least as far as I could tell, and, while I never did actually speak to him, there were several phone calls where I could hear him yelling in the background advice to the effect that I was trying to rip them off because I was telling her that the Japanese pressings of Blue Notes were not of the same value as original pressings, even though, as hub said, they were great records and should be worth a lot. But I am getting ahead of myself.

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A Misadventure in Jazz Collecting, Part 1

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I feel guilty for being away so long, so I return to regale you with a story. It will probably be in two or three parts, but I promise it will all be posted this week, no more lengthy gaps. I’m actually on vacation from my real work.

Like most of the stories here, this one starts with an email.

May 10, 2018. Email to Al. Subject: Old original jazz collection

Hello. Was wondering if you know anyone interested in buying a pretty great collection of old (pretty sure collectible) jazz records? My hub amassed a big collection over the years and many are blue notes verve prestige and other unique labels. We r in Rochester, NY. Have been looking through many and have only gone through half prob near four thousand records at least. Looked some up on the Goldmine most recent book. Thank you 🙂 Debbie.

May 11, 2018. Email from Al to Debbie: Subject: Re: Old original jazz collection

Hi, Debbie. I know of several dealers who may be interested, and I may be interested myself as a collector. Sounds like you are interested in selling the collection as a whole? Do you have a list or any pictures? Condition is very important. Have you talked to any dealers yet? I’m happy to help you. – Al

May 11, 2018. Email from Debby to Al. Subject: Re: Old original jazz collection

Hi Al, Will send a few pics off to you! Yes Tom Cohen here in Rochester (bop shop) was supposed to call waited for a while then did last nite. Don’t think he’s interested in whole collection and really want someone who would love them and pay a fair price. Records are pretty mint but a few covers have dingy from the 50’s and some sellers marked prices on the, way back when! Hope to be in touch and maybe call . . . Debbie Read more

Hype, Hyperbole and High Prices; Just Another Day on eBay

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Back on eBay again for the first time in weeks and was greeted to this: John Coltrane, Coltrane, Prestige 7105. What caught my eye about this listing was this line: “Awesome red cover of one of the rarest jazz albums.” Then I saw that the bidding had already reached more than $510 for this second pressing with the New Jersey label. The combination of high hyperbole and high price, could only mean one seller and, of course, I was right. You can click the link and guess yourself, but for regular readers here it won’t be much of stumper. The record and cover are graded as VG++. I kind of like the red cover, but prefer the original green. Does anyone know why Prestige did this, not just with this record, but with others? Did they think people would want to buy the same record twice? Rudolf?

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Back in Action: Rare Newk, Redd, Jackie

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I’m back. Haven’t looked at eBay in a couple of weeks, so that’s where I’m going to start: Sonny Rollins Quintet, Esquire 20-080. This is a 10-inch British version of the 10-inch U.S. LP Sonny Rollins Quintet Featuring Kenny Dorham, Prestige 186. I’ve never owned either the U.S. or U.K. pressing, so this copy looks extraordinarily cool to me. It is listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is in the $200 range and so far there are no bidders, with five days left on the auction. Tempting, I must say.

And then there is my old nemesis:

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Tales from the Inbox and From the Turntable

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Clearing out some old emails and watch list and found this link and note from our friend Clifford: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. The note reads as follows: “Watching this one because it is apparently quite unplayable.” And that it was. The vinyl was listed in G condition, with the caution that it would not play without skipping. The cover was VG- with edge wear and seam splits. I think Clifford sent me the listing when the price was about $150. It would up selling for $810 with 16 bidders. Quite a lot, IMHO, for a record that I wouldn’t put on my turntable, but perhaps the new owner will like to frame it, or have it for investment purposes, figuring that these things are only going up in value, no matter what the condition. Trying not to pass judgment, because collecting is very personal and we all have our passions and idiosyncrasies.

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On the Menu: Classic Blue Notes and Prestiges

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We’ll start today with a few from the Prestige label, opening with Zoot Sims Quartets, Prestige 7026. This is an original New York pressing that looks to be in about VG+ condition for the record and similar for the cover. It’s not a record that we’ve written about much. We don’t see it on eBay that often and it doesn’t typically command high collectible prices, compared to other original pressings from the era. This one has a start price of $200 and so far there are no bids, with the auction closing in two days. I happen to own a copy of this record, but haven’t listened to it in like 30 years. Maybe I’ll try it later. Zoot is always worth a listen, IMHO. Read more

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