hipp | jazzcollector.com

When You’re Smilin’

November 10, 2016 Al 3 comments

Now that I have no election to obsess over, and I don’t yet have the appetite to read about what will happen next to my wonderful country, I have more time to listen to records, read about jazz and look at the always interesting activity on eBay. So, perhaps, I will do more Jazz Collector posts and finally set aside time to put into the Jazz Collector Price Guide, which can really use an update. Look for the silver lining, as the wonderful song says.

Anyway, here are a few of items that recently sold on eBay, starting with Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover, with some visible staining on the back cover that could be a turn off for some buyers, but obviously was not that big a turn off for the buyer of this copy, who paid $2,850.88. In fact, looking over the cover pictures again, it looks like VG+ is a pretty generous grade. I have an absolutely clean version of this record that I purchased from the Bruce M. West collection in Baltimore, thoughts of which always put a smile on my face.

A Rare Jazz Vinyl Quartet

November 5, 2016 Al 26 comments

Here zre are some of the rare jazz records that have been sitting in our eBay watch list, starting with Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, New Jazz 8236. This was an original pressing with the purple label and the deep grooves. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was Ex, equivalent to VG++, according to the seller’s description. The final price was $837. High, but certainly not surprising for an original classic such as this. From the same seller, there was Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was also an original pressing with the purple label and the deep grooves. The record was listed in VG+ condition, as was the cover. The final price was $1,083. And one more from the same seller, this one a tease for me, but not in a comfortable price range, although certainly a fair price range based on the final bid:

Nothing Aberrant in These Prices

September 20, 2016 Al 30 comments

I’d like to get back to some of the records we were watching, starting with Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that was in VG+ or better condition for the record, and probably around VG++ for the cover. When we looked at it the bidding was in the $300 range and we were surprised it was that low, expecting it to eventually end up at or near the $1,000 bin. It did, selling for $960. So what may have seemed like an aberration, was just a product of later bidding, which has been de rigueur on eBay for many years, so no surprises. Same with this one: Doug Watkins at Large, Transition 20. This was an original pressing with the booklet. The record, cover and booklet were all in about VG+ condition. The bidding came in late, but about as expected, with the record selling for $809.

Blue Note

A Prestige Pair; a Bird Autograph?????!!!!!!!!!

September 12, 2016 Al 16 comments

We’ll start the week with a couple of nice Prestige records on eBay and then move on to a possible autograph (?) by Charlie Parker. First up is the Clifford Brown Memorial Album, Prestige 7055. This is an original New York yellow label pressing that looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding starts at $155 and so far there has been no action. The auction closes in a bit more than two days. This has never been one of the Prestiges overly coveted by collectors, but I would still expect it to sell for a decent price, in the $300 or more range. We’ll see. Clifford is one of the greats, so it has always eluded me why collectors might be willing to pay a higher price for a Moondog Prestige versus a Clifford Brown. I guess it’s supply and demand, but you’d think the demand for a great Clifford record would be higher.

A Simple Matter of Condition

May 27, 2016 Al 30 comments

Catching up on a few items still lingering on the Jazz Collector watch list, starting with Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG- or worse condition for the record and VG- for the cover. Despite the condition it sold for $711.80. I have a bit of a hard time relating to a collector who would pay more than $700 for a record that (1) may not even be playable and (2) has a damaged cover that may not even look so good on your shelves. You may recall that I briefly owned a copy of the Jackie record a couple of months ago. That one was in VG condition for the record and VG- for the cover. I wasn’t happy with it and, in the context of the overall package of records, I would have paid less than $711 for it. So maybe the woman who reneged on the deal will do better selling it in that condition to another collector willing to simply own a copy of a really rare record without worrying to much about listening to it. That ain’t me.

Back in the Vinyl Saddle Again

September 10, 2015 Al 26 comments

TWO WEEKS!!!! The longest I’ve ever gone without posting. Weren’t any of you, aside from Mac, worried about me? I didn’t go anywhere, just took an unexpected and unscheduled break. Now I’m back, but only for a few weeks. I have a two-week vacation coming up in October. Anyone interested in doing some guest hosting for a couple of weeks? Send me an email and we’ll see what we can do.

In the meantime, let’s get back to eBay and see what’s going on. This was on my watch list the last time I looked and now it has sold: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original pressing with the west 63rd Street address, deep grooves, etc. The record was in VG+ condition and the cover was only VG, but it still sold for $2,081. There was also this one for the $1,000 bin:

The $1,000 Bin is Getting Crowded

February 12, 2015 Al 12 comments

Wow, looks at the prices on these two:

Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065. This was an original Lexington Avenue 10-inch pressing listed as Ex condition for both the record and the cover. The seller hyped up the condition, suggesting that the record was only played once or twice. It sold for $1,684.

Roland Kirk, Triple Threat, King 539. This was an original pressing that was probably in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It had been listed previously at about $2,000, didn’t sell and was listed again. This time it sold for $1,259.56.

Well, while we’ re filling the $1,000 bin, let’s add a few more: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original pressing listed in Ex condition for both the record and the cover. There were 17 bidders and 79 bids, which is a pretty high amount. The record sold for $2,604.54.

This came from the same seller:

One Sells, The Other Doesn’t

February 10, 2015 Al 15 comments

Back to watching jazz vinyl on eBay. Here are some of the records that we missed in the past few days, starting with John Jenkins and Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address on both labels. The record was listed in VG+ condition and the cover was as well. It sold for $865.55, which is getting up there for a VG+ record. At the same time there was this copy of the same record. This one also looked to be an original pressing and seemed to be in better condition than the other one. The seller listed it as Ex+, which typically translates to around VG++. Yet, this one only received a top bid of $224.50 and failed to reach the seller’s reserve price. I’m sure I’m missing something in the listings, but I can’t figure it out. And it can’t be because one of our readers doesn’t like the seller for whatever reason. If we had that kind of clout, we’d start our own eBay for Jazz Collectors only.

Here’s one for the $1,000 bin:

Updating the $5,000 Bin (and More)

December 21, 2014 Al 31 comments

Michael posted this as a comment in earlier post, but it’s worth a mention all on its own: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original pressing probably in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $5,156. There were 13 bids and eight bidders. In the last minute the bidding went from $1,888 to $3,767 to $5,056 to $5,156. I’d be curious to know to which country this record is going, but I don’t think you can discern that from the eBay listing, can you? This is a new one to the $5,000 bin.

It looks like there will be some additions to the $1,000 bin as well: John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This looks to be an original pressing with the New York 23 one one side. It is listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Despite the condition, the record has already been bid up to $1,385 and the bidding will close in about two hours from the time I am typing this.

The bidding on this one is more than $1,200 and there are still SIX DAYS to go on the auction:

« 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 18 »