Catching Up With Some Jazz Vinyl Auctions

Let’s catch up on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay:

Bud Powell, Jazz Giant, Norgran  1063. This was an original yellow-label deep-groove pressing with the cover illustration by David Stone Martin. The record was listed in probably VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover, although you have to read the descriptions carefully to reach those conclusions. This one sold for $260.99, which is quite a nice price for a Norgran these days. I have a duplicate of this record, but it’s not in quite as nice condition.

Joe Henderson, Mode For Joe, Blue Note 4227. This was an interesting one: It was a factory-sealed pressing. It has all the makings of an original pressing, with the mono cover, the lack of anything remotely Liberty, the right address. But is it an original? Only the buyer will know for sure, presuming he eventually opens the LP to listen to it. This one sold for $215.63. Question to think about: Would it have sold for more money if it had been opened and the seller could guarantee that it was an original pressing?

Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was the one we mentioned the other day:

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A Nice Batch of Jazz Vinyl For Today

Here’s a nice list of jazz vinyl now on eBay that would be a fine addition to any jazz collection:

Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This is an original Lexington Avenue deep groove pressing. The record is listed in near mint condition and the cover is VG. The bidding is in the $200 range, there are two days left and it has yet to reach the seller’s reserve price. While we’re on the subject: Jutta Hipp, New Sounds From Germany, Blue Note 5056. This is an original 10-inch record. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is listed as M-. There are five days left on this one and the bidding is now in the $140 range. It will go quite higher.

Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This is an original New York yellow label in what is described as M- condition for both the record and the cover. The seller does mention “three tiny clicks, barely audible,” which is honest of him to mention and perhaps doesn’t diminish from the M- grade. Can you listen to almost any record without three tiny clicks somewhere? This one is now in the $335 range and has not yet met the seller’s reserve price.

Here’s a nice jazz vocal LP I wouldn’t mind owning:

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Updating the $1,000 Jazz Vinyl Bin

Sorry for taking so long between posts. I had a ton of work on my real job, but no excuses. I promise to do better. So, let’s catch up on some of the records we missed while we were off in the real world.

I had my eye on this, but the price was too high even if I had been paying attention: Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. I was looking at this with a couple of days to go and the price was relatively low. I thought, given the condition, perhaps it might be worth a snipe. It wound up selling for $1,125. However, I do have hope for acquiring this record in the future. I’ve got an idea I may be getting a copy for my birthday one of these days. How did I finagle that? I’ll tell you in another post this week.

John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,602.77.

Whilst we’re perusing the $1,000 bin, here are a few more:

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Updating Some Jazz Vinyl Auctions

Tough to follow up on that great story by Rudolf, so we will just go back to watching eBay and catching up on some of the items we were watching last week, starting with: Paul Quinichette, On the Sunny Side, Prestige 7103. This was an original New York yellow label pressing in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. When we were watching it last week it was in the $230 range and it wound up selling for $328. If you ask me, that’s a bargain for a nice original Prestige from the 7100 series. Of course, not as big a bargain as Rudolf may have paid, but a bargain nonetheless.  From the same general area was John Coltrane, Tenor Conclave, Prestige 7074. This was also an original New York pressing that looked to be in M- condition for the record and cover. It sold for $399.97. One more from that group of Prestiges: Eric Dolphy, Far Cry, New Jazz 8270. This was an original pressing that looked to be in beautiful M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $880.

Here’s a Blue Note that did not sell:

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Guest Column: Treasure Hunt — Prestige

Miles Davis at Prestige in New York

So Don Lucky was asking me offline about something to do with Prestige, and I suggested he contact Rufolf, and Rudolf replied with this fascinating tale of how he ended up at the Prestige warehouse, and Don Lucky and I said Rudolf you have to write this up  for the rest of the Jazz Collector audience, and Rudolf said sure, and here it is. Enjoy.

Treasure Hunt — Prestige
How a Courtesy Call Turned Out to be the Discovery of the Cave of Ali Baba

By Rudolf Flinterman

In the ‘50s/early ’60s a simple catalog of say Prestige, Blue Note or Contemporary could be of invaluable worth. Without, one simply could not know what was in the market. There were no discographies like Jepsen and Ruppli and no Internet, of course. At the time I would regularly write to Prestige, Pacific Jazz, Blue Note, Atlantic and Contemporary requesting to send me a catalog, which they all did. Lester Koenig always wrote a kind letter. Nesuhi Ertegun of Atlantic was so kind to send me copies of deleted items, for free!

In 1959 Prestige sent me an offer to become a free member of their Jazz & Folk Record Club in Teaneck, N.J. The formula was simple: Pay for two, receive three. Especially for New Jazz, with a list price of $3.98, that was an interesting proposition. I still have the box of the first shipment from Prestige. For three records I paid 2-X-$3.98 plus 89 cents postage, i.e. $2.95 per album, which was the equivalent of 10,75 Dutch florins. At the time the list price in Holland was 18 Dutch florins. No wonder that I became a frequent buyer at Prestige throughout the ‘60s, despite the fact that the sea transport and customs took more than two months.

In 1969 I made my first trip to the U.S. We stayed for one week in Manhattan. I travelled with the then-Mrs.-Rudolf. The first day we made a boat trip with the Circle Line to have a general idea of the city. I then proposed to her to make a courtesy call to a certain Mr. Bob Weinstock – “who would be most happy to make our acquaintance,” I assured. She could hardly object to this great idea. So the next day she found herself in the bus at the Port Authority to go to Bergenfield, N.J.

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Four More Blue Notes For the $1,000 Bin

Those Blue Notes I was coveting the other day? Even if I had bid, which I considered, I would have been out of the running quite early. Several of these broke into the $1,000 bin. Here are some results.

Jutta Hipp, At The Hickory House Volume 2, Blue Note 1516. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing that was in perhaps VG++ condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $1,402.88.

J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This was also an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was probably VG++. The price was $1,472.

John Jenkins With Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record and cover were both in VG++ or so condition. The price was $1,107.

Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover. It sold for $1,025.

Four Blue Notes, four $1,000-plus jazz records. Whew.

A Trio of Rare (Original?) Blue Notes

I’m watching three interesting jazz vinyl listings on eBay from the same seller in Germany. They are:

Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’ Blue Note 1588. It’s a very weird listing. It uses a canned picture of the record, no labels, no back cover, nothing. It describes the record as a Lexington Avenue label. Huh? As we here at Jazz Collector know, Cool Struttin’ was issued way after Blue Note moved away from Lexington Avenue and Lexington Avenue labels. The record is listed in M- condition and has a buy-it-now price tag of $2,999. The seller has a lot of feedback so I’m not necessarily questioning his credibility, but I certainly wouldn’t bid on this. Perhaps that’s just me.

From the same seller: Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, Blue Note 1515. This also looks like a canned picture. The record is listed in Ex condition and the price is $1,799. Finally, Walter Davis Jr., Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This is another one that’s lacking in pictures. It is listed in M- condition. The price is $1,999. Do you think anyone will take a gamble on it? We’ll watch it so see.

John Coltrane Autograph (And More) On Ebay

Oh, it’s a nice time on eBay when we get to watch auctions from both the Jazz Record Center and bobdjukic.

How much would you like a John Coltrane autograph? I know I would. This is from the Jazz Record Center: John Coltrane, Bags and Trane, Atlantic 1368. This is listed as an original mono pressing with the red and purple labels — although, for the live of me, I still can’t get the original Atlantics straight once they are past the black labels — but the key to this record is that it is signed by Coltrane, Milt Jackson and Hank Jones. The record and cover appear to be in about VG++ condition. The price is around $750 with more than two days to go. From the same auction is a Jazz at the Philharmonic program from 1956 with a bunch of cool autographs, including Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Connie Kay, Milt Jackson, Roy Eldridge and Flip Phillips. There’s one bidder for this one, so far, and the price is $100.

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Tracking Some $1,000 — And $5,000 — Jazz Vinyl

My goodness, look what this sold for: Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The price was $5,117. That’s one of the highest prices we’ve ever seen for any record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide and about $1,500 more than we’ve previously seen for this record. The seller has commented elsewhere on Jazz Collector as to the legitimacy of the auction, which I don’t doubt at all, since we’ve always seen that bidding wars can drive up prices and we’ve also seen prices going higher and higher for the rarest of the collectibles, of which this qualifies. If I had an original copy, maybe I’d even sell it myself. Really? Nah, I’d keep it for sure.

When I talk about prices going up for the rarest of the collectibles, this is another example: Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This is an original pressing in VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover, and you can see on the picture that the cover is not completely clean, but certainly looks at least VG+. This record has become a perennial in the $1,000 bin and has sold for as much as $2,400 in M- condition. This copy sold for $1,735.

10-Inch, 12-Inch: Does Size Really Matter

Here’s some of the jazz vinyl we’re watching heading into the weekend:

The Tal Farlow Album, Norgran 1047. This is an original pressing with the yellow label, deep grooves and beautiful David Stone Martin cover. Or is it? My friend Dan, who was Tal’s great friend and protege, has always been a devotee of the 10-inch version of this record based on the crispness of the sound and the fact that it was the original original pressing. I once did a comparison, played the 12-incher and the 10-incher back to back, and it was true: You could hear a difference in the sound. I’m not sure why: Perhaps it was psychological, Dan had planted it in my head and I always trust him when it comes to music.  The 10-incher, Norgran 19, has eight tracks. This one has additional tracks that come from . . . . where? Dan, if you’re out there, please fill in the blanks. Based on the description, this looks to be in VG+ or maybe VG++ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The current price is around $80.

Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it looks to be in very nice condition, M- for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The bidding is already quite high for this, in the $1,500 range with more than two days to go.

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