Hefty Prestiges, Hefty Price Tags
John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This was an original pressing with the original cover (the second pressing on this is Traneing In). The record was M- and the cover was VG+ and the price was $660. We’ve watched this one many times in the Jazz Collector Price Guide and it never surpassed $400. Quite a change. I’ve been cataloguing my records for insurance purposes and I had this one at $300. Guess I’ll have to change that.
This one also seemed to hit a new high: Olio, Prestige 7084, with Thad Jones, Frank Wess, Teddy Charles, Elvin Jones, Mal Waldron and Doug Watkins. This one was in M- condition all the way around and sold for $504.
Elmo Hope, Informal Jazz, Prestige 7043. This was an original pressing that looked to be close to M- and probably in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for a hefty $898. Did I write last week that this might be the second cover? Can anybody figure out what I was thinking, because I can’t? Sometimes the fingers move quicker than the brain.
Three Trumpets, Prestige 7092, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Idrees Sulieman. This one looked to be M- for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. The price was $232.28. Of a similar vintage was this: Two Trumpets, Prestige 7062, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd. This one was in M- condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. The price was similar to Three Trumpets: $236. Guess the additional trumpet player didn’t matter.
Jazz lp prices seem to have begun a new leg up based on U.S. ebay auctions. We are not in inflationary times… any ideas why or is it related to recent dollar weakness ?
I don’t have a clue re the economics of it all,although I’m sure there are a few others out there-like myself-who regret not having picked up some affordable pieces when they were within ‘reach’. Case in point(for me)would be the Miles 5tet sessions on Prestige. Hard to find a decent copy of “cookin’ or ‘workin’ for example,and not pay several hundred or MORE. And that’s for a Bergenfield,not a NY pressing. Had I the funds,I would have swooped up a few several years ago. Perhaps those with the money are doing so now? Regardless,bid-wise…it’s a jungle out there!
Ceedee, this is especially true for “Olio” !
It seems the Blue Note pricing effect is now trickling down to other labels. Prestige in particular. It may be time to start snapping up Savoys, Bethlehems, Modes, Riversides etc.