The Rise of the Second Pressing, Redux
We’d been talking a few weeks back about how second presses — and even third presses — are starting to get some traction as collectibles. Or, to put it more aptly, how later presses are starting to sell more often at collectible prices. Here’s one we happened to notice yesterday on eBay: Jackie McLean, 4, 5 & 6, New Jazz 8279. In the listing, the seller lists this as an “original” purple label pressing, which is somewhat accurate, I guess. It is an original version of this pressing, but the issue itself is a reissue of the original Prestige, so it is a bit of a stretch to call this an original pressing. Nonetheless, I’m not sure whether the description has that big an impact on the bidding because you would think the people bidding into three figures on these records would have some knowledge of what they are doing. Except, of course, those
buyers who bid up the auctions of bobdjukic, who remain a mystery to us. In any case this record was in VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG++ condition for the cover and there was a name clearly written in ink on the back cover, so the VG++ may have been a stretch as well. There were seven bids for this record and it eventually sold for $154.50. I would have thought this would be a $30 to $40 record in the past, so perhaps things are changing, perhaps this is an aberration, perhaps bidders were influenced by the hyperbole in the listing. Who knows? In any case, if I could get that kind of money for my second pressings, I’d probably wind up with no second pressings in my collection.
…talking of our friend bob: he’s back (& up to no good):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ERIC-DOLPHY-OUT-TO-LUNCH-N-M-ORIG63-BLUE-NOTE-MONO-LP_W0QQitemZ350337652078QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item5191c0556e
Hey,what’s with that Dolphy label? How often do you see one ‘aligned’-for lack of a better term-that way? Hmm…
Al: for a while in the past I bought New Jazz re-issues of Prestige albums, as alternates to my Prestige originals. For he same reason I sold them in the meantime, but they fetched much more than the $ 30 to $ 40 you mention.
For a non-initiated buyer, who looks for an original DG LP with the New Jazz violet label, it can be an interesting purchase, until he knows better. I think that buyers should be knowledgeable, they buy at their own risk. If this Djukic is more intelligent than his buyers, so let it be.
you are right that 30 to maybe 70 would be a right price here, depending on condition. Fortunately there are still sources where you can get those prices a opposed to EBAY which will always be higher because there is a direct relationship between price and the number of potential buyers. In the old days when you came across a rare record once in a blue moon by searching though hundreds of auctions and used record stores, you coud generally get it for cheap because there was a limited market competing for it. EBAY has raised the price of everything but there are still non-EBAY sources
I bought a nmint New Jazz copy of 4,5 & 6
for 100 $ last year and what is wrong with this ?
The cover art is fine, pressing and sound quality are great and the Prestige original would have cost me 500 or 600 $ in a similar quality. I think it is indeed a little crazy to pay 100 $ for a second pressing but isn ´t paying 600$ for a first pressing crazy as well ?
To Jan. There’s nothing wrong with it at all, in my view. I totally agree with you on the sound quality and listening to a second pressing LP is certainly preferable, to me, than listening to a CD. I was just commenting on the change in the market and the new reality that these are going up in value, which is nice for a collector like me who is looking for ways to shrink my collection as opposed to growing it.