First there was that copy of Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, Prestige 7150, that was autographed by Miles, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. It was offered by the Jazz Record Center so there was some level of credibility attached to the autographs, although the listing didn’t say anything about independent verification. The price for this was $4,305. It’s certainly a one-of-a-kind item, so there is probably no price too high to have surprised us. This seems pretty reasonable for such a rare item. Here are a couple more from the same auction: Art Pepper, Intensity, Contemporary 3607. This was not only signed by Art Pepper, he also put the date and his home address with the signature. The record and cover both looked to be in M- condition. This one sold for $150.27. This one was not signed: Johnny Hodges, In a Tender Mood, Norgran 1059. This was an original yellow label pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $161.50. I was watching this because I like to keep an eye on the original Norgrans, just to see that there is still a collector’s market for them, since they really reflect artists mostly from the pre-bop era, with a few exceptions, of course. This one also has that weird kind of cover from the era, with a picture of a white woman as the sole image on the picture of an album by a black male artists. Is it really possible that

these records with the white women on the cover — this one has a certain Marilyn Monroe vibe, wouldn’t you say — sold better than the records with the artist’s picture, or with a beautiful drawing by David Stone Martin. As a collector, a record such as this has less appeal to me because of the cover, compared to some of the other Norgrans. What do you think?

Here are three for the $1,000 bin:

George Wallington Quintet at the Bohemia,Progressive 1001. This was an original pressing offered by Euclid Records, another of the most credible dealers, and it was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover.  It also had a promo stamp. It sold for $1,213.89.

Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058. This was an original pressing with the West. 63rd Street address. It was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,081.

Finally, there was Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This was an original pressing also in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $1036.