Here’s perhaps a case in point: Illinois Jacquet and his Orchestra, Clef 676. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter logo and David Stone Martin Cover. The record was in Ex condition (VG+ for those keeping score at home), and the cover was also VG+. The start price was $85 and there were no bidders.

I had my eye on this one because 1: It’s a record I’ve never owned; 2) It’s an original Prestige and 3) My nephew, who’s in his early 20s, has really gotten into Dorothy Ashby, which I don’t quite understand because he’s not a real jazz aficionado. He just seems to be into the jazz harp: Dorothy Ashby, Hip Harp, Prestige 7140. This was an original New York yellow label in M- condition for the record and the cover. There was just one bidder and the final price was $299.

There was an auction from the seller bobdjukic that we were watching with a few interesting items, such as Booker Ervin, The Freedom Book, Prestige 7295. This was an original yellow label with the New Jersey address. It was listed in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $224.50, nothing out of the ordinary. And there was Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, Columbia 8271. This was an original stereo pressing with the six-eye logo. The record and cover were also VG++ and the price was $169.16.High, but not outrageous, I would say. Finally, there was Billie Holiday, Commodore  30008. This was an original pressing, VG++ for the record, VG+ for the cover. The final price was $181.38.

This one is left over from New Year’s, but CeeDee had sent it to me and I had forgotten to post it: Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in Ex condition, which sounds like VG++ based on the grading system we use here at Jazz Collector. It sold for $1,605. I happened to be perusing my collection late last night and came upon this record and almost forgotten that I had it: Almost, but not quite. I’ve only had it for a little more than a year, since the Baltimore score of a lifetime. I think I will listen to it later today.

Back on the promo front there was this:

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 8163. This was a stereo white label promo and, there it is right in the headlines, the WLP initials. This was sold by Euclid Records. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was listed as VG+. But if you look at the picture that seems to be an awful lot of ring wear for VG+. Again, Euclid is one of the trustworthy sellers on eBay, but I would have been really cautious about that one. It sold for $202.50.

Here’s a promo that’s not getting any interest yet: Gigi Gryce, The Hap’Nins, New Jazz 8246. This has the “Preview Copy” stamp.  The record is listed in VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. The start price is about $100 and so far there are no takers. The auction closes in about six hours from this writing.

Charlie Rouse, Bossa Nova Bacchanal, Blue Note 4119. This looked to be an original pressing with the New York USA label and the Van Gelder and ears. It looked to be in about VG+ condition for the record, and maybe VG++ condition for the cover, although the pictures looked more like VG+ to me. The record sold for $194.41. The listing also triggered a couple of questions, for which I don’t have the answers at my immediate disposal. To my recollection this is the only Charlie Rouse LP as a leader on Blue Note. I was wondering how many other artists only issued one LP as a leader on Blue Note. The two obvious ones that come immediately to mind are John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley. Off the top of my head, I can also think of J. R. Monterose, Sabu, Solomon Ilori, Sonny Red, Howard Vick and, to a degree, Tina Brooks, because only True Blue was originally issued on Blue Note. I’m sure there are more, but I just can’t recall them off hand. The other question is, if this is Charlie Rouse’s only date as a leader on Blue Note, where else does he appear as a sideman? I do recall him playing on Donald Byrd’s Byrd in Hand, but I can’t recall any other sessions. I know he played for a long time with Thelonious Monk, so perhaps that limited his ability to record as a leader or even as a sideman on non-Monk records. All of which, I hope, is food for discussion on Jazz Collector.

There was no confusion about this one: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original pressing with the ear, deep grooves, and West, 63rd Street address. It was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $565.55.

I guess some of the Miles Davis Columbia records are becoming more valued by collectors:

Miles Davis, Someday My Prince Will Come, Columbia 1656. This was an original mono 6-eye pressing in M- condition for the record and cover. This one had the advantage of having a plastic inner sleeve that was still closed, so it was quite likely never played. It sold for $156.50.

Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, Columbia 1480. This is an original deep groove six-eye pressing. I don’t normally think of this as a collectible record, but this one has a start price of $75. We’ll see if it generates interest. It is in beautiful, near new condition.

This is another we don’t often watch here at Jazz Collector:

Max Roach, Deeds Not Words, Riverside 280. This is an original blue label pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is $100.

How about one more Blue Note: Dexter Gordon, A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note  4133. This is an original New York USA pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is $150. Interesting to see that some of the later Blue Notes, from artists such as Sam Rivers and Grachan Moncur III, were getting much higher prices than this. We’ll see where this one ends up.

This one is also of interest from the same seller: Art Farmer Quintet Featuring Gigi Gryce, Prestige 7017. This is an original New York yellow label pressing. The cover is in nice VG++ condition and the record is VG or VG+, with a hairline mark that is said to cause some surface noise. I imagine the condition is a killer on this one, because under normal circumstances I wouldn’t expect it to sell for a price so far below those later Blue Notes, which apparently it will. The bidding now is in the $110 range. Unless the market is starting to shift more to the ’60s from the ’50s? Is that possible?

Speaking of Miles, this one got a nice price: Cannonball Adderley, Somethin’ Else, Blue Note 1595. I say speaking of Miles, because after all of these years I still tend to think of this as more of a Miles record, than a Cannonball record. It’s got much more of the Miles vibe than the Cannon vibe. This one was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $1,475.

One more Blue Note while we’re at it:

Sonny Rollins, Volume 2, Blue Note 1558. This was an original West 63rd pressing in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. Or perhaps I’m missing something and it wasn’t original origina: It sold for $385, which seems a little low these days.

Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and cover. It was also a review copy. It sold for $535. I’ve had this record for a while. I traded it for it years ago: I had a broken leg at the time and was stuck in my friend’s basement with all of his records, Blue Notes, Prestiges, the whole works. I was very good and just looked. In my collection I have this one with my Flanagans, although the temptation is to put it with the Coltranes. I’m often reorganizing, so maybe I’ll move it around some day.

This is one of my favorite jazz collectibles, although it’s not jazz vinyl: To Bird With Love, by Francis Paudras. This is a book from 1981, about the most loving tribute to Bird you could find this side of Irving Kalus’ Ornithology. As noted by Fred in his listing, which you should take a look at, the book was printed once with no more than 1,000 copies, probably 500. I bought this when it first came out, from Fred, and I’ve treasured it ever since. It now has a prominent shelf on my new shelves in The Berkshires.  This one sold for $887.79.

The Miles Davis Columbia records with Coltrane, and even the next generation, are becoming more collectible it seems. The music is certainly uniformly great. Here are a few from the Jazz Record Center auction:

Miles Davis, Someday My Prince Will Come, Columbia 1656. This was an original promo copy, which seems to enhance the value. This one was in beautiful M- condition and sold for $172.16.

Miles Davis, Milestones, Columbia 1193. This was an original mono pressing with the six-eye logo. It was in M- condition for the record and cover. It sold for $85.

Miles Davis, Miles Ahead, Columbia 1041. This was an original mono pressing with the original cover. Fred briefly tells the story behind the change in covers: When Miles saw the picture of a white woman on the cover he demand that it be withdrawn and replace. This was in M- condition and sold for $122.50.

And of course there is Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 8163. This was an original stereo promo copy with the white labels and six eye logo. It was also in M- condition and sold for $513.78.