Tag: James P. Johnson

Autographs, Autographs, Autographs

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I heard back from the reader who sent me the original link to the auction for the autographed copy of John Coltrane Ballads, Impulse A-32. The one that sold for more than $5,000 a few weeks ago. His name is Bill and, it turns out, he has a passion for collecting autographs—as well as an impressive collection. With his permission, here is a copy of our correspondence after I replied to his initial note.

Al:

My jazz collecting the past 25 years has morphed mainly to jazz autographs. There is something about a genuine signature that makes an item come alive: This was actually in the hands of Billie, Bird, Trane, etc. One must be careful to not obtain a fake, but I have mainly dealt with reputable dealers, and over time, I have become more savvy in finds on sites such as eBay.

I did bid on this Coltrane item, but exited the bidding when it went above $2000.

The prizes of my collection are signed photographs, some contracts, some personal letters, etc. To give you an idea of some of my prized items, here is a partial list: Read more

More 78s Anyone?

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In my last post, I’d mentioned the autographed Andy Warhol cover that may or may not still be available. Another inquiry that came into my email box came from a guy who has 17 Blue Note 78s: Nine of these are 10-inch and eight are 12-inch. No bebop among them, but there are a couple of Ike Quebec’s, plus Sidney Bechet, James P. Johnson, Art Hodes, T-Bone Walker, Albert Ammons and the Port of Harlem Seven. I get the sense he’d love to sell them all in one batch. If there are any Blue Note 78 collectors out there, just let me know and I’ll put you in touch with him.