Charlie Parker in Sweden, Limited Edition, Sonet SLP 27. This is, apparently, a rare limited numbered edition, of which this copy is number 734. Until reading this listing I wasn’t aware that there was a limited edition of this record. I’m pretty sure I have some copy of it, but I will have to look to see if mine is numbered. This one looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. There are about three days left in the auction and the bidding is nearing $200.

Beverly Kenney With Jimmy Jones and the Basie-Ites, Royal Roost, 2218. This is a nice record and I could use a clean copy, which this is, at least for the vinyl, which looks to be M-. The cover looks to be about VG or VG+ depending upon how you feel about tape stains, about which I personally don’t feel to good. This one is in the $60 range.

Here’s an interesting package of Hank Mobley records on Blue Note:

Fred has them listed as “The Last Mobleys on Blue Note.” The package consists of three records: Far Away Lands, Blue Note 84425; Another Workout, Blue Note 84431, and Straight No Filter, Blue Note 84435. All of the records look to be in near mint condition. The start price for the package is $100 and so far there are no bidders. I have to admit that I own all three of these records and I’ve never listened to any of them. They just never felt like real Blue Notes to me. Maybe this weekend I’l pop one on the turntable up here in The Berkshires.

Beverly Kenney Sings For Johnny Smith, Roost 2206. This was an original pressing with the blue label and deep grooves. The record was listed in mint condition and the cover was VG++. There were 18 bids and the record sold for $660. I’m sure there are Beverly Kenney records that have sold for a higher price, but that’s the highest that we’ve ever seen in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

The same seller had several other interesting items as well, including: Steve Lacy, Evidence with Don Cherry, New Jazz 8271. This was an original purple label pressing listed in near mint condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. This one sold for $687, setting another record for the Jazz Collector Price Guide. And here’s another:

Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061. This was an original New York yellow label pressing listed in near mint condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $1,204.95. The seller is doing something right and, to his credit, his listings have a very polished and professional look and the pictures are very clear.

Kenny Drew, Undercurrent, Blue Note 4059. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address and the deep groove on one side. Notice how the seller took a nice clear picture of the deep-gooved side and stepped back for the picture of the other side. No matter. This one sold for $960.

This is one I actually bid on: Eddie Costa, Guys and Dolls Like Vibes, Coral 57230. This was an original pressing listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. I own the record, so why did I bid on it? Well . . . it was sitting with no bids with three hours left on the auction and a start price of just $10. The seller didn’t include the important information that Bill Evans is the pianist on this record, which adds to its value and, more importantly, adds to its musical quality, which, of course, is excellent. A really nice record and for my bid of $20, what would be so bad having two copies? But I didn’t win. It sold for $33.88. Somebody got a bargain.

This one also sold for a relatively low price, which surprised me since I had always thought of this as fairly collectible: Seldon Powell Sextet, Roost 2220. Perhaps the bidding was restrained because the seller doesn’t make it clear if this is an original pressing, not describing whether it has a deep groove. It’s a knowledgeable seller, so you’d assume he left out the information because there is no deep groove. Perhaps other potential buyers felt the same way. It sold for $56.

Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1543. This was an original pressing with the Lexington Avenue address, the last of the Lexington Blue Notes. It also has the cover by Andy Warhol. The seller has his own grading system and he labeled the record and cover in the VG++ range, but based on the description of the record and his system, it sounded to me like the record was more like VG and the cover was somewhere between VG and VG+.  It sold for $510.

I’d have thought this would see more action, but it didn’t: Stan Getz, Interpretations, Norgran 1000. This was an original pressing with the deep grooves and yellow label and it was listed in M- condition for the vinyl. The cover looked to be about VG+. The start price for this was $50 and there was only one bid and it sold for $50. Someone got a great record for a nice price.

Here’s another great record often available at a nice price: Sonny Stitt, 37 Minutes and 48 Seconds, Roost 2219. The early Stitt Roost LPS like this and Sonny Stitt and the New Yorkers feature

some great playing, but they don’t seem to attract collectors. This one was in VG+ condition for the cover and record and sold for just $29 with one bid. It would be an interesting exercise to think about great original pressings from the era — fifties and early sixties — that  can be had for $50 or less like the Getz and Stitt LPs mentioned here.

This one wasn’t quite an original and it wasn’t in M- condition, but it sold for only $32: Gene Ammons, The Big Sound, Prestige 7132. This was a yellow label pressing with the New Jersey label, where the original would have had a New York address. It was listed in VG/VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. This is one of those jam session LPs and one of the players is John Coltrane. I get the sense if Coltrane were mentioned in the description it may have sold for more.

This one is more typical of what we watch here: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $761.

Gigi  Gryce – Clifford Brown Sextet, Blue Note 5048. This one had a nice picture with it, as you can see, but the description wasn’t very complete. The seller noted that the record was glossy and had a few light marks and the cover had some wear, but there wasn’t any M- or VG+ or other grading to which we are normally accustomed. Nonetheless, there were bidders attracted to this type of description — optimists I would say — and the record sold for $608. Our previous high for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $579.

What do you think of records like this next one:

Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 1502. This was not an original pressing but based on the label I would guess (?) that it was a second pressing? It has the deep grooves, no flat edge and it has the Lexington Avenue address on one side and the West 63rd address on the other. I tend to prefer that my records be of a singular vintage: It’s less confusing. Anyway, the vinyl was M- and the cover was VG++ and the price was $67, not bad for an early, but not original, pressing.

I liked the way this one was listed: Beverly Kenney Sings for Johnny Smith, Roost 2206. This was an original pressing, the vinyl was VG, the cover was VG++ and the price was $71. What I liked about this listing was the brief bio of Kenney because I had actually forgotten about how tragic her story was. Not sure if that was original writing from the seller, or if he took it from somewhere else, but it was quite informative. Take a look if you’d like.

Miles Davis Sextet, Prestige 182. This was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. We were thinking about bidding on this because the price was right, but in the end we’re getting rid of records, not adding records. We do have to remind ourselves of this, constantly, each time we see a nice item on eBay, which is several times a day. Anyway, this one sold for $102.50. That’s a pretty attractive price and was in my range. This was in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $233.50.

Howard McGhee Volume 2, Blue Note 5024. This was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $234.

Here are a couple of nice 10-inch LPs by Lester Young:

Lester Young, Norgran 6. This was in M- condition for the record and cover, quite difficult to find so clean. It sold for $510. Also Lester Young, Aladdin 706. This was also M-. It sold for $576.

Stan Getz, Split Kick, Roost 423. This was in VG+ condition for both the record and cover. It sold for $90.

Finally, let’s finish with a Blue Note flurry: Jutta Hipp, Blue Note 5056. This was VG+ for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $275. The Prophetic Herbie Nichols Volume 1, Blue Note 5068. This was VG++ for the record and cover and sold for $224. The Prophetic Herbie Nichols Volume 2, Blue Note 5069. this was in similar condition and sold for the exact same price, $224.

I’m always pleased to find a record I’ve never seen before. I’ve been collecting jazz records for nearly 40 years, I’ve been to hundreds of record stores in the U.S. and Europe, I’ve been on eBay quite consistently for at least six or seven years. And even still, there are records that are new to me. Here’s one, on eBay now: Johnny Coles, The Warm Sound, Epic 16015. This is an original mono pressing with the yellow label. It looks to be in M- condition, based on the seller’s description. The current price is $200 and there’s more than two days to go.

We also have a few records for sale this week, including a few of the ones that passed through our Jazz Vinyl Countdown, such as: Seldon Powell Sextet, Roost 2220. This one is in nice VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG++ condition for the cover. Michel warned us not to sell this one and perhaps he was right. The current price is

only $49, and when we decided to put this on eBay we were hoping for considerably more than that. Oh well: You play the game, you take your chances.

Our friends at Euclid Records also have some nice vinyl up this week, including: Clifford Brown Memorial, Prestige 7055. This is an original pressing with the New York address and the yellow label. The vinyl and the cover are both listed in M- condition and the price is around $160. After you look at this you should look at the seller’s other listings because there’s some more there worth viewing.

Well, just like the first cut on Side Two, we are Undecided. It’s a good, solid record, very nice playing. Powell is in great form, particularly on the ballads. We can see why this is a collectible record. Plus the copy we have is in very nice shape. So here’s our decision: We are going to spare this record for now. We have plenty of other records to sell on eBay, so it will go on the shelf as a keeper, at least temporarily. But we may come back to this one again as we keep going through this Jazz Vinyl Countdown.