From the same auction, there is The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This is an original Lexington Avenue deep groove pressing. The record looks to be in nice condition, except for a flaw in the pressing that causes some issues. I hate those, don’t you? The cover is listed in VG+ condition. The bidding is at about $150. I was quite fortunate to acquire a mint original copy of this record when I purchased the Bruce M. West collection in Baltimore. Hard to believe that was eight years ago.

I saw this on eBay and had to flag it: “Signed Charlie Parker Quintet LP Self-Titled Jazztone 1240 Stan Getz.” I’m assuming the signature purports to be Bird. The first suspicion is the red felt marker. They didn’t make those back in the day, did they? Of course, there is also the fact that the record was released in 1956 and Bird died in 1955. Giving the seller the benefit of the doubt and assuming he doesn’t know anything, whoever attempted this forgery could have done just a little bit more research, don’t you think? The starting bid for this record is $1,399. Without the autograph, based on the condition, my assessment of the actual value of the record would be in the Blutarsky-esque range of zero point zero.

The Blue Notes continue to be getting top dollar, but there seems to be a drop-off in prices in the middle of the market, records that would normally sell in the $30-$150 range. I’ve noticed it with my own sales on eBay and I was talking with Steve at Round Again Records in Providence yesterday and he said he believes the market has fallen off by as much as 40 percent in the past couple of years. I was thinking about that when I looked at some of the records I’ve been watching on eBay that failed to get bids, despite what seemed to be reasonable starting prices. Here are a few:

Kenny Drew and his Progressive Piano, Norgran 1066. This was an original pressing from a reputable seller. The record was in nice condition, M-/VG++ and the cover seemed nice as well with a partial seam split. The start price was $74.99 and there were no bidders. The picture accompanying the listing wasn’t great and perhaps that dampened the enthusiasm.

Ken McIntyre, Looking Ahead, New Jazz 8247. This was an original pressing with the purple labels and the deep grooves. The record and cover were in VG+ condition and the start price was $99.99. This record, which prominently features Eric

Dolphy, musically and on the cover as well, would have fetched that price, or more, in the past, but not this week. In fact, if you look at the listing this record was only viewed 16 times. Quite unusual.

We’ve seen this one fail to sell at two price points, much to our surprise both times: The Dual Role of Bob Brookmeyer, Prestige 7066. This is an original New York yellow label pressing and it is listed in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The first time we watched this it failed to get a bid at $99 now and another seller has listed it and failed to get any action at $79.90. The second time around it got six views. How is that possible, only six views? Actually, I have a theory about that. Stay tuned for our next post.

My friend Steve at Roundagain Records in Providence has a few nice records closing pretty soon, including: Bud Powell, Jazz Original, Norgran 1017. This is an original yellow label, deep groove pressing. The record is VG++ and the cover is VG+. The price is already close to $150. Here’s another Norgran: An Evening With Anita O’Day, Norgran 1057. This is also an original yellow label pressing. The record and cover are in M- condition and the price is about $115. Here’s one more: Lucky Thompson, Lucky Strikes, Transition 21. This one is in VG+ to VG++ condition for the cover and record and it includes the booklet, which is not always so easy to find with the record anymore. This one is close to $200.

This one is more than $80 but hasn’t yet met the seller’s reserve price:

Johnny Griffin Sextet, Riverside 264. This is an original pressing and it is described as being in near mint condition. It’ll be interesting to see if it reaches the seller’s reserve price, and what that reserve price may be.

This is from another seller that also has a storefront, Vinylhighway, which owns Looney Tunes in Boston: Dizzy Reece, Star Bright, Blue Note 4023. This may or may not be an original. It has the West 63rd Street address, but the seller doesn’t mention whether it has a deep groove and the picture is unclear. My guess is that, with a knowledgeable seller such as this, if there was a deep groove it would be mentioned, so I’d be a bit circumspect if I were bidding, which I’m not. Actually, if I really wanted to bid, I’d send a note to the seller asking about the deep groove. The record and cover are VG++ and the price is around $115.

Curtis Fuller, Bone and Bari, Blue Note 1572. This is an original pressing in M- condition, both record and cover, and it features an autograph by Curtis Fuller. Not to mention the presence of Sonny Clark on piano. The opening bid price for this record is about $140 and, as of now, there are no bids. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve seen this record sell for nearly $700 in M- condition without an autograph. So maybe it is a time to be buying.

Horace Parlan, Speakin’ My Piece, Blue Note 4043. This is an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address. The record is VG and the cover is VG++. The current price is about $100 and there’s one bid.

Here’s one from our friends at Round Again records in Providence, RI (hello, Steve): McCoy Tyner, Inception, Impulse A-18. This is an original pressing, with a cut-out hole, in M- condition. I never thought of this as a collectible, but it’s already nearly $50. I have a stereo copy of this record in M- condition, with the gatefold cover and no cutout hole, and I’d be willing to sell it for $50. If you’re interested you can send me an email to al(at)jazzcollector.com. My shipping charges are $4 in the U.S.; $8 to Canada; $15 to Europe and $17 to Asia.