Down By The Riversides (With A Blue Note)

Here’s some more jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay.

It’s been a while since we’ve tracked a nice copy of Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This one was an original pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover. It sold for $1,913.

Here’s a nice Riverside: Ernie Henry, Last Chorus, Riverside 266. This looked to be an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $270.

While we’re on Riversides, here’s one two numbers apart: Johnny Griffin Sextet, Riverside 264. This one was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $349.95. My dad used to search high and low for the Riversides in the bargain bins of a couple of record stores along 8th Street in Greenwich Village in the ’60s. I wish he would have bought some of these, but he wound up with a lot of Cannonball, a lot of Wes Montgomery and some Bill Evans. No complaints, really. I still have many of those great records from my dad.

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If It’s Thursday, It Must Be Blue Note

Did a quick eBay search on jazz vinyl this morning and was quite amazed to see the quantity and quality of Blue Notes for sale right now. Perhaps this is a time to buy, with the market seeming to be somewhat soft. Here are some of the items worth perusing:

This one is already headed for the $1,000 bin: Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This is an original West 63rd pressing that looks to be in about VG++ condition for both the record and the vinyl. It closes later today and is already at more than $1,100. This one is from the same seller and it has most of the makings of an original pressing but, unfortunately, not all: Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058. This is a mono pressing with the West 63rd Street address, the ear, the Van Gelder stamp but no deep grooves. What do we think of pressings like these. They are likely pre- Liberty, right, with the Plastylite ear, but are not the very first pressing? I’d be happy to have this one in my collection even if it is not an original, but the price is already at $250.

This seller also has several Blue Notes in varying conditions, including: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This is an original pressing that’s listed in excellent condition for the vinyl, which we generally take to be VG+, and VG condition for the cover. There’s a day to go on the auction and the price is in the $460 range. From the same seller is:

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Watching Some Collectibles & Not-So-Collectibles

Let’s look at results of some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching.

This one made the $1,000 bin, but not the $2,000 bin: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original pressing with the record in M- condition and the cover VG+. I thought it might pass $2,000 but it sold for $1,703.77.

Is this now becoming a collectible: Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Dream, Columbia 1965? It’s a great record to be sure, but it seems to have been pretty common. Anyway, this was a 2-eye mono pressing in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover and it sold for $61.

And this one, I always thought was a high-end collectible, but there’s something odd about this listing: John Mehegan, A Casual Affair. In my collection, the number on this record is TJ-A1. On this listing, the number is TJ 78463. Perhaps that’s why it only sold for $64.

Kind of Blue For the $1,000 Bin

A couple of people have sent me notes on this one. I guess it struck a chord (presumably a modal chord): Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 8163. This was a white label stereo promo copy that was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It was the same seller as the one who recently fetched more than $2,000 for the Mobley 10-inch Blue Note. This one sold for $1,338.87. Welcome to the $1,000 bin for probably the most popular and widely available jazz record ever.

While we’re updating the $1,000 bin:

Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This was an original pressing. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was in between VG+ and VG++. It was a reputable seller and the price was $1,815.

This is destined for the $1,000 bin, or the $2,000 bin or perhaps even higher: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This is an original pressing and it is listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. As of this writing it is about $1,250 with three days or so to go.

On eBay: True Blue, Modern Art, Griffin Signed

Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay:

Johnny Griffin, The Kerry Dancers, Riverside, 420. This is an original blue label pressing and it is listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. This record also features an autograph on the cover by Johnny Griffin, apparently from 1995. As we’ve seen before, an autograph can either be an enticement or a detriment, depending upon the collector. For me, I always like having an autographed copy. This one has a few hours to go and is selling in the $250 range.  In the  Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve seen a sealed copy of this LP sell for $370, but otherwise the top price was $230, so it seems the autograph is enhancing the value of this LP.

Here’s one destined for the $1,000 bin, assuming it meets the seller’s reserve price:

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On eBay: True Blue Returns & More

This one was on eBay, didn’t meet the seller’s reserve price, is back again and the reserve price has been me, to it will sell this time: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. The seller was smart not to sell it the first time, I guess. He got a top bid of around $2,300 the first time up and now the record is already at $2,650 with plenty of time to go. Perhaps the recent high price on the Hank Mobley Blue Note 1568 inspired either some collectors or investors. This one is in M- condition and it has shrink wrap on it, and the shrink wrap may even be original, who knows. It is just shrink wrap, however: You can’t put it on the turntable.

The same seller also has this: Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This is an original pressing. The vinyl is VG++ and the cover is VG+. The current price is about $600.

The seller Bullsite2000 is also back with some nice Blue Notes, including: Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This one is already more than $500 with several

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Blue Notes, $1,000 Bin & $2,000 Bin

It’s June and the $1,000 bin is busting out all over, mostly with Blue Notes.

How do you like this one? Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original pressing. The vinyl was listed in M- condition, the cover was listed as excellent, with shrink wrap still on it. The top bid was $2,311 and . . . and . . . and . . . and it still failed to meet the reserve price.

The seller roverd-90 had a nice weekend selling Blue Notes. Here are a few:

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and the cover. It received a top bid of $2,264 and actually sold for that price, since there was no reserve. From the same seller was Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. This was an original Lexington Avenue, flat-edge pressing. The vinyl was M- and the cover was VG+. The price was $1,915. And then there was this:

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And A Bunch More Blue Notes & Prestiges

While I’m cleaning my eBay queue and updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide, here are a few more Blue Notes and Prestiges for your perusal. No links here and also the prices have been rounded. Some good stuff:

Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was an original West 63rd pressing in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. The price was $589.

Lee Morgan, City Lights, Blue Note 1575. This was an original pressing. The record and cover looked to be in VG++ condition. The price was $1,058.

Sonny Rollins, Movin’ Out, Prestige 7058. This was an original New York yellow label. The record was in VG++ condition and the cover was VG++ as well. The price was $283.

Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition for

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Opening Up The $3,000 and $2,000 Bins

It looks as if the fallout from the Jazz Vinyl Fraud of 2009 hasn’t had much of an impact on the prices of high-end vinyl in the past few weeks. Here are a few records that will be entering the $1,000-plus bin in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. If things continue like this, we’ll have to create a $3,000 bin as well as a $2,000 bin. Take a look at these:

Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 207. This was an original pressing with the red vinyl. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $3,371. This sets a new high price for this record, as far as what we have recorded in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Our previous high was $3,059.

This was one of the items on eBay this week from the seller Blue Nipper, who received a lot of unsolicited praise from members of the Jazz Collector community who commented on the site: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was

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On Ebay: Hope, Dex, Jackie & True Blue

Let’s take a break from all this Nautiluso stuff and get back to our real business of watching real records on eBay. Here’s a few that will whet your appetite:

Elmo Hope, Informal Jazz, Prestige 7043. This is quite a nice rare record featuring John Coltrane and Hank Mobley, later issued as Two Tenors. This is an original New York pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover is listed as VG++. The current price is nearly $400, but it hasn’t reached the seller’s reserve yet. The seller has a few other nice items as well, including: Jackie McLean, A Long Drink of the Blues, New Jazz 8250. This one is listed as M- for both the record and the cover and is currently at about $115 — also still short of the seller’s reserve price. The same seller also has a copy of:

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