Jimmy Raney, A, Prestige 7089. This is an original yellow label pressing with the West 50^thStreet address. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG+. The start price is about $100 and so far there are no bidders with the auction closing later today. Surprised there is not more interest in this record yet, since Raney was one of the top bop-inspired guitarists of the era and this is, after all, an original Prestige.

Speaking of original Prestige records, there is Mal Waldron, Mal 3, Prestige New Jazz 8201. This looks to be an original purple label deep groove pressing. The record looks to be in VG condition and the cover VG+, with the shrink wrap. Bidding is in the $125 range with several days left on the auction.

Toshiko Akiyoshi, The Toshiko Trio, Storyville 912. This looks to be an original pressing. The record is listed in VG+ condition and the cover VG++ with a 5-inch seam split, so that makes it VG+ in the eyes of this potential buyer. There also seems to be a stamp on the cover. This one has a start price of about $170 and so far there are no bidders.

“Hello Al,

When our father passed away, my siblings and I inherited our Uncle Bruce’s jazz record collection. It’s roughly 1,000 records and spans from the mid ‘50s to the mid ‘70s. Apparently our uncle was a serious collector, the rumor is that we only got part of the collection. However, the part we have isn’t bad from what I can tell, because it includes the following Artists/Titles that currently appear in articles on your site: John Coltrane/Blue Train; John Coltrane/Soultrane; Wynton Kelly/Kelly at Midnight; Hank Mobley/Mobley’s 2^nd Message; Sonny Rollins/Saxophone Colossus.

We are selling the entire collection. Please let me know if you’re interested or have any suggestions about the best/most efficient way to reach the target audience.

Best regards,

Rob (Baltimore, MD)”

I was, of course, intrigued. Intrigued, but somewhat skeptical as well. I get notes quite often from people looking for advice on how to sell their collections, but typically the records are not necessarily of the collectible era (lots of swing era stuff), or they have been picked through by dealers, or they have been stored in a musky basement and are smelly and sticky and moldy. So I’ve learned not to get excited by notes such as this. But I was intrigued and I am always happy to help and to potentially find a nice home for a collection that someone obviously cherished. And if that home happens to be mine, well then,  so much the better.

So I wrote back to Rob the next day as follows:

“Hey Rob. Thanks for reaching out. I’d be interested. Do you have a list of the records? Are they in good condition? Any sense of how much you are looking to get for the whole collection? Are the records in Baltimore? If it turns out that the collection won’t work for me, I’d be happy to give you advice on what to do with it. With jazz records, the devil is definitely in the details. The original pressing of Blue Train or Saxophone Colossus can be worth a lot of money, but it it’s not an original the value diminishes significantly.”

The next day, Saturday, Nov. 16, Rob wrote back:

“Thanks for responding, Al. Yes, I do have a “working” list. It’s not finalized yet, but it’s pretty close. For the most part, I’d say the records are in excellent condition. The only thing that may prove to be an issue is my uncle’s decision to write the purchase date on the back in the upper left hand corner of many of the albums. The records are here in Baltimore.

I’ve attached a copy of the current record list along with pictures of the previously mentioned albums. Please let me know your thoughts or if you have any other questions.

Much appreciated,

Rob”

I looked at the pictures first. There were blurry pictures of Soultrane, Blue Train, Mobley’s Second Message, Saxophone Colossus and Kelly at Midnight. Here’s a sample:

I couldn’t tell anything from the picture, except that it wasn’t a later reissue. But was it a yellow label, was it a blue label? Was it clean? How bad was the writing on the back?

Then I opened the excel file with the listing of the records. The first 16 records listed on the spreadsheet were 101 Strings. Huh? What’s that? Then I came upon the first of the jazz records, two by Pepper Adams, Critics Choice on World Pacific and Pepper Adams Quintet on Mode. We were in alphabetical order. Then came the Adderleys, pretty much all of Riversides and, boom, the first Blue Note, Something Else. Okay, we have possibilities. The next one that caught my eye was Toshiko Akiyoshi on Storyville. Hmm, that’s a rare one that I’ve never owned. Then a bunch of various artists records, a whole lot of Count Basie, a Burt Bachrach, a bunch of Tony Bennetts, and my adrenaline was starting to fade. Then came Clifford Brown, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane and Miles Davis, and the collection kept getting more and more interesting This was a small but fairly formidable collection—if, of course, the records were original pressings and if they were in nice condition.

There was only one way to find out. It was time to talk to Rob. I sent him a follow-up note and we agreed to chat the next morning, Sunday, Nov. 17, at 10:30 a.m.

What happened next? Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow.

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This is an original deep groove black label pressing. The record and cover are both in VG+ condition. There’s about five hours left in the auction and the bidding is in the $350 range.

Speaking of rare records by female artists, as we were a couple of weeks ago: Toshiko Akiyoshi, Her Trio, Her Quartet, Storyville 918. This is an original deep groove pressing in Ex condition for the record and VG for the cover. It closes in about 13 hours and, so far, has no bids at a start price of $200.

Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This is a West 63rd deep groove pressing without the New York 23 on the labels. It is in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Pricing is at about $560 with more than two days left to bid.

Presenting Ernie Henry, Riverside 222. This was an original white label pressing. The record was in VG++ condition and the cove was similar. The price was $371.18. Those white label Riversides are a nice find, when you can find them.

Eric Dolphy in Europe, Debut 136. This was the original Danish pressing. The record and cover were both in M- condition. The price was $2,311.

And here’s one I’ve never seen before:

Toshiko Mariano and Her Trio, Lullabies for You, CBS 1185-JC. This apparently is a Japanese-only record from 1965. The record and the cover were in M- condition. The price was $365.

Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside 226. This was an original pressing with the white labels. It was listed in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover and I recall the seller as being very reputable from previous dealings, as buyer and seller. As I was packing my records to move, I noticed that my copy of Brilliant Corners was a blue-label pressing and it was in maybe VG+ condition. I put this one on my watch list to potentially bid on it, not just as potential fodder for Jazz Collector. I think I would have gone to at least $180 for an original pressing. This one sold for $100, so I missed out.

I also had my eye on this for my own collection, but I knew the price would go way beyond my comfort zone — and it did: Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and the vinyl was in M- condition. The cover was VG+. It sold for $1,475. One of these days I’ll find a reasonable copy for the right price. Right?

There was also a big auction from the Jazz Record Center, including: Toshiko Akiyoshi, Her Trio and Her Quartet, Storyville 918. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. I love the cover. I’m not an art expert, but is that Miro? The record sold for $260. I’ll take a look later at some of the other records from this auction and do another post.

This one sold for top dollar, right: Herbie Hancock, Inventions & Dimensions, Blue Note 4147. This was an original mono pressing with the ear, Van Gelder and New York USA address on the labels. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $449.

Another record with a very interesting cover closing today is:

Toshiko Akiyoshi, Her Trio and Her Quartet, Storyville 918. This is an original 1956 pressing that is listed in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The current price is $100 and there are two bidders, so this might be gettable for a decent price. It features Oscar Pettiford and Roy Haynes. I’m not an expert on art, but the cover design looks like Joan Miro to me. I will look it up later, or perhaps by the time I get back someone will provide the answer.

Chet Baker and Art Pepper, Playboys, World Pacific 1234. This was an original pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $318.

The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This was a Lexington Avenue pressing in VG++ condition, record and cover. Price: $565.

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers at the Bohemia Volume 2, Blue Note 1508. This was also a Lexington Avenue pressing in VG++ condition. Price: $162.50

Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. This was an original purple label pressing

in VG+ condition, record and cover. Price: $171.30

Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition. Price: $436

The Magnificent Charlie Parker, Clef 646. This was an original pressing with the David Stone Martin cover in M- condition. Price: $317

Bill Evans, Portraits in Jazz, Riverside 315. This was an original blue label pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $540.

Barney Wilen Quintet, Guide Du Jazz 1239. This was an original French pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $766.60.

Toshiko Akiyoshi, Toshika, Norgran 22. This was an original 10-inch pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $325.

Johnny Hodges, In a Tender Mood, Norgran 1059. This was an original yellow label pressing. The record was M- and the cover was M-. The price was $201.50.

Clifford Brown, Study in Brown, Emarcy 36037. This was an original blue label pressing with the drummer logo. It was in immaculate M- condition, record and cover. The price was $424. 

Finally, Lou Donaldson, Swing and Soul, Blue Note 1566. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was just VG and the cover was VG+. The price was $180.27.