Goldmine Jazz record price guide

I just received my copy of this purchased through Amazon. The copy I have of this is the one with the cover of Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain. I just wondered if this was the latest edition as some of the prices seem to be really skewed.

The MFSL and DCC prices seem to be way below what one would actually expect to pay. There is also no way some of those Blue Notes would go for as low as they appear to be in the guide. Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage Original in NM for $25? Springs to mind.

Is my copy out of date as the cover on the copy shown on Amazon is different to the copy I have yet if I click on it, the cover that I have shows up.

The feedback by buyers is not very good though.

Is it worth investing in the updated copy if there is one or is the updated one just as incorrect.

 

There seems to be a 2nd edition "completely revised and updated" (see for instance the website of sell.com). According to the listing it has "updated prices which reflect todays market values" and "illustrated label guide aids in identifying original editions".

I hope prices are a bit more realistic in the new edition (which I have not seen yet). Original Blue Note pressings had unbelievably low values in the first edition! And mono editions were priced lower than the stereo versions, which is also not realistic. In jazz, 99,9% of the original pressings of the 50's and 60's are worth much more in mono than in stereo!

Peter

 

Thanks Peter, Welcome to the forum! Glad you finally decided to post. I agree with your comments on MONO Vs STEREO

 

The price guide is useless for pricing.

While you looking for those OOP, used jazz titles, dont't forget to support jazz vinyl in the present. New titles on the Eighty-Eight's and Venus labels. Reissues on 4 Men With Beards, Classic, OJC, Speaker's Corner, Analog Productions and others.

 

I have the 1994 edition that covers jazz up to 1969. The prices are lower than what I usually see, but I use it more for reference, such as release date and whether a record is a first, second, or later pressing. As it mentions at the front of the book, prices are easily manipulated by several factors, including geography, owner's knowledge, etc... Prices are lower in Sacramento than they are in San Francisco in general, but selection is way better in SF. It all goes back to the simple fact that a record is only worth what someone is willing to pay. You can believe that your bluenote record is worth $200.00, but if you're not selling or no one is buying at that price, then what does it matter?

 

Goldmine has always done a fine job with guides. Let's face it, where would we be without them. But, prices are sometimes out of sync with what happens in the real world, both ways. Low valued items have gone for insane money while high items have gone for pennies. That's not just to my surprise but to a lot of folks. As others mentioned, price guides are best used for reference and a starting point. Its the same way for any type of collectible, glassware, autos, books.

There's a 3 record Hank Williams set from the 1950's that has a value of a couple hundred dollars in near mint shape. Much to my delight, and the seller's dismay I'm sure, I won a near mint copy on Ebay for $20.00. That's not to say the piece isn't rare in that condition. That's not to say the piece wasn't worth $200. But at that point in time and with that deal, that was the knockdown price. However, in a store that handles rarer pieces you couldn't buy it under the book price. So again, its all in who wants it, who has it and how the negotiations go for the deal. A crap shoot every time!

 

I agree, but the latest edition is from 2000 (AFAIK) and could not take into account the Ebay phenomenon and the recent vinyl revival. Ebay prices are usually twice what is recommended in the 2000 Goldmine guide.

For me, the guide is more useful to learn about which pressings were made and how they are priced relatively

Edit: it seems there is new edition out (with Norah Jones on the cover)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0873498046/

 

The newest edition came out in the fall of 2004. I changed literally thousands of prices in the book between it and the 2000 edition; if not for those pesky deadlines, I could have probably changed another thousand more! I also added a comprehensive label identifying guide, with some illustrations, so you can tell a 1950s Blue Note from a 1960s Blue Note, etc. Plus there are over 400 LP covers illustrated. Many fun covers you don't see very often are pictured.

It's a much better book than the 2000 guide. Is it perfect? No. But what IS?

 

After I posted my useless comment, I had the feeling you might frequent this board. Sorry. Umprhred's 2nd edition is always close by. I'll have to take a look at the fall 2004 edition.

 

3 OJC's, 6 Speakers corners, 2 Analog productions + several on order, 1 Men with beards, 15 classics or so - I do my best but even they don't do all the titles I might want and often not as well as the originals!

 

I had been buying 'blind' for a year now, mainly on ebay and 90% sealed and about 75% of those at less than the NM price in the guide. You can get good deals on ebay particularly if you ask for buy it now prices and have good feedback.

Thanks for the link, that's the cover I saw on Amazon but when I click on it all I see is my older? edition

 

Hi Tim,

Didn't realise you wre THE Tim Neely. Nice to have you on board here. I can now consult you individually on every single LP I am looking at buying ...Just joking.

Glad I didn't rubbish your book in my post though. I do agree that it is excellent for pressing info.

Is the 2004 edition the one with Norah Jones on the cover?

How close are the prices to the ebay phenomenon?

Thanks

Raymon

 

Believe me, some people think that just because I have contact information in my books that they can get in touch with me about every single LP or record that I didn't list. One of the balancing acts with any of my books is that I can't list everything! Most people on this forum know better, but there are some people in the "general public" who have no IDEA how many different records have been made over the years, most of which are lucky to have interest from the people who appear on them ....

In the lead time before the 2004 jazz book (yes, the one with Norah Jones on the cover, plus Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Sauter-Finergan, Gato Barbieri and a few others), I spent a lot of time on eBay, watching with amazement as some of the near-mint prices in the 2000 book wouldn't even get you a VG-minus copy today! So the 2004 jazz book does reflect the eBay phenomenon as much as possible considering that the book had a deadline, and that things could have changed in the past few months since the book's publication.

This is not true in most other genres, but eBay has been a boon to the jazz LP market. It's made it tougher for people who want to BUY those early Blue Notes, Prestiges and Riversides (to name three examples), because they have to shell out more money. But it has enabled dealers to get their material to the most jazz aficionados with the least expense.

 

Thanks Tim,

I suppose I will have to shell out some more dollars!

Now about that old pressing that my Dad keeps in the cupboard, the one with the picture of................