How I Wish I Have Some Of These Records !

Northern Soul, blues records dominate online auctions

By Susan Sliwicki
Buyers had fun mixing it up in online auctions this week, with Northern Soul and blues taking a front seat, but The Beatles coming along for the ride with two less-frequent flyers on the Market Watch roundup.

1. $6,766.66 — Larry Clinton, “She’s Wanted” b/w “If I Knew” 45. Paint specks aren’t a typical flaw you find detailed on reports records for sale, but the presence of green paint right on the vinyl of this 45 apparently didn’t matter to bidders as much as the record itself. According to the seller, this stock copy is a “real rarity,” and the paint barely makes a sound, as evidenced by sound clips posted with the record. Despite the paint, the record has a visual grade of Very Good but plays at Very Good Plus and has great, loud sound all the way through, the seller said.

2. $4,749.99 — Charley Jordan, “You Run and Tell Your Daddy” b/w “Keep It Clean No. 2″ 78. It’s no secret that blues records can draw pretty pennies from collectors, and this record is no exception. The seller doesn’t share much about the record except it is Vocalion 1611, grades in Excellent Plus condition and is “Early and great!”

3. $4,500 — Johanna Martzy Plays Bach Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas, three LPs. This three-part lot features original British first-edition mono pressings on the Columbia label, reportedly from the 1950s, according to the seller. Each LP comes with its original plastic inner sleeve. The vinyl grades at Excellent to Near Mint, and the records look unplayed, the seller says. The covers clock in at EX- to EX condition, with some ring wear, stickers, minor handwriting and the occasional bump or bend here or there.

4. $3,923.06 — The Beatles, “Yesterday and Today” LP. The seller brags that this is an “immaculate” Butcher Cover copy, and bidders appeared to take him at his word. Thirty bids passed before the sale closed on this mono record, Capitol T2553, which features a professionally peeled “Third-State” cover and a Capitol recall letter. The lot includes the original, fully-intact “Trunk” cover peel that is free of tears and repairs but shows some thin areas and crinkles, according to the seller. The record itself comes in at a VG with light surface marks and hairlines. The seller insists it plays way above its visual grading. “Being honest, the record is of secondary importance to the cover. Better play the UK originals and savour this rare cover for what it is, because the difference finding that so pristine is far more difficult,” the seller writes. The handsome selling price comes three times higher than the $1,200 list price for a comparable near-mint Third State copy in Goldmine’s Standard Catalog of American Records 1950-1975″

5. $3,550 — Mississippi John Hurt, “Praying on the Old Camp Ground” b/w “Blessed Be The Name” 78. Here’s another seller who let the record (and images of it) do the talking. The entire description reads “Mississippi John Hurt on Okeh 8666. “Near Mint.” Store stock. Greate masterpieces.” Apparently, that was all bidders needed to know.

6. $3,500 — Los Beatles “Twist Y Gritos” b/w “La vi Parada” 78. Beatlemania really did sweep the world, as Argentinian pressing can attest. Released on the Odeon “Pops” label of EMI in Argentina, this record features “Twist and Shout” and “I Saw Her Sanding There,” and it is considered a “holy grail” for every Beatles collector, the seller insists. The 78 had sold out by March 16, 964, and it was replaced by a normal 33-1/3 RPM single, which was the South American standard, the seller says. The record is in one piece, but it has a hairline crack in about one-third of the record’s diameter. The seller believes it might be playable, but didn’t test that theory. The record has “perfect” labels, according to the seller, that contain the phrase “edicion promocional,” or “promotional edition.”

7. $3,038.99 — Billy Byrd “Silly Kind of Love” b/w “Lost In The Crowd” 45. This Northern Soul single on the Scream Records label is a “super rare outstanding” Northern Soul record that is produced by Calvin Arnold, according to the seller. A few light paper sleeve scuffs prevent the record from achieving a Mint grade, but it comes in at a solid VG+ to Near Mint, the seller says.

8. $2,606 — Half-Way House Orchestra, “Pussy Cat Rag” b/w “Barataria” 78. With a band name like the “Half-Way House Orchestra,” this record just begs for a listen. Of course, the fact that this copy of Okeh 40318 comes in Excellent Plus condition doesn’t hurt either. “You may never see a better copy of one of the greatest of all New Orleans jazz records,” the seller touts.

9. $2,599.02 — Professionals, “That’s Why I Love You,” b/w “Groove City” 45. The seller brags that “This record is EX+ in every way the best copy on sale anywhere!” The bidders must’ve agreed, because it didn’t take long for this record to find a home.

10. $2,526 — Al Williams, “I Am Nothing” b/w “LA Beat.” Other than some slight rub marks on the B-side label, this record grades at Mint Minus overall. The owner mentioned he was selling it off to make room for other items from his want list.