What is the most valuable Mosaic box release?

[scooter_phx]

I suspect this will be pure speculation but was wondering what everyone thinks is the costliest box. 

All three of the Commodore Lp boxes have to be up there.  So does the King Cole box.  I suspect the Maynard box is pretty pricey as well.  What do you think?

[mikeweil]

I did a search on discogs and this was the (surprising?) result:

https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?label_id=100901&ev=lb&sort=price%2Cdesc

[felser]

I've always noted the astronomical prices for the Maynard Ferguson box.

[medjuck]

1 hour ago, mikeweil said:

I did a search on discogs and this was the (surprising?) result:

https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?label_id=100901&ev=lb&sort=price%2Cdesc

Really interesting.  I realize that these are asking prices not necessarily what you can get but the priciest ones seem to be Lps even when there are cd equivalents readily available.    I'm surprised the Bird box isn't higher up-- I don't think most of these cuts can be found elsewhere.  And would my  Neidlinger/Taylor signed by Buell be worth even more? 

[T.D.]

21 minutes ago, medjuck said:

Really interesting.  I realize that these are asking prices not necessarily what you can get but the priciest ones seem to be Lps even when there are cd equivalents readily available.    I'm surprised the Bird box isn't higher up-- I don't think most of these cuts can be found elsewhere.  And would my  Neidlinger/Taylor signed by Buell be worth even more? 

The Bird / Benedetti box on CD has always (in my experience) seemed to trade at relatively low prices. Interesting that the vinyl is offered so much higher.

Definitely appears to be a large LP premium. In CD land the Maynard Ferguson box has always been notorious for high prices.

[JSngry]

Valuable or expensive? 👁️‍🗨️

[Stompin at the Savoy]

Maynard Ferguson definitely expensive. Mildred Bailey is also generally priced quite high.  The whole thing is skewed by people who put absurd, astronomical prices on some sets.  The big Ellington Orchestra set used to be very expensive and then one day I found one on ebay for $130.

[rostasi]

2 hours ago, mikeweil said:

I did a search on discogs and this was the (surprising?) result:

https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?label_id=100901&ev=lb&sort=price%2Cdesc

Here's the buying stats on that Miles LP set:

[felser]

1 hour ago, T.D. said:

The Bird / Benedetti box on CD has always (in my experience) seemed to trade at relatively low prices.

 

IIRC, unlike the other Mosaic boxes, the Bird/Benedetti was not a limited edition when it was released.  So there may be more of them floating around.

[hopkins]

Valuable: the Savory recordings (how I wish more had been released...)

Expensive: no idea.

[BFrank]

I wish you could filter by Median $/Sold. That would be a lot more accurate.

As is, I have Andrew Hill, Jackie McLean and Blue Mitchell boxes which all landed on the first page.

[soulpope]

Btw what would be the most "underpriced" Mosaic release (currently) .... the vinyl version of "The Port Of Harlem Jazzmen" a potential candidate ....

[rostasi]

7 hours ago, BFrank said:

I wish you could filter by Median $/Sold. That would be a lot more accurate.

Confused. Do you mean all the Mosaics as a group?
... because I showed the median price of the Miles set above.

[medjuck]

18 hours ago, hopkins said:

Valuable: the Savory recordings (how I wish more had been released...)

Expensive: no idea.

Still available from Mosaic at original price I believe.

[hopkins]

5 minutes ago, medjuck said:

Still available from Mosaic at original price I believe.

Hi,

I have it. I just wish the entire Savory collection would have been released!

Edited June 11 by hopkins

[Д.Д.]

As for the cheapest one, Illinois Jacquet seems to consistently sell for $40-50: https://www.discogs.com/release/3220518-Illinois-Jacquet-The-Complete-Illinois-Jacquet-Sessions-1945-50 (image attached).

There is currently a copy for sale for $30: https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/3007939706 

Buck Clayton sells for cheap as well: https://www.discogs.com/release/7114702-Buck-Clayton-The-Complete-CBS-Buck-Clayton-Jam-Sessions . Got me a sealed copy for €40 recently, and I can't even say that this was a particularly great deal price-wise (no complaints music-wise).

In general, CD sets - with few exceptions - don't seem to be valued that much.     

 

 

 

[medjuck]

1 hour ago, hopkins said:

Hi,

I have it. I just wish the entire Savory collection would have been released!

Yes!  The Ellington and Goodman estates have been especially difficult to deal with and in the case of Goodman it's meant that some great Prez  is not being issued because Goodman is on the cuts.   In fact a large percentage of the collection is devoted to Goodman whose estate is keeping it from being heard. 

[colinmce]

Unfortunately I have found that the sets released in the last decade or so tend to be the ones that go for the most on CD these days. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that very few were actually manufactured and sold, certainly well below the limit. This is when the sets started to only be around for months, if not in came cases even weeks. Referring to, for instance: Coleman Hawkins, James P. Johnson, Earl Hines, Chick/Ella, Louis Live, Beehive, Savoy/Dial, Woody Shaw Muse, Condon/Freeman, Teddy Wilson. The last two Selects (Tolliver & Rivers) are the same-- based on how much I see them on the resale market vs. the other titles I would really wonder if more than a few hundred were even made. If I recall these went OOP pretty much immediately. 

Some that directly precede this era also go for quite a bit, but I think this has more to do with the popularity/desirability of the music, i.e. Braxton, Threadgill, Mingus 64/65, Clifford Jordan, Ahmad Jamal.

Otherwise, with a few exceptions previously mentioned (Ferguson, Basie Live Roulette, Nat King Cole, etc.) I find a lot of the 90s/early 00s CD sets especially do not go for all that much anymore. I have acquired a bunch in the last year or two for $50 or less. Frankly the only thing keeping some of these sets above bargain prices at all is the Mosaic aura. Much of the music is losing its audience rapidly.

As far as most valuable non-monetarily? If we're talking about the sweet spot between musical quality and (lack of) availability of the material, I would posit the Mingus Workshop set, where some of the material is *only* available there and is all of astounding musical quality. I would also never want to give up my Bradford/Carter Select due to the extra tracks and unreleased session. 

One final gripe! Most of the Singles do not go for much at all, except the Helen Merrill/Dick Katz, which people try to sell for absurd sums online for reasons I frankly cannot quite grasp. I have both of the EmArcy EU CDs of this music, but I would love a copy of the Mosaic someday as well. 

[felser]

I got about $250 each for my Woody Shaw Muse and my Clifford Jordan Strata East sets on ebay maybe two years ago.  I couldn't justify the value tied up in them for the marginal material they added to my collection over what I had on other discs (one cut on the Shaw, the Brackeen and Ware sessions on the Jordan).  I agree on the value of the Mingus set, that will likely remain on my shelves for the rest of my years.  I had trouble getting anything decent for two copies of the Woody Shaw CBS set (both went for under $70).  Plus I chose to hold onto the JJ Johnson and Sonny Stitt sets, which I initially meant to sell, because they hold so little value in the marketplace and do have value to me.

[soulpope]

1 hour ago, colinmce said:

One final gripe! Most of the Singles do not go for much at all, except the Helen Merrill/Dick Katz, which people try to sell for absurd sums online for reasons I frankly cannot quite grasp. I have both of the EmArcy EU CDs of this music, but I would love a copy of the Mosaic someday as well. 

Was there a mastering issue with the Gitanes releases .... I'm not sure ....

[T.D.]

1 hour ago, felser said:

I got about $250 each for my Woody Shaw Muse and my Clifford Jordan Strata East sets on ebay maybe two years ago.  I couldn't justify the value tied up in them for the marginal material they added to my collection over what I had on other discs (one cut on the Shaw, the Brackeen and Ware sessions on the Jordan).  I agree on the value of the Mingus set, that will likely remain on my shelves for the rest of my years.  I had trouble getting anything decent for two copies of the Woody Shaw CBS set (both went for under $70).  Plus I chose to hold onto the JJ Johnson and Sonny Stitt sets, which I initially meant to sell, because they hold so little value in the marketplace and do have value to me.

[Emphasis added] Wow. I haven't been paying attention to Mosaic CD box prices (not a seller, and not fond of the format/packaging so disinclined to buy at historical price levels), and am surprised to see such softness in the marketplace. I'd expected that on some level, but it never seemed to materialize so I stopped checking discogs, etc. I also own the JJ set, but passed on the Stitt.

Edited June 11 by T.D.

[felser]

47 minutes ago, T.D. said:

[Emphasis added] Wow. I haven't been paying attention to Mosaic CD box prices (not a seller, and not fond of the format/packaging so disinclined to buy at historical price levels), and am surprised to see such softness in the marketplace. I'd expected that on some level, but it never seemed to materialize so I stopped checking discogs, etc. I also own the JJ set, but passed on the Stitt.

I also don't like the format/packaging of the big Mosaic boxes.

[Brad]

5 hours ago, T.D. said:

[Emphasis added] Wow. I haven't been paying attention to Mosaic CD box prices (not a seller, and not fond of the format/packaging so disinclined to buy at historical price levels), and am surprised to see such softness in the marketplace. I'd expected that on some level, but it never seemed to materialize so I stopped checking discogs, etc. I also own the JJ set, but passed on the Stitt.

The market has been soft for a very long time.

I can’t speak to vinyl boxes but the Cole and the Ferguson boxes are the most expensive. Although already covered, when determining price (and this applies to anything), you need to look at prices paid, not prices asked; anybody can set a price as high as they wish. Realizing it is another story. 

[BFrank]

13 hours ago, rostasi said:

Confused. Do you mean all the Mosaics as a group?
... because I showed the median price of the Miles set above.

I guess I meant "Sort" as a group by Median price. It seems like I used to be able to do that, but I could be wrong.

[medjuck]

32 minutes ago, Brad said:

The market has been soft for a very long time.

I can’t speak to vinyl boxes but the Cole and the Ferguson boxes are the most expensive. Although already covered, when determining price (and this applies to anything), you need to look at prices paid, not prices asked; anybody can set a price as high as they wish. Realizing it is another story. 

How do you find the prices paid?