Jean-Pierre Rampal – Suite For Flute And Jazz Piano

About this record

Read the dead wax first: the runouts AL 33233 and BL 33233, with the stamped plant marks P AL-33233-2A PXT and P BL-33233-2C PXT, tie this copy to Columbia Records' Terre Haute plant in the United States. The release notes add a useful provenance detail, stating that the plates were made and pressed by PXT and that Jean-Pierre Rampal's appearance comes through the courtesy of Disques Erato, a French label, which explains why a US Columbia Masterworks LP carries a French credit.

Catalogue M 33233 is the only identifier on the front cover that the facts confirm, and the record has no barcode, which dates it to the pre-barcode era of the American Columbia Masterworks catalogue.

What drives its value

Price here is driven by condition, not by scarcity alone. The price guide runs from 28.16 USD for a Mint copy down to 13.34 USD for a VG copy, with VG+ at 19.27 USD and NM at 25.20 USD, so the gap between grades is the main thing a buyer pays for.

Supply is deep: 189 copies are listed for sale, and the lowest current listing is 0.88 USD, a figure that reflects worn or incomplete copies rather than clean ones. Demand is steady rather than frenzied, with 4234 community members holding the album and 94 wanting it.

The record's position among other pressings matters because this is the American Columbia Masterworks edition, distinguished from the French Erato originals by its runout codes and plant marks. Buyers should therefore compare the matrix strings against the listing before paying a premium, since a copy with different plant codes will not carry the same value as this one.

How to appraise this pressing

To confirm this exact pressing, check the label and catalogue number first: Columbia Masterworks, M 33233, with no barcode on the back. Then read the dead wax.

A genuine copy of this edition should show AL 33233 and BL 33233 on side one and side two, along with the plant stamps P AL-33233-2A PXT and P BL-33233-2C PXT, which identify the Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute. If the stamped marks differ, or if the catalogue number does not match M 33233, the copy is a different pressing and should be valued separately.

Once identity is established, grade the disc under good light, looking at the playing surface on both sides and the sleeve for seam splits and ring wear, then assign a grade from the Mint to Poor scale used in the price guide. Compare the grade you assign with the matching price guide figure rather than relying on a general impression of condition.

Further reading: grading a record, how to sell vinyl.