The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have a Columbia 78, A5041 Overture Barber of Seville,
12", it has a lip at the beginning of the record, and by the
start of the label ?

JAR

JAR

The question is, "What's up with that raised rings on some Columbia 78's?"
I think they are just on the Columbia "Magic Notes" Label.
Looking at it from a design standpoint, I can see three practical purposes.

1) To keep the reproducer from slipping off the record near the edge.
2) To keep the needle off the paper label.
3) To protect the playing surface when unsleeved discs are stacked upon each other.

This purely conjecture on my part and I like all three.

James.

PS: I also have an "Opera Disc Company" record, made in Germany from the same period, that has the outer ring, and a raised run-out groove.

Outer rim raised rings were common on many European labels including Fonotipia, Odeon, Favorite, etc. and I've also seen several examples on G&T and Gramophone Company pre-dog label pressings.

Steven

Gennett(acoustic,not Electro-Beam)also used the raised ridge on its discs.edisonplayer

I concur with James on the three reasons why the record may have been designed with these raised rings. They were used on Columbia records between 1903/04 to the end of the Magic Notes label which, if I am not mistaken, was sometime in 1915 or 1916. However, I do have some repressings of earlier Columbia records which are on the blue label which have these raised rings.

I have even seen some which have the raised rings on one side but not the other! These were likely from some transitional period when Columbia was removing this design feature from their discs as most of the records that I have found like this were recorded and likely pressed between 1914 and 1915 and had the Magic Notes label.

Stephen

I have some orchestral records on the Polydor label, dating I believe from between 1921 and 1923, which still have this ridge. However, I believe this was exceptional by this time.

Oliver Mundy.