Not a machine but do you know about Famous Imperial Records?

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Gramtastic
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Not a machine but do you know about Famous Imperial Records?

Post by Gramtastic »

Just seen a picture of these "Famous Imperial Records" which is a make I've never seen before.... Anyone have any info on the make ??
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IMPERIAL RECORDS.jpg

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Roaring20s
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Re: Not a machine but do you know about Famous Imperial Reco

Post by Roaring20s »

Looks like a rare product...
Screen Shot 2019-09-06 at 1.14.42 PM.png
James.

Gramtastic
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Re: Not a machine but do you know about Famous Imperial Reco

Post by Gramtastic »

Thanks for the info. There isn't much on the web so I assume there aren't many of these left.

epigramophone
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Re: Not a machine but do you know about Famous Imperial Reco

Post by epigramophone »

As both John Bull and Uncle Sam are pictured on the boxes it occurred to me that there might be an Anglo-American connection, so I did a little digging and found as follows :

In 1892 Edward F.Leeds and Cleveland Walcutt began supplying wax cylinders and recorders to the phonograph trade, and by 1896 they were selling their own pre-recorded cylinders. In 1897 the American Graphophone Company sued for infringement of patents, but Leeds and Walcutt continued and were found guilty of Contempt of Court.

Walcutt then left the business in 1898, and in 1899 Leeds founded a new company with L.R.Catlin. Manufactured at their works in Middletown, Connecticut, cylinders were soon followed by disc records, which were exported to Britain on the Imperial label. Eventually in 1907 repeated lawsuits resulted in a Court Order perpetually restraining Leeds & Catlin from making and selling disc records, which confirms the information in Roaring20s post.

Gramtastic
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Re: Not a machine but do you know about Famous Imperial Reco

Post by Gramtastic »

Thanks for the info - I guess the fact that they weren't around for long explains why I have never seen one of these cylinders before...........

clevelander
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Re: Not a machine but do you know about Famous Imperial Reco

Post by clevelander »

Is this the same Imperial record company who made 6"/3 minute cylinder records?
Mine has reference to Lambert machines on the carton.

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