Small stamp/sticker on British Edison records?

[52089]

I recently picked up a Blue Amberol box with what (to me) was an unusual sticker on it. Looking closely, it has the Edison signature on it, with the legend, "Genuine Edison Record, Thomas A. Edison, Ltd. London". It is roughly ¾" on each side.

I assume our British friends have seen these before. Could someone please tell me why they were used, when they were in place, are they all green, etc.?

Thanks in advance.

[victorIIvictor]

I'm sure you did your best with the photo, but could you transcribe what is written in the circular border?

I'm going to guess that it is a copyright stamp of some sort, placed there to assure the authorities that the copyright royalties (or perhaps some tax) were paid on the selection issued on that particular cylinder. Here are other examples of such stamps:

http://www.78rpm.net.nz/mechcopy/mech.htm

Best wishes, Mark

[52089]

I'm sure you did your best with the photo, but could you transcribe what is written in the circular border?

As noted, it says "Genuine Edison Record, Thomas A. Edison, Ltd. London". Sorry, my camera lens does not have a close-up/macro setting.

I'm going to guess that it is a copyright stamp of some sort, placed there to assure the authorities that the copyright royalties (or perhaps some tax) were paid on the selection issued on that particular cylinder. Here are other examples of such stamps:

http://www.78rpm.net.nz/mechcopy/mech.htm

Best wishes, Mark

Certainly seems plausible. I've seen pictures of a few of these before on disc records, but this is the first I've seen on a cylinder box.

[NEFaurora]

I'm just guessing here....but maybe their use was some "British Board of Trade" thing at the time..

)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

[epigramophone]

The stamps used to collect royalties on musical items, notably records, appeared in the UK from July 1912 when the Copyright Act of 1911 came into force. It consolidated previous copyright legislation into a single Act which for the first time included sound recordings. This gave the producers of sound recordings the exclusive right to prevent others from reproducing them or playing them in public without payment of royalties. Here is the very earliest of these stamps :