What are your favorite-looking labels?

[epigramophone]

Here is one I bought purely for the label interest. The record is c.1917 and vertically cut :

[shoshani]

For more modern labels, I've long been a fan of EMI's Columbia label from the mid-late 1950s. The tall L and B risers seem a perfect typographic balance. (Apologies for the small image)

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[FredSugarHall_fan]

The Mirofon is a disguised Homokord, and deserves a small analysis of the symbols and numbers pressed on the runout area.
First the date of recording on the Homokord fashion, is pressed at 6 o'clock as H12P which means August 12th, 1911
Second, the stamper processing date is pressed at 9 o'clock as 211211A, which is 21th of December, 1911.
At 3 o'clock is the original Homokord catalogue number 83847, whatever it means...
The numbers at 12 o'clock M6679R I don't know... They look as other catalogue numbers, the 6679 would be British. The M and R in the Homokord date keys would mean December (M) and 1909 (R) which are clearly not on line with the others, so these letters could better be something related to the pressing, as the A following the 211211.
Homokord-Homophone published records around all Europe and many things the same records are published for different countries under different catalogue numbers, this is not rare at all.
The other things, raised circles around the label and the record edge, and the fast end groove between two raised borders, are typical Homokord manufacture.
Info taken from Peter Copeland articles in Historic Record no22, jan1992, pages 22-25 and no23 of April 92, pages 23-26, send to me by the late Peter Copeland, God bless him.

Thank you for that information, Inigo!

[FredSugarHall_fan]

A couple of the "gorgeous/obscure" ones I had mentioned. I haven't done any research into these yet so I am unsure what countries they haul from but I'm pretty sure the "Enregistrement Electrique" is a European make of some sort (appears to be a Pathé manufacturer). I haven't played that one as I don't have a Pathé machine and am not looking to roll the dice with a Pathé make that I don't know will play on a "regular machine" or not, but I did take a listen to the other two and found the music to be OK.

Anybody ever seen any of these labels before? The Mirofon label has a peculiar detailing in the lead-in area (see the labeled image).

Mirofon is Czech.
The Pathé is quite interesting. It's an electrical recording but not an "Actuelle". I was not aware that Pathé made vertical electrically recorded records outside of possibly transcription discs. Sure this is a vertical recording?
Bel Canto was actually a very short lived (approx 3 years) German label- 1909-12

OK, I give up--I've tried twice now to get the photos in order in line, and they simply don't work, so I'll include them all in a lump at the bottom. Pathé did issue vertical cut electric recordings, but not many. The photo shows the only one I have, also the only one I've seen; it's the blue one. Note that it specifies playback with a sapphire ball in a tiny note under the catalogue number. Needle cut records from the period when Pathé issued both formats usually specify "aiguille," which I gather is French for "needle," as shown on the multi-colored label (not my record).

FredSugarHall_fan's record is almost certainly needle cut lateral. That said, I wouldn't inflict a steel needle on it; in my opinion, playback on a modern turntable would be far the better choice.

Thank you for the information, drh! I am not interested in giving this one the steel needle treatment, so it will remain unplayed for now.

[Inigo]

The Homokord records are very resistant, and their composition is soft, they can be played with soft steel needles or with bamboo with success and no wear. The german recordings, especially the band ones, as usual, tend to be much louder than the rest, as happens with their Grammophon, Odeon and Favorite or Beka acoustic records. They seemed to have a great interest in records sounding as loud as possible. Even they created the Odeon special "SONORA" series which were still louder than the standard ones, irresistibly loud... I only have one of those, in 27cm brown belle-epoque type, and played only the day I bought it and no more.

BTW, that brown Odeon label with the modernist golden decoration is another of my favourites
Several examples of the fabulous Odeon records...
Although the labels say PARIS, the recordings have the german xBe prefix visibly engraved under the labels, if not clearly in these sides, in the opposite ones. All the Odeon SONORA I've seen (certainly only a few ones) are german band recordings.

[travisgreyfox]

What a great thread! I agree with epigramophone and have always loved the British Royal family one.

[epigramophone]

What a great thread! I agree with epigramophone and have always loved the British Royal family one.

I am glad that you like the Royal label. Here are a couple more from 1927 and 1933, both featuring the future King Edward VIII. Almost all the British Royal records were issued on the HMV label, but following their merger with Columbia in 1931 to form EMI, one was issued on the Columbia label. It is the only example I have ever seen.

[ChesterCheetah18]

Here's a few I have that I find attractive.

Steve

[bensfractals]

What are some of your favorite-looking labels? Have you ever purchased anything just because the label made you curious?

Not quite sure but from the top of my head it's probably the 3DB transcription disc label

[paradroid1793]

Perhaps I'm boring but the Needle-cut Edison 78's. I like the lightning bolts and the typeface used.