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Stephen's Climax Record (bearing the black-with-silver print, broken-ring style label) is the lowest-numbered, 10-inch record manufactured for Columbia. However, 7-inch Climax Records manufactured for Columbia predate this 10-inch recording by several months.

Not including the small, thick, brown records used with The Toy Phonograph, Columbia sourced their first records, called Climax Records, from the Burt Company (Milburn, NJ). The first Climax Records were made by the Globe Record Company and pressed by the Burt Company (G.R.Co. was owned by Burt Co.). These records (dating from about September, 1901) were 7 inches in diameter and had no paper label. Label, catalog number, title, and artist information was shown in relief (raised above the record surface) in the center/label area of the finished disc. A brass grommet (which maybe missing from some discs?) surrounded each record's spindle hole.

By late 1901, Climax Record paper labels (black with gold print) were added to the manufacturing process of the records. The first Climax Record paper labels were affixed to discs manufactured using the early stampers showing record information in relief. Thus, the raised lettering is present beneath (and around) the paper label on some examples. Eventually in the manufacturing process, the label area of the records was made smooth (relief/raised lettering eliminated) prior to label application. A brass grommet is still used in the spindle hole of each record at this point.

10-inch diameter Climax Records are introduced by late 1901 or early 1902, and are offered in addition to the 7-inch discs. By early 1902, the second-style Climax Record paper label (the black-with-silver print, broken-ring style) is being used on both size discs. This is the label style used in the OP's video.

All records pictured below are 7 inches in diameter.

Still a great record Stephen,
Bob

Great photos, Bob! I don't think I've ever seen 3 non-paper label Climax discs in one place...

George P.

oldphonographsteve wrote: Here is an image for reference.
-Stephen

Wow! Never heard of such a thing. Would love to see one in action - or find one in a shop somewhere - but it looks like the only one that has been on the market sold for $14750.

Everything about its design is such a fascinating evolutionary dead end. Although I can see how it's much more related to a cylinder machine than Berliner's discs, Berliner already had a pretty good idea how discs were supposed to work by 1897...

The "Toy Graphophone" was pretty much a test balloon for Columbia in its efforts to enter the disc record/machine market. There were other disc machines in the 1890s subsidized by Columbia, but this was the first one built by the company. The discs were vertically recorded and played from the inside out: no doubt in an attempt to evade Berliner's U.S. patent No.534543. The whole complex story is explained and illustrated in The Talking Machine Compendium and in Discovering Antique Phonographs.

George P.

Great overview, "Pathé Logical" !

Pathé Logical wrote:However, 7-inch Climax Records manufactured for Columbia predate this 10-inch recording by several months.

This is generally thought, but incorrect.

I have before me a 10-inch Climax Record (Globe Record Co. New York) with raised lettering in label area. "." after most lines of type. Brass grommet. (Record Nr.) 89 Overture - William Tell. This proves that 7" and 10" Columbia recordings and stampers are contemporaneous.

My specimen bears the first paper Climax Record label applied over the central area of the raised lettering (the area of the raised lettering is much larger than the size of the paper label). Interestingly, while an anonymous "Band" shows up on the stamper, "Climax Band" is printed on the paper label.

Starkton wrote:Great overview, "Pathé Logical" !

Pathé Logical wrote:However, 7-inch Climax Records manufactured for Columbia predate this 10-inch recording by several months.

This is generally thought, but incorrect.

I have before me a 10-inch Climax Record (Globe Record Co. New York) with raised lettering in label area. "." after most lines of type. Brass grommet. (Record Nr.) 89 Overture - William Tell. This proves that 7" and 10" Columbia recordings and stampers are contemporaneous.

My specimen bears the first paper Climax Record label applied over the central area of the raised lettering (the area of the raised lettering is much larger than the size of the paper label). Interestingly, while an anonymous "Band" shows up on the stamper, "Climax Band" is printed on the paper label.

Wow that is very interesting! I was beginning to doubt myself after reading the previous posts and was about to change the title of the post to "The First 10 inch Columbia Disc Recording." Though I find it unlikely, is there any way we can confirm or deny with certainty that this disc is the first disc recording by Columbia?

-Stephen

oldphonographsteve wrote: is there any way we can confirm or deny with certainty that this disc is the first disc recording by Columbia?

-Stephen

As noted earlier in this thread, Columbia released small brown wax discs for use on the "Toy Graphophone" in early 1900.

Then in later 1901 Columbia arranged to have the Globe Record Company press 7 and 10 inch discs for them. By mid-February 1902, Columbia had assumed ownership of Globe and moved the entire operation to Bridgeport CT., issuing Globe-labeled discs. It's quite likely that recording continued during this phase of Columbia's operations.

The disc illustrated is catalog No.1 of Columbia's new series but still using the old Globe labels. Records of any company were seldom issued in the same order in which they were recorded. Other records in this series may have been recorded earlier (as shown by the matrix numbers), but In The Clock Store happened to be assigned No.1.

All this is to demonstrate that the pictured disc was neither the first disc recorded by Columbia, nor the first disc issued by the firm. It's still a rare label and interesting in that it carries catalog No.1.

George P.

Yes, both the Ilustrated Compendium and Discovering Antique Phonographs explain this story very well. Columbia was protected under the J.W. Jones (a sneaky chore boy for Berliner, who improved upon Berlinerd's acid-etch process) patent for recording in wax (as well as a mechanical-feed disc machine(with the collaboration of A.T. Armstrong)), the wax recording patent application being an infringement on the Bell-Tainter patents. So Columbia, wanting an in (and a superior product) to Berliner's disc record system signed Armstrong and Jones with them, giving Columbia yet more patent power.

While we're discussing Climax labels, does anyone want to speculate about this 10" Climax that lacks a label, and simply has the title written in pencil (and not quite the right title at that)?

Catalogue number 56: "Since That Day."

I bought this one because I thought that it would be sung by Albert Campbell/Wm. Albert, as noted within the Columbia discography, but lo and behold, it's Harry Macdonough. Not that everyone would know by the announcement, which is simply rendered "Since That Day, Climax record."

This makes me wonder how early in 1901 the recording of some the earliest matrices took place. Macdonough recorded this title for Victor on June 11, 1900, and November 7, 1900, with an issued take resulting from the latter session on A-85.

If popular song titles, presumably, would have been recorded somewhat close together--say several months apart at the most(a guess) on differing labels, would this put the earliest matrices back to the late winter/early spring of 1901? That mystery number near the grommet is 966.

Rastus10 wrote:While we're discussing Climax labels, does anyone want to speculate about this 10" Climax that lacks a label, and simply has the title written in pencil (and not quite the right title at that)?

Catalogue number 56: "Since That Day."

I bought this one because I thought that it would be sung by Albert Campbell/Wm. Albert, as noted within the Columbia discography, but lo and behold, it's Harry Macdonough. Not that everyone would know by the announcement, which is simply rendered "Since That Day, Climax record."

This makes me wonder how early in 1901 the recording of some the earliest matrices took place. Macdonough recorded this title for Victor on June 11, 1900, and November 7, 1900, with an issued take resulting from the latter session on A-85.

If popular song titles, presumably, would have been recorded somewhat close together--say several months apart at the most(a guess) on differing labels, would this put the earliest matrices back to the late winter/early spring of 1901? That mystery number near the grommet is 966.

I'm only making an educated guess here, but could it possibly be a test pressing?
Also, in regards to my record likely not being the first Columbia disc recording, is there any way we can figure out which recording was the first issued? Although, I think it would be unlikely that we could find that out.
-Stephen