The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Okay, I have bought hundreds of 78's over the years from all types of sources and from origins across the country. I am very curious as I have often come across discs with this blue "Jenkins" sticker on them. I can't have been the only person to see these. So my semi off topic question is what is "Jenkins"? Is some type of store or chain of stores from back in the day? Any ideas?

With just "Jenkins" I wonder if a collector put stickers on his records. You'd think a dealer sticker would have a minimum of information to get prospective buyers headed their way. Jerry

Yes most of these stickers I see do show you a name and typically an address too or at least a city. While they might indicate the owner at some point in time to have bought quiet a few likes this over many years from various places and states seems curious to me. They clearly have a limited source at some point. The font on there doesn't exactly strike me as 20's or teens by any means. Perhaps Jenkins was a collector with a really big collection that was broken up and cast to the four winds?

Jenkins was a chain of music stores selling Pianos, Organs, sheet music, Victrolas and records. There was one in the town I grew up in, Fort Smith, Arkansas. They were around until at least the 1960's. I have many 78's from the acoustical period that have those little Jenkins stickers on them. Other music stores often used rubber stamps with White ink, that showed against the dark labels.

Seems like I remember there was also a Jenkins Music Store here in Kansas City, Kansas in the 1960's.

Note the similarity of the "J"s, twixt sticker and main sign on building (vaguely Oriental looking J K and N, to me). Last Jenkins apparently closed in December 2014.