The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I bought a single sided Victor record with a blueish violet label yesterday. Why did they use a different label instead of the Red Seal or black batwing. The number is 60083, does anyone know when this record was made.

Blue was one of the 4 major colors Victor used - black, red, purple, and blue. When the blue labels started coming out, the purple labels were slowly phased out, so the blue label became the "medium" grade - better than black, not as good as red, and priced accordingly.

The Collector's Guide to Victor Records by Mike Sherman is an excellent resource for questions like this.

I believe this is a probably a purple label, not blue. http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/o ... ctor_60083

Bob

If I recall, the Blue (Bluish) label Victors were reserved for artists below the rank of those that appeared on Red Seal Victors. Harry Lauder records (for instance) are often found on the Blue Victors. Serious artists but not of "Red Seal" quality in Victors eyes.

Phototone wrote:If I recall, the Blue (Bluish) label Victors were reserved for artists below the rank of those that appeared on Red Seal Victors. Harry Lauder records (for instance) are often found on the Blue Victors. Serious artists but not of "Red Seal" quality in Victors eyes.

Lauder started out on the purple label, then went to blue- I think his very late electrics were on red. Actors and high paid musical comedy artists often ended up on the blue label.

I think the Blue label started when Victor went to double sided records for this level of artist.
All the Blue ones I have are 2 sided, and the Purple ones I have are 1 sided.
Some of the Purple ones are re-issued on the Blue ones.
I'm sure there are exceptions.

estott wrote:Lauder started out on the purple label,

Harry Lauder's earliest Victor records appeared on black label Victor pressed from European masters. I have several of them in my collection. His first American pressed Victor Records indeed appeared on the Purple label Victor in 1910. Lauder is one of only a handful of Victor recording artists whose recordings were released on all 4 of Victor's major record label colors.

Doug