The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I started a bit of dupe weeding this afternoon and came across something peculiar: a record with label type not shown in the Copeland/Sherman book, apparently glued over another label. The "standard label" copy has what they call paper label type IV-B. The alternate (right label in each photo below) differs from any of the photos in the book, as it lacks -R and -L indications and the lozenge at the bottom for matrix number, but where one label is slightly torn at the edge another with the lozenge is visible underneath. Also, the lozenge-free label has some information in a serif font; the examples in the book are all entirely sans-serif. The records have identical stamper designations.

I'd think the lozenge-free label was an overlay to get rid of the red star, but both sides of the affected disc carry it, and only one side of the "normal" copy has the star. Anybody have an idea what's going on here?

Hmmm...that is a real oddity. Having seen thousands of paper-label Diamond Discs, I don't recall seeing any just like that.

As an aside regarding the red star, I've identified 47 Diamond Discs that, like the one in the original post, had a red star on only ONE side of the record. Interestingly (perhaps only to me), 45 of them appear on the 'R' side, with only two on the 'L' side. Most of the single-side red stars occurred early in the use of the stars, whereas later the records with stars had them on both sides. I've read that that evolution occurred because some dealers, in an attempt to cheat and get return credit for unsold records bearing red stars, turned the non-star side of the record to face up and trick the jobber or the folks at the factory.

I'd be interested in hearing other observations about the short-lived use of the stars on Diamond Discs.