The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

A recently purchased job lot of records included two records of "Whispering Hope" sung by Alma Gluck and Louise Homer.
Victor Batwing 87107 and Victrola 87524, both 10 inch single sided.

Same song, same singers, serial numbers not far apart and sounding identical when played. Why two recordings?

They're both the same take (2). Maybe they decided to give a new catalog # just for the lower price "Victrola" issue.

Is there any chance this is to do with the selection going from a single side issue to a double sided and the company for some reason deciding to use the same title on both sides for this more popular title by an operatic duo.

The double sided had catalog # 3000. Three issues of this recording by Victor.
Two single side and one double. https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/ ... ictor_3000

Thank you gentlemen. I wonder how many more records were confusingly renumbered?

Do you think the records were at two different price levels?

"Victrola" label Victor Red Seals were lower priced.

With Victor patents expiring from about 1919 plus the Radio Boom from 1922, Victor's Red Seal catalog went through a series of price reductions. The original single faced record Whisperering Hope 87107 sold for $2.00 in 1913.

In 1919, the 87500 single faced series was introduced when the price was reduced first to $1.50, then I believe to $1.25 in 1923 when Red Seal double faced Red Seals were introduced and then finally to $0.80 with the big 1926 clear out of acoustic records.

Whispering Hope inroduced the 3000 series double faced Red Seals in 1923 as catalog number 3000 priced at $2.00.

From the above you can gauge when the record was pressed.

Good information ! $1.25 or so was what I remembered as was price for the "Victrola" pressings.