Leeds & Catlin Record Labels

[phonogfp]

Under a separate thread called "Store Brand Labels," most of the known labels purveyed by the International Record Company have been pictured.  I mistakenly included two Leeds & Catlin labels in a post (now corrected), but it occurred to me that Leeds & Catlin certainly deserved a similar thread.

 

Here is the best-known of the Leeds & Catlin disc labels - suitably marketed as a "Leeds Record."  The first of these had "Ohio Talking Machine Company " in relief at the bottom, but these were soon changed to "The Talk-O-Phone Co."

 

 

I've seen only a few of these with a "Loudest & Clearest" design on the reverse:

 

 

On occasion, a smaller version of the label was used:

 

 

Also on occasion, a green label appeared for no apparent reason:

 

 

By mid-1905, the foil label was being phased out and replaced by the Imperial label:

 

 

The Concert was a lower-priced Leeds & Catlin label:

 

 

Leeds & Catlin pressed the "A" series of Busy Bee discs:

 

 

The mysterious Banner label:

 

 

The later Eagle Records with full-color labels were pressed by Leeds & Catlin:

 

Another mysterious L&C label, the Silver Star:

 

 

The first of the United Hebrew Disk and Cylinder Company disc records were pressed by Leeds & Catlin.  The red label must certainly have drawn the legal attention of Victor.  Later pressings feature a blue label (see the thread on "Store Brand Labels" for a blue labeled example pressed by the International Record Company):

 

 

One of the more commonly-found Leeds & Catlin labels:

 

 

Here are three different series of Nassau Records pressed by Leeds & Catlin:

 

 

 

 

Finally, here's one of the last labels issued by Leeds & Catlin; a double-sided Peerless:

 

 

I'd be pleased to see other examples of L&C pressings!

 

George P.

 

[PatheLogical]

Edited July 3, 2020 by PatheLogical

[Neilvanstem]

Nice labels all. One at least I have never seen even in books. Like many I like Leeds labels. I only have two. Different diameter labels, one with the announcement, and both different like the two you show. I have never see the blank side like the one you show and boy that sure is desirable! Mine look nice though not completely blank. I think even the plain side is nice looking. 

[Neilvanstem]

I have one of the Silver Star label and it has the numbers in mirror image in the run off area which I think I read was done when it was a Leeds and Catlin record? You all just have so many records/labels that I do not have. So nice though to see them. 

[phonogfp]

2 hours ago, Neilvanstem said:

Like many I like Leeds labels...  I have never see the blank side like the one you show and boy that sure is desirable! Mine look nice though not completely blank. I think even the plain side is nice looking. 

 

I agree, and it was a clever way for Talk-O-Phone to get around the use of a threaded record clamp to prevent the record from slipping.

 

And yes, the mirror-image numbers are a sure sign of a Leeds & Catlin pressing, although apparently not all L&C pressings have them.

[Analogous]

Has anyone developed a complete list of L&C labels?

[phonogfp]

47 minutes ago, Analogous said:

Has anyone developed a complete list of L&C labels?

According to Leeds & Catlin Records, A History and Discography, by William R. Bryant, Edited and Annotated by Allan Sutton, Leeds and Catlin pressed the following labels:

 

Aretino (A-prefixed single-sided; D-prefixed double-sided); Busy Bee (A-prefixed); Concert; D&R (early pressings); Duquesne; Eagle (later pressings); Imperial; Imperial Grand Opera; Leeds (gold foil and green labels); Nassau; National; Oxford (during 1907-1908); Peerless; Silver Star; Sir Henri (1907-1910); Sun; Symphony; 20th Century Record; Vim (V-prefixed, Imperial catalog numbered).

 

These labels are illustrated and described in detail in the book, along with a discography.

 

[Analogous]

Thanks George,

 

I've written Allan to see if I can get a copy somehow!

 

Of course, what I REALLY need is an early catalog of their cylinders... and Walcutt & Leeds... and Walcutt & Miller!!

[Don_Wilson]

A friend once sent me a 7" Leeds disc that had the typical artwork in the label area but this disc does not have the gold foil.  I've copied this disc and can upload a picture of it. 

[Neilvanstem]

I do not have the two types of Leeds and Catlin but do have two of their records and the size of the labels are different. One smaller one larger. So I console myself! ha ha Neil

[BenL]

Picked this up at a local record store the other day, thanks for the info.