The H.M.V. Record Label.
As it appears on the British ‘B’ series, 1912 – 1958.
Introduction. In
2000, the City of
Classification of HMV labels used
in the “B” series.
by Han Enderman.
HMV variable
features [at 5 = at
1. Position of the catalogue number.
a.
in center, in rectangle below spindle hole
b.
at 5
c.
at 3; prefix (B) followed by dot
2. Size of trademark (dog + gramophone in
half-circle) [= Nipper trademark]
a.
large (i.e. spindle hole within tmk); text
"TRADE MARK REGD" around spindle hole
b.
small (i.e. spindle hole below tmk); text "TRADE
MARK REGD" above spindle hole
3. Colour of
trademark
a.
in colour; background light
b.
in colour; background dark
c.
monochrome
d.
dog + gramophone in outline (not a chronological type)
4. Lower margin text about manufacturer
a.
absent (text - as in b - is shown below trademark)
b. "Record manufactured by THE GRAMOPHONE CO., LTD., Hayes,
c. text reduced to: "THE GRAMOPHONE CO., LTD."
5. Typefaces of cat. no., tune title, mx. no.
a.
characteristic early typeface
b.
sanserif typeface
6. Presence
of 2 quadrants, in the lower part of the label at 4-5 & 7-8 o'clock
positions, containing information (performance, mx.
no. & cat. no.).
a.
white, gold-lined quadrants
b.
quadrants not white but in same colour as the
remaining part of the label
7. Position of mx.
no.
a. at 6
b.
at 7
c.
at 9
8. Statement SPEED 78
a.
SPEED 78 (underlined) in right quadrant at 4
b.
SPEED 78 (not underlined) at 4
c.
SPEED 78 at 9
d.
only 78 at 9 (after mx. no.)
9. Side indication (A/B) at 7
10. Made in
a. in small letters in italics
b.
in capitals
11. Performance details (dance orchestra,
&c).
a.
at 8
b.
at 9
c.
omitted
Minor features
not used to distinguish label types are:
- Small
variations within the trademark (like shape of dog, horizontal line) - The
picture of the dog is slightly different in the various label types, but it is
not known if this is a diagnostic feature.
- Minor colour variations in the trademark and in the cat. no.
panel in type #A
- Size of
typefaces
- Mx. no. between brackets or not
- The use of
capitals or small letters for composers and performance details.
Though these
variations can be described, they seem not useful for a further subdivision,
especially since they seem to vary at random.
LABEL TYPES
3 major label
types (A-C) are distinguished here, based on the position of the cat. no.
The 22 label types
(#A1-5, B1-8, C1-9) in chronological order are:
#A1 [B-101 - B186; 1912 to May 1913]
FULL DESCRIPTION
Cat. nr in rectangle below spindle hole, on
yellow or cream background.
Tmk large (with text "TRADE MARK REGD" around spindle
hole), in colour.
Background in tmk
mainly yellow.
Tmk not bounded by a
golden border.
Text
"Record manufactured by THE GRAMOPHONE CO., LTD., Hayes, Middlesex,
England." below tmk.
Characteristic
early typeface.
Tune
title in capitals, composer not in capitals [not known if this is
characteristic for type #1].
Performance
description next to rectangle with cat.nr.
Mx.nr at 6 [= at
#A2 [B-187 - ca. B-688]; May 1913 to September 1916]
Background in tmk dark.
Tune title not
in capitals; composer in capitals.
#A3 [B-689 - B-751; September 1916 to
January 1917]
Tmk gold-lined and with dark background. Dog &
Gramophone outlined with yellowish-green
tint.
Wide rim outside circular borderline. (N.B. This type A3, seemingly
fairly rare, is here illustrated from a C series (12” (30cm) disc); when a 10”
(25cm) B series example is available, it will appear here. NF.)
#A4 [B-752 - B-808; January 1917 to
July 1917]
As #A3, except
more details in dark background (floor visible).
#A5 [B-809 - B-881; July 1917 to
February 1918]
Tmk monochrome.
Cat.nr in rectangle against white background.
#B1 [B-882 - B-1044; February 1918 to
September 1919]
Cat.nr at 5.
Text about
manufacturer along lower margin.
Two white,
gold-lined quadrants in the lower part of the label, at 7-8 & 4-5 o'clock
positions, containing information (performance, mx.nr
& cat.nr)
Performance
details at 8.
Mx.nr at 7 (between brackets).
#B2 [B-1045 - B-1930; September 1919 to
February 1925]
Tmk in colour. Dog in slightly
different position.
#B3 [B-1931 - B-2283; February 1925 to
April 1926]
Quadrants
(gold-lined) not white, but in the basic colour of
the label.
NOTE: This
also applies to, for example, the HMV D & E series, which have a different
basic colour.
Title &
cat. no. in a new, larger, bold, sanserif typeface.
Title in
capitals.
#B5 [B-2284 - B-2332; May 1926 to
September 1926]
Text SPEED 78
(underlined) in right quadrant at 4.
#B6 [B-2333 - B-4256; September 1926 to
October 1932]
Lines
bordering the quadrants absent.
SPEED 78 not
underlined.
There seem to
have been experiments with various slightly different typefaces. Some labels
use a larger, elongated font for title & cat.nr.
The other
information (artist, composer, performance, mx,
&c) also in sanserif typeface.
The performance description may be in capitals or in small letters.
Side
indication (A/B) at 7.
Text along
upper margin: "This Copyright, Patented Record may not be sold below price
fixed by the Patentee, nor publicly performed."
Side
indication (A/B) omitted.
Mx.nos. between brackets or not.
NOTE that this is the first upper margin copyright text. An earlier text
listed by Andrews & Bayly (“This Copyright Record must not be Sold below Price
fixed by the Patentee nor Publicly Performed.”) must be an error.
Cat.nr at 3. Prefix (B) followed by dot.
Cat.nr printed below tmk and not
extending beyond tmk.
Performance
description (if present) and speed at 9.
Mx.nr at 6, but at 7 if there is insufficient space;
between brackets or not.
Tune title in
smaller typeface (always in capitals).
#C2 [B-8253 - B-8884; January 1935 to
April 1939]
Tmk small (spindle hole outside the tmk
and text "TRADE MARK REGD." above the hole).
Upper margin
text: "This Patented Copyright Record must not be sold below price fixed
by Patentee, nor publicly performed."
Upper margin
text: "Copyright Patented Record. Not to be publicly performed without licence nor sold below price fixed by Patentees."
At present the
latest issue reported with this margin text (including the word
"nor") is B-8636.
Cat.nr usually extending beyond the lower border of the tmk, and thus nearer to the right label margin.
Mx.nr not between brackets.
Same upper
margin text as before, except "or sold" instead of "nor
sold" (It seems that the letter n was usually merely removed, resulting in
additional space before the word "or".)
#C5 [B-8885 - B-9473; May 1939 to May
1946]
Tmk monochrome.
Lower margin
text reduced to: "THE GRAMOPHONE CO., LTD."
#C7a [B-9474 - B-9681; June 1946 -
September 1948]
Text "Made in England" in italics between tmk and cat.nr at 3.
In the last
issues of type #C7a the performance description (at 9) is absent, like in #C8.
#C8 [B-9682 - B-10968; September 1948
to 1958]
Upper margin text,
occupying (together with the lower margin text) the complete margin:
"Copyright Patented Record. Not to be sold (...) Prohibited."
Text "Made in England" in small capitals
(block letters).
Only "SPEED 78" at 9.
Performance
description absent, except in (some or all) reissues.
Mx. no. followed by "78" at 9 (word
"SPEED" omitted).
© Han Enderman 2005.
Note:
-1. The full
details of the book which inspired this web page: ‘Catalogue of HMV “B” Series
Records’. Frank Andrews & Ernie Bayly. City Of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society Ltd., 2000.
The book is still available and may be obtained from the Society. Website: www.clpgs.org.uk
Appendix.
In the course of 46 years and nearly nine and half thousand
issues there are bound to be many ‘exceptions to the rule’. They might be
termed ‘hybrids’. Obviously, a record with a long catalogue life would appear
with many sorts of labels as it was re-pressed. They even used up old label
stocks; the two illustrations above of the ODJB HMV B-1022, Han’s types B1 and
B2, are from the same disc. What we don’t
want to see is a 1935 record with a 1932 label! There are, however, a few
notable ‘orphan’ labels to be found in the B- series, and some of them are
given here.
1.
Essentially, all HMV labels are ‘large’ (3.375", ~8.6cm) until Han’s type
C1 of the early 1930s. From type C2, they are ‘small’ (3", ~7.6cm).
However, from about 1924, when the groove of a record ran on very long, smaller
labels were produced as and when required. Generally speaking these will keep
the design of the normal size label, as we would expect. But there is one
important departure from this. There is apparently no small version of Han’s type B1 & B2, the ‘white quadrant’
label. Here is seen HMV B-1741, issued in January 1924. We would expect the B2
label type. But, as it a small label,
it has no white quadrants. Both sides of B-1741 have these ‘early small
labels’. Their size is only 2.875" (7.3cm). B-1748 was issued in February 1924, and has
this small label on one side, and the large white quadrant label on the other.
It would appear that these small labels were engendered by Victor making longer
cuts and reducing the size of their labels too, at this period. HMV followed
suit, maybe a little later.
2. There
are HMV B-series records with a plum label. This colour was introduced with the
advent of the HMV BD- series in the early 1930s, in the face of the continuing
depression. These were slightly cheaper, and accordingly had the trade mark
printed only in outline. (The idea of a ‘cheap HMV’ would, at one time, been
unthinkable!) Equally unthinkable - and still is, for that matter - is a single
series that sells at two different prices, depending on the colour of the
label. Yet HMV did this. Certain fundamental Jazz issues (and perhaps others; I
do not know), in the B-series were given plum labels and sold at the price of a
BD- series. The ‘label copy notice’ or whatever EMI called them, stipulated the
label size. Here is shown Ellington’s ‘Three Little Words’
on B-5945, which originally appeared in January 1931 on Han’s type B6 label. 
By the
mid 1930s it had been ‘downgraded’ in price, but it was still B-5945; and
therefore still had its large label. Again with Ellington, ‘Dinah’ appeared in
June 1932on B-6175 with a compulsory small label, as the cut is long. (The
large label was still the standard in 1932; cf type
C1 above, B-6351.) After a few years, B-6175 was demoted to BD- level and so
appeared with a plum label, though small, naturally. I am not sure when this
anomalous ‘bipartite’ price structure ended. I imagine the more
logically-minded record dealers welcomed its demise!
3. There are, of course, large labels in sepia. The label copy
notices stipulated the retention of the large label; so naturally, any of these
discs 
still in
catalogue in May 1939 subsequently appeared with sepia labels, such as this
Ellington. B-4869 (part of an export series, but readily available to special
order within the
4. This
record probably shouldn’t be here. It’s a kind of unknown migrant. However, I
include it because it is an HMV B-
series. But not one ‘Made in England’, that’s for sure. Yet it doesn’t tell us
where it actually was made. This is quite unusual. For example, there are
plenty of Indian HMVs with the regular B- prefix
knocking around (largely brought back to the U.K. by Service Personnel); and,
as far as I recall, they all say: ‘Made in India’. They also tend to play
rather better than our own domestic product, but that’s by the way; and in any
case, don’t they all! No, I have a hunch that this lovely laminated pressing of
HMV B-9363 was made in France, at the EMI plant at Ivry-sur-Seine.
B-9363 was issued in the U.K. in February 1944 and deleted in April 1950. I’m
assuming that whatever troubles the French pressing plant suffered during WW2, it
was eventually working fine, and these were pressed there, not for the British
market, but for some other. Heaven knows which. One thing is certain,
it was pressed in a hurry! As you can see, part of the label is folded under,
and the pressing is wildly off-centre; a previous owner has gouged out the hole
with a ‘blunt instrument’ to get it to play properly.
5.
Lastly (for now), you will have seen that after May 1939, all HMV B- series
labels had the Trade Mark in sepia, this drabness continuing for nineteen dreary years. But this is
actually not true. At least one B- series appeared post-WW2 with a coloured
label! Harry Hayes’s B-9450 proclaims that it is of the 1945 Swing music
series, and was indeed issued in December 1945 and deleted in March 1949. And
it has a coloured Trade Mark. Mike Thomas - who furnished this scan - believes
that this was Harry Hayes’s signature tune, and because of this, they allowed
it to be issued in colour. (Saxophonist Hayes’s records, though alas little
regarded today, are in fact excellent and deservedly sold very well when they
came out. This may have induced EMI to grant this singular boon.) If anyone else
knows of coloured B- series with catalogue numbers above B-8885, we would love
to hear of it, please!
Again I acknowledge gratefully the generous and unstinting help
of Han Enderman, Dr. Rainer Lotz
and Mike Thomas for making this page possible.
If you have any comments, observations, corrections &c.,
please feel free to email me at: jazz@normanfield.com; it
would be great to hear from you!
Page commenced 30th May 2005.
Page revised 8th September 2005.
Page revised 27th September 2006.