[78-L] Need info on a center-start Pathe

[Chris Zwarg]

At 18:22 15.12.2008, you wrote:
>Can someone supply the recording date (exact or estimated) and the city 
>of this 14" (actually 13-3/4") European Pathe, stamped "made in France" 
>but imported into the U.S. around 1914. The embossed label says:
>
>"Fascination - Waltz  - Berkes Bela Hungarian Orchestra - Budapest. 
>Pathe 2030". Two other numbers on the label, both unique to this side, 
>are "an.39457" and "57166 G.R."

"39457" is the master-cylinder number, Pathé's equivalent to a matrix number; but these were allocated out of any sensible numerical sequence and so are not much help for dating. "An." probably denotes "American" as the copy was intended for that market - in fact I have never seen "An." before, but "Al." (=Allemand) and "Rs." (=Russian) have been seen on copies lettered in these languages. "57166 GR" is the serial number as given to each transfer from master-cylinder to a disc master. This allows us to date your copy to Autumn 1910 (manufacturing date of the stamper, the actual pressing may of course be later), shortly after the original recording which took place in Budapest around March 1910.

An article about the complicated cataloguing system Pathé indulged in (which makes dating their records by master/matrix number mostly impossible) written by yours truly will appear in the next edition (Dec.2008) of "The Record Collector".

>It's 
>in the earliest U.S. Pathe catalog (1915), that Tim Brooks has,  but not 
>thereafter.

This is a catalogue I'd like to see a scan or copy of some day for my ongoing discographical work dealing with Pathe cylinders and discs!

Chris Zwarg