[78-L] Columbia date codes - was: Columbia question

[Han Enderman]

The first date codes used by Columbia known to me are FZ on Co A-2296 (Al Jolson) and A-2297 (ODJB!), printed June 1917 (Z = 1917 !) [not 1916]. More common is GZ for the ODJB, printed the next month, but later pressings are known with AY (January 1918), DX (April 1919) and AW (Jan 1920).
Is it known, from a Columbia catalogue, which catalogue numbers were issued in June and July 1917?

Andrea's label has a bottom rim text which agrees with the AY labels. On the later AW label the patent information is shorter (running from 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock) and as long as the name Columbia Graphophone Company, whereas the patent lines extend beyond the company name on the AY label (running almost from 9h to 3h). On AV labels (Jan 1921) the lowest patent line is even shorter then the upper patent line and the company name, so Andrea's label is AY (Jan 1918).
The last code known to me in this series is BV on A-3379 by The Happy Six. From then on another system is used, occasionally even with 3 letters.

Han Enderman
===
>>> I am pretty certain that those letters are "AY" although I suppose the
second letter could conceivably be a "V".  But it looks like a "Y" to me.

Andrea

On Mon, Jan 12, 2009 at 8:46 PM, Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com> wrote:

> I can't read the little letters on the right side of the label just
> under the gold stripe, but that is the code for the printing date of the
> labels.  Since there was probably only one pressing of this record, that
> would be close to the date.
------
There is absolutely no number anywhere on the A side other than the number
51637 printed on the label and stamped in the wax, and the number 1 stamped
at the 6 o'clock position as you look at the label in the wax.
On the B side there is only the number 51639 printed on the label and
stamped in the wax, and the number 1 stamped in the wax but under the label
in the 6 o'clock postition as you look at the label.
There is no number next to the Columbia bar on either side.
There are TEENY TINY letters "AY" under the "A" in "Columbia" does that mean
anything?
Andrea
-----
YES! "AY" means the labels were ordered in (IIRC) January, 1917...!

This was a short-lived system that Columbia used from 1916 until
(again IIRC) sometime in 1920. The first letter is the month (A for
January through L for December)...and the second the year ("Z" was
1916 and down from there...!) They got down to "V" in 1920, but
that was later replaced by "P" at which point they gave up on the
whole durn mess!!
...stevenc 
<<<<