[78-L] A couple Victor oddities

[Bryan Wright]

Today at a local used record shop I picked up a couple unusual Victor  
records from the 1950s. I'm hoping someone here can help me date them  
a little more precisely.

The first is a 6-inch promo record for station WBOW (Terre Haute,  
Indiana). An announcer from WBOW recites a little poem about the  
programming on WBOW, including references to network radio programs  
"Henry Aldrich" and "The Halls of Ivy." The latter was on the air from  
1950-1952, so that narrows things down a little. Perhaps most telling  
is the matrix number: E1-KB-459. I know RCA Victor matrix numbers of  
the 1950s have been discussed here before, I but I can't seem to  
locate the thread. Can anyone recap the RCA Victor matrix series or  
point to an online reference that outlines the letter codes?

The other 10 records are 10-inch *vinyl* 78s with the standard black  
"RCA Victor" label of the mid-1950s with Nipper and the phonograph in  
color. The only RCA Victor vinyl 78s I had ever seen before these were  
the DJ specials -- I've never seen RCA Victor vinyl 78s on the  
standard black label. They are mostly instrumental light classics  
played by the RCA Victor Orchestra (Fred Fradkin, cond.), with some  
piano solos. Strangely, the catalogue numbers suggest 45 rpm records.  
What's more, the edges of the discs are slightly raised just like RCA  
Victor's LPs of the late 1950s/early 1960s. Most sides have several  
banded selections. Here are a few of the discs:

RCA Victor 45-5036 (E-80)
Children's Prayer, Act 2: Scene 2 ("Hansel and Gretel") - mx.  
E1EB-2470 (RCA Victor Orchestra)
Barefoot Goslings / Dance in the Cottage / Wee Man in the Wood - mx.  
E1EB-1436 (RCA Victor Orchestra)

RCA Victor 45-5030 (E-78)
Golliwogg's Cake Walk - mx. E1EB-2428 (Ruth Cumbie, piano)
The Hurdy-Gurdy Man / The Little Shepherd - mx. E1EB-3207 (Claudette  
Sorel, piano)

I'm guessing from the alternate catalogue numbers (E-80 and E-78 for  
example), that these were prepared for educational use? Is anyone else  
familiar with them? When were they made?

Thanks!
Bryan W.