[78-L] Illustrated early Zonophone sleeve

[David Lennick]

On 10/24/2011 3:15 PM, Michael Biel wrote:
> Thanks, Han, for noting that Zonophone sleeve.  It will add greatly to
> my sleeve history.
>
> David's note about Sparton replacing Steinweiss covers for their own
> artwork is an interesting note.  I'd like to have details and examples.
> This example of a plain US cover that had been illustrated in Canada is
> itself an interesting example that I have never seen before.  The blue
> backgrouunded title area looks like it might be a sticker, much like
> Columbia had used in the Royal Blue era.  I wonder if it covers up a
> PRINTED title box, and that this is a reuse of an  album that had been
> prepared for another set.  I've seen this on Decca where they glue cover
> slicks, printed spines, and inside cover slicks on top of printing for
> another album.
> Anybody have an example like this gray Columbia album with a blue title
> area?
>
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com

Come on over..I'd say that about 95% of Columbia's 78 album sets in Canada, 
once they began using artwork in the mid 40s (or earlier in the case of A- 
series popular albums), replace Steinweiss's with their own. As for reusing an 
album and covering with a new slick, I've seen one example in a Buffalo junk 
store but the set was (a) nothing I'd have wanted and (b) too cruddy even to 
keep as an example. I vaguely recall the covered-over album being Hansel and 
Gretel.

I've seen the gray album with a blue title area a few times..I think the ELIJAH 
set uses this. Probably something done a number of times in the very late 78 
period when Columbia was pushing the Lp more, but 78s lingered longer in 
Canada. Sparton used generic album covers almost exclusively at first but may 
not have had them at all in the very last days.

dl