LondonJazzCollector
Adventures in collecting «modern jazz»: the classical music of America from the Fifties and Sixties, on original vinyl, on a budget, from England. And writing about it, since 2011. 100% coronavirus-free content.
US pressing plant stamps and other identifiers
Last updated: July 8, 2021
This overview is primarily about vinyl pressing plants in the ’50s and ’60s which were significant players in the manufacture of jazz records. (Beatles, Northern Soul, Rock and other genres are amply covered by other collecting authorities)
Runout Stamps/ etchings and centre labels
Some US pressing plants have clear unambiguous stamps. Others can be identified only through a combination of runout detail and proprietary fonts on centre labels, linked to various makes of typesetting machines used by their local print supplier.
Other Reference Sources
FIPRESS
The original FiPres.com collection, which is no longer available on-line, is preserved here, and offers a good number of non-alphanumeric symbols. It is not quite as forensic as I would like, but it provides a quick visual starting point for major pressing plants. Other sources are required for mastering/cutting engineers.
DISCOGS FORUM Common Runout Groove Etchings
Best source for engineers. Technically detailed, exhaustive – 40 pages in alphabetic sequence of etching, includes many obscure etchings not listed elsewhere. Coverage largely rock and pop engineers, jazz in amongst them, some photographic links.
CHRISTMACHINE
Largely textual descriptions but contains occasional links to photographic samples held on photo-hosting sites
LJC: REAL WORLD PHOTOGRAPHIC EXAMPLES
Abbey Manufacturing Co. Inc., 1 Central Avenue, E Newark, New Jersey
Long-term pressing plant for Prestige Records and some other labels. AB hand-etched usually at or near 12 o’clock position, sometimes near or under the label edge
The AB appears initially as a pressed or drilled stamp, but later is found as hand-etched initials. Other forensic characteristics of early Abbey pressings is deep groove, and a small circular pressing ring around the spindle hole mostly though not always on Side Two.
All Disk, Roselle, New Jersey
Independent New Jersey plant until purchased by Liberty Records in 1966. All Disc had no formal identifier in the run-out area of its pressings so identification is rooted in chronology and centre-label type-setting. They pressed a significant proportion of Liberty Blue Notes after 1966, generally using Van Gelder mastered metal stampers. Paper labels were supplied to both original Blue Note Plastylite and Liberty All Disc Records by the same printer, Keystone Printed Specialties, Scranton PA., who long held Blue Note’s centre-label templates, and offered continuity in quality paper and inks. Those labels have artist and album title set in Intertype Vogue Bold. (“Side 1” in proper upper and lower case, 1 straight vertical no serif) and well-formed ® registration mark.
These labels distinguish East Coast pressings from those manufactured on the West Coast, printed by Bert-Co and pressed by Research Craft LA.
Bell Sound, New York
Bell Sound was an unusual end-to-end complete service, from studio recording, to mastering and pressing. Often includes “sf” engineer Sam Feldman initials.
In its 1968 Bell Sound Report in Billboard, Bell Sound proudly boasted to be the first fully-transistorised studio. Oh dear…
Bestway
Bestway Products, 1125 Globe Ave., Mountainside, New Jersey.
Founded 1945 by Al Massler, Stamp is easily identified, as it says “Bestway”.
WB says: used paper labels from Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Progressive Label Co., manufacturer of die cut label specialities that operated in Brooklyn, New York from the 1920s until the 1980s
Capitol Records
Major player who had plants located east and west coast with different markings.
Scranton, PA – the anvil symbol.
In use 1949 to 1963. Note: for ten weeks, late June until early September 1959, Capitol’s Scranton plant was on strike and Capitol pressings farmed out to other plants.
After 1963 the anvil was replaced by a union symbol, International Association of Machinists
Los Angeles – the star symbol
The pressing stamp resembles a star [for Hollywood] which evolved from a five pointed star (☆) to a six pointed star (✲) and circa 1965 began appearing as a basic asterisk. 
Capitol also prepared metal for other plants, who undertook the actual pressing, such as RCA Hollywood, so it is possible to find different organisation’s markings on the same record.
COLUMBIA
Complex national operation of up to five plants at any one time, finally reducing down to three:
Columbia Bridgeport Conn. 1473 Barnum Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06610 Founded in 1934 active until 1964, replaced by Pitman.
Hollywood Alden Drive, replaced by Santa Maria
WB: It was in late March, 1964, that Columbia shut down its Bridgeport plant, transferring all East Coast pressing activities to their newer Pitman, NJ plant that first went into operation in May 1961, closed in March 1981;
The label typesetting associated with Bridgeport would also go to Pitman, though on Columbia, Epic and subsidiary releases, the Linotype fonts would not really reappear on a regular basis until summer 1965. The Pitman plant ceased manufacturing vinyl in 1986-87
Bridgeport and later Pitman used paper labels with Artist, Title and Track names set in Linotype Erbar LT Bold Condensed – shown below is a 1959 KoB promo (with Erbar Light Condensed for comparison). This font set distinguishes Bridgeport/Pitman pressings from those at other Columbia Plants, where other fonts were in use.
WB: “Many have erroneously cited the code “CT” as signifying the Bridgeport plant when, in fact, it was a code for Columbia’s Terre Haute, IN plant (as was ‘CTH’). Back when Columbia was pressing records in Bridgeport, the common abbreviation for the state was ‘Conn.’; ‘CT’ was not used as a state abbreviation until starting in the later 1970’s;
Thereafter, all East Coast pressing was transferred to Pitman, NJ which began some pressing late 1960 and became more fully operational by May 1961. A Billboard article from September of 1963 noted that Columbia was phasing out pressing operations in Bridgeport. Given when the plant finally closed, this wind-down took six months.
At about the same time Bridgeport ended pressing operations, they also shut down a West Coast plant in Hollywood, CA (on Alden Drive) after a newer plant in Santa Maria, CA (which opened some time in late 1963 and would close in 1981) reached 100% online status in terms of pressing.
Thus, for a time in the late 1963/early ’64 period, Columbia operated five plants across the country”.
The old Columbia Hollywood Alden Drive plant signature is a hand-etched letter H
Pressings at Terre Haute commonly have a letter “T” hand etched or stamped in the run-out, and in some cases a mother code (A B and C have been seen) and here a stamper count five-bar gate.
Santa Maria plant pressings reportedly carry a letter S in the run out.
Though the subject is contentious, Columbia cut multiple lacquers “simultaneously” – some say “on the same day”, and distributed these laquers to plants nationally, who used these to manufacture metal parts locally (Customatrix Division) which ensured equally quality of pressings between manufacturing locations. In this sense, it is not especially important which plant pressed a Columbia recording.
The presence of Columbia pressing plant etchings is inconsistent. Around half the Columbia records in my collection have no visible indicator, merely the matrix code, and often an etched five-bar gate style stamper count.
Keel Mfg., Hauppage, Long Island
Believed to be the source of serrated pressings, though the evidence is circumstantial, and based on only one Discogs entry.
Keel was associated with the mass merchandising Pickwick International, but had a large number of presses and some spare capacity used to advantage in the pressing boom of the mid to late ’60s.
MGM Record Manufacturing Division, Bloomfield, New Jersey
Contract pressing for Atlantic, 1960s. MGM’s signature is that Rune-like symbol, ghostly spirit rising, or if you prefer, ice-cream cone with sign bar. It is often associated with the hand-etched letter “M”.
Plastylite Corporation, North Plainfield, New Jersey
Blue Note pressings (and some other labels) up until 1966. The Plastylite stamp was applied during pressing, and is found in random position, angle and depth, with no consistency. Paper labels were sourced from Keystone Printed Specialties, Scranton PA, typeset on Intertype line-casting machines, artist and album titles set in Intertype Vogue Bold.
Some variations of the Vogue font set use a conventional “W” and not the double overlapping V illustrated above. The font is most easily identified by the elongated horizontal in the letter “G”, and the “1” has no serif, just a simple vertical.
Presswell
Vinyl manufacturing plant, Ancora New Jersey, founded 1958, closed in the 1990s.
Presswell Records Manufacturing Company
Whitehorse Pike & Ehrke Rd.
Ancora (Winslow TWP), NJ 08095
USA
Known to have made metal parts for Research Craft and Monarch Record Mfg. Co..
Info and photo’s courtesy of Discogs
One of a number of plants pressing for Atlantic in the Late ’60s and early ’70s
Research Craft, L.A.
This west coast plant had no formal run-out stamp or etching, but for a period of time probably early’60s, had Gruve-guard thin/thick rim type registered patent references in the run-out.
A Research Craft pressing of Blue Note can best be identified by the font sets used to print the labels. Research Craft paper labels were sourced from Hollywood giant Bert Co., who used Linotype line-casting machines, with artist and album titles set mostly in only capitals from Linotype Spartan Medium, readily identifiable by its serif-capped number “1” and “SIDE” in capitals.
Purchased by Liberty in 1965, it was responsible for west coast pressing of Blue Note back catalogue reissues, which they remastered from copy tape, not using Van Gelder original metal. As always with a few exceptions. New Liberty Blue Note titles however were generally pressed by Research Craft with Van Gelder metal, however with the passing of time Liberty operations became increasingly focused on the West Coast, using other engineers and studios.
Work in progress….if you can add any more real-world examples, be a giver not a taker.
Supertramp – Breakfast In America ( Vinyl, LP, Album, Terre Haute Pressing US) NM- 02/054
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| Доставка: | |
| по городу: | Бесплатно! |
| по стране и миру: | Стоимость доставки по стране 280.00 р Стоимость доставки по миру узнавайте у продавца. |
| Покупая несколько лотов продавца, Вы экономите на доставке. Лоты доставляются одним отправлением. | |
| Доставка за ваш счёт по тарифам почты | |
| Оплата: Наличные, Банковский перевод, Банковская карта, Почтовый перевод. | |
| Состояние товара: | Б/у. |
| №250206499 |
Supertramp – Breakfast In America
sleeve NM+ media NM- Оценка визуальная. Конверт на фото. По запросу могу прослушать. Комплект пластинки на фото (обычно 3е фото) если есть внутренний пакет на фото значит получите если нет то и получите без пакета. Я пластинки не мою, пакеты НЕ добавляю и НЕ меняю, не прослушиваю (без запроса). В случае несогласия с оценкой состояния пластинки выкупаю обратно.
+\- личное мнение в ту или иную сторону.
Хочу напомнить, что оценка винила вещь субъективная зависящая от конкретной аппаратуры.
Ещё надо учитывать что 90% пластинок оцениваю визуально без прослушивания и оценка проходит в разное время суток (что можно увидеть при солнечном свете не видно при искусственном) Ввиду сказанного выше иметь это всё ввиду и спрашивать до того как делать ставку. Если при получении посылки вы не согласны с моей оценкой готов выкупить их назад (оплачиваю столько сколько заплатили вы).
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| Доставка: | |
| по городу: | Самовывоз. |
| по стране и миру: | Стоимость доставки по стране узнавайте у продавца. |
| Оплата: Банковская карта. | |
| Состояние товара: | Б/у. |
| №68367193 |
Оригинальное и тальянское издание с первыми номерами матриц.
Matrix (A): 36 DBR 20005 <>1L 13 7 77
Matrix (B): 36 DBR 20005-2L/2 26-7-77 P.V.
Пластинка ЕХ
Конверт хороший ( на фото )
На некоторых фото синяя полоса, это световой блик.
Смотрите другие мои лоты.
Визуальная оценка состояния пластинки (если не указано другого).
Состояние конверта на фото. (если не указано другого)
Состояние вложений не оцениваю, всё на фото (если не указано другого)
Комплектация на фото. (если не указано другого) Смотрите внимательно.
Пластинки не мою, предоставляю это на ваше усмотрение. Хотя часто после помывки некоторые пластинки звучат гораздо лучше.
Часто даже только что распечатанные пластинки могут иметь визуальные и звуковые огрехи.
! Лоты без ставок могут быть удалены в любой момент,так как находятся в альтернативной продаже.
Так же по условиям аукциона у продавца есть право ОТМЕНЯТЬ ВСЕ СТАВКИ, и я могу на свое усмотрение воспользоваться этим правом в случае предложения выгодной цены, а так же в виду других объективных обстоятельств. В связи с этим лот может быть снят с торгов до окончания аукциона.
! Если Вы не уверены, что товар Вам действительно нужен, просьба воздержаться от покупки.
Покупатель первым выходит на связь в течении 3х дней.
Отправка почтой России.
Отправка в течении 5 рабочих дней с момента оплаты.
Стоимость доставки зависит от вашего региона по тарифам Почты России. Уточняйте.
За границу не отправляю.
Я не несу материальной ответственности за порчу или потерю посылки сотрудниками почты.
Оплата на карту Сбербанка.
Все вопросы прошу задавать до того, как сделать ставку.
Делая ставку Вы тем самым соглашаетесь с вышеперечисленными условиями. Претензии не принимаются.
Terre Haute
Смотреть что такое «Terre Haute» в других словарях:
Terre Haute — Downton Terre Haute Lage in Indiana … Deutsch Wikipedia
Terre Haute — Terre Haute, Hauptstadt der Grafschaft Vigo im Staate Indiana (Nordamerika), am Wabash River u. dem Wabash Erie Kanal, 3 Banken, Akademie, 12 Kirchen, Schifffahrt, Handel (bes. mit Schweinefleisch u. Getreide). T. H. ist der Knotenpunkt der Terre … Pierer’s Universal-Lexikon
Terre Haute — Terre Haute, IN U.S. city in Indiana Population (2000): 59614 Housing Units (2000): 25636 Land area (2000): 31.238049 sq. miles (80.906172 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.864260 sq. miles (2.238422 sq. km) Total area (2000): 32.102309 sq. miles… … StarDict’s U.S. Gazetteer Places
Terre Haute, IN — U.S. city in Indiana Population (2000): 59614 Housing Units (2000): 25636 Land area (2000): 31.238049 sq. miles (80.906172 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.864260 sq. miles (2.238422 sq. km) Total area (2000): 32.102309 sq. miles (83.144594 sq. km)… … StarDict’s U.S. Gazetteer Places
Terre Haute — (spr. tär ōt ), Hauptstadt der Grafschaft Vigo im W. des nordamerikan. Staates Indiana, links am hohen Ufer des schiffbaren Wabash und am Wabash und Eriekanal, wichtiger Eisenbahnknotenpunkt, hat große Kohlenfelder, breite, gerade, von Bäumen… … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
Terre Haute — (spr. tär oht), Stadt im nordamerik. Staate Indiana, am Wabash, (1900) 36.673 E … Kleines Konversations-Lexikon
Terre Haute — [ter΄ə hōt′] [Fr, lit., high land] city in W Ind., on the Wabash: pop. 60,000 … English World dictionary
Terre Haute — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Terre Haute (homonymie). Terre Haute … Wikipédia en Français
Terre Haute — 1 Original name in latin Terre Haute Name in other language HUF, Tera Khout, Terra Alta, Terre Khot, te lei huo te, tele hote, tere hauta, tere haute, terehoto, tra awt, ayndyana, Тера Хоут, Терре Хот, State code US Continent/City… … Cities with a population over 1000 database