45-SLEEVES - HOME
Revised 14/7/13

COLUMBIA
UK Labels and Company Sleeves 1953-1975

Labels
No centre.
Push-out centre
Push-out centre
"Jigsaw" centre
SCM 5001 - 1953
to
SCM 5059 - 1953
SCM 5061 - 1953
to
SCM 5287 - 1956
DB 3801 - 1956
to
DB 3975 - 1958
DB 3888 - 1957
The Columbia Phonograph Company was originally the local company run by Edward Easton, distributing and selling Edison phonographs and phonograph cylinders in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Delaware. The company derives its name from the District of Columbia, which was its headquarters. Columbia produced many commercial cylinder recordings of its own, and its catalogue of musical records in 1891 was 10 pages long. 
In late 1923, Columbia was bought by their English subsidiary, the Columbia Graphophone Company. 
In 1931, the British Columbia Graphophone Company merged with the Gramophone Company to form Electric & Musical Industries Ltd. (EMI). In 1938, the Columbia label in the USA, was bought by William S. Paley of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) for $750,000.
 EMI retained the rights to the Columbia name in most other territories including the UK, Australia and New Zealand. It continued to operate the label with moderate success until 1972, when it was retired and replaced by the EMI Records imprint. 
DB 3975 - 1958
to
 DB 4140 - 1958
DB 4141 - 1958
to
DB 4952 - 1962
No text in center
Text in center
No text in center
EMI logo added
DB 4953 - '63
to
DB 4999 - '63
DB 7001 - '63
to
DB 7183 - '63
DB 7184 - feb 1964
to 
DB 8601 - jul 1969
DB 8602 - jul 1969
to 
DB 8836 - 1971
DB 8839 - 1971
to 
DB 9047 - 1975
The SCD series was a mix of classical and popular running parallel to the SCM series. The series finished in november 1955, but revived in 1959 and finally closed in 1965.
SCD 2001 - 1953
to
SCD 2003 - 1953
SCD 2004 - 1953
to 
SCD 2048 - 1955
Label dormant
SCD 2090 - 1959
to 
SCD 2176 - 1962
SCD 2188 - 1962
to 
SCD 2254 - 1965
.....
Sleeves
Range
Front
Back
Details
No 1
SCM 5001 - 1953
to
.
Small hole (75 mm)
Made and printed in
Great Britain
 Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 2
.
to
.
Small hole (75 mm)
Optional centre info i red
Made and printed in
Great Britain
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 3
.
to
.
Optional centre info i red
Made and printed in
Great Britain
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 4
.
to
.
All black print
Made and printed in
Great Britain
 . Ref 16  Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 5
.
to
SCM 5287 - 1956
All brown print
No "Made and printed in
Great Britain"
   Cut straight  Glued left/right  
No 6
DB 3801 - 1956
to 
.
The use of "EMITEX"...
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 7
.
to 
DB 3940 - 1957
Same text both sides
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
"Dancers"
No 8
DB 3941 - 1957
to
.
No rectangles
"Made and Printed..."
starts below M
   Slightly curved top  Inside glued  
No 9
.
to 
.
Rectangles
"Made and Printed..."
starts below M
. Ref 16B  Slightly curved top  Inside glued  
No 10
.
to 
.
Rectangles reversed
"Made and Printed..."
starts below I
   Slightly curved top  Inside glued  
No 11
.
to 
DB 4490 - jul 1960
Rectangles
"MADE AND PRINTED..."
Larger - capitals only
   Slightly curved top  Inside glued  
"Multi Discs"
No 12
DB 4490 - jul 1960
to 
.
. Ref 16G  Curved top  Inside glued  
No 13
.
to 
DB 4775 - 1961
Also with DB 4911 to 4939
Rectangles reversed
 Curved top  Inside glued  
"Columns"
No 14
DB 4764 - 1961
to 
.
. Ref 16H  Cut straight  Inside glued (!)  
No 15
.
to 
DB 4952 - dec 1962
 Cut straight  Inside glued (!)  
1963
First green
6'- to 50'- tokens
Use Emitex
.
No 16
DB 4953 - jan 1963
to
.
Small "Use"
Small "Present"
Correct print
"Industries"
   Cut straight
 Inside glued  Thick corners
 Green
No 17
.
to
.
Small "Use"
Small "Present"
Printing error 
"Instruments"
   Cut straight
 Inside glued  Thick corners
 Green
No 18
.
to
.
Small "Use"
Large "Present"
Printing error 
"Instruments"
   Cut straight  Inside glued  Light green
No 19
.
to
.
Small "Use"
Large "Present"
Printing error repaired
"Industries"
Wrong font & spacing
   Curved top  Inside glued  Light green
No 20
.
to
.
Small "Use"
Large "Present"
Printing error repaired
"Industries"
Wrong font & spacing
   Curved top  Inside glued  Green
No 21
.
to
.
Small "Use"
Large "Present"
Printing error repaired
"Industries"
Wrong font & spacing
 
 Wavy top  Type 1
 Inside glued  Light green
No 22
.
to
.
 
Small "Use"
Large "Present"
Printing error repaired
"Industries"
Correct font & spacing
   Curved top  Inside glued  Light green
No 23
.
to
.
 
Large "Use"
Small "Present"
Textblock reduced
Text wrapped around hole
 
 Wavy top  Type 1
 Inside glued  
No 24
.
to
1964
Large "Use"
Small "Present"
Textblock reduced
Text wrapped around hole
 
 Wavy top  Type 1
 Glued left/right  
             1964
       Second green
EMI logo added
 Columbia Gramophone Co LTD
below the Columbia logo
6'- to 50'- tokens
Use the new EMITEX
 
No 25
1964
to 
.
Use the new EMITEX
Large "Present"
6'- to 50'- tokens
Large block - 6 lines
   Wavy top - type 1  Glued left/right  
No 26
.
to
.
Use the new EMITEX
Large "Present"
6'- to 50'- tokens
Large block - 6 lines
   Curved top
 Inside glued  Thick corners
 
No 27
.
to
.
Use the new EMITEX
Small "Present"
6'- to 50'- tokens
Small block - 8 lines
   Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  
No 28
.
to
DB 7709 - 1965
Columbia Gramophone
Co. Ltd
Small logo
6'- to 50'- tokens
   Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  "Miners for pop pickers"
    July 1st 1965 - Name change
 The Gramophone Co LTD
below the Columbia logo
No 29
DB 7710 - 1965
to
DB 7986 - 1966

 
6'- to 50'- tokens
In half the time
Competition ends
March 31st 1966
   Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  
No 30
DB 7949 - 1966
to
.
6'- to 50'- tokens
Before bed-time
. Ref 16A  Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  
No 31
DB 7781 1965
to
DB 7930 - 1966
and
DB 7977 - 1965
to
DB 7986 - 1966
Same label as above
6'- to 50'- tokens
All set to go
   Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  
No 32
DB 7950 - 1966
to
DB 8127 - 1967
 
 7'3- to 50'- tokens
Big hit, shadowy, shadowy....
   Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  
No 33
DB 7997 - 1966
to
DB 8023 - 1967
and
DB 8071 - 1966
to 
DB 8121 - 1967
Same label as above
7'3- to 50'- tokens
Hair goes wild...
. Ref 16F  Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  
No 34
DB 8162 - 1967
to
DB 8191 - 1967
7'3- to 50'- tokens
Miss disc makes 
four new hits
   Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  
 No 35
DB 8248 - 1967
to
.
5/- to 30/- tokens
Albums from 1963 to 1966
   Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  
No 36
.
to
DB 8301 - 1967
5/- to 30/- tokens
Albums from 1963 to 1967
   Wavy top - type 1  Glued bottom/right  
No 37
DB 8232 - 1967
to
DB 8360 - 1968
7'3- to 50'- tokens
 
 Wavy top  Type 1
 Glued bottom/right  
No 38
.
to
.
7'3- to 50'- tokens
 
 Wavy top  Type 1
 Glued bottom/right  DB 8313 - 1968
No 39
DB 8342
to
.
7'3- to 50'- tokens
 
 Wavy top  Type 2
 Glued bottom/right  
No 40
DB 8361 - 1968
to
.
Small illustrations
Catalogue numbers
on two lines
 
 Wavy top  Type 2
 Glued left/right  
No 41
.
to
.
Small illustrations
Catalogue numbers
on two lines
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
No 42
.
to
.
Larger illustrations
Catalogue numbers
on one line
 
 Wavy top  Type 2
 Glued bottom/right  
No 43
.
to
.
Larger illustrations
Catalogue numbers
on one line
 
 Wavy top  Type 2
 Glued bottom/right  DB 8507 - 1968
 No 44
.
to
1969
Larger illustrations
Catalogue numbers
on one line
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
 No 45
DB 8647 - 1969
to
DB 8704 - 1970
. Ref 16J  Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
 No 46
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
Further issues were delivered in white sleeve, cut notch.
 EP 1
1954
to
.
   Cut straight  Glued left/right  
 EP 2
.
to
1957
   Cut straight  Glued left/right  
...
Contact for corrections
...
Thanks to Tony Dowsett, England for scans in this section
....
Thanks to Pete Nash, Essex, England for scans in this section
....
Thanks to Alan White, Doncaster, England for scans in this section
....
Thanks to John Villanova, New York for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Karl-Heinz Decker, Germany for scans in this section
....
hanks to Henry Marott, England for scans in this section
....
Thanks to Bill Williams, England for scans in this section
....
Thanks to Jim Ronat, Highland, Illinois for scans in this section
...
  Repro sleeves available from Big Boppa Records
....