45-SLEEVES - HOME
Revised 17/8/13

DECCA
US Labels and Company Sleeves 1949-1973

Labels
9-23000 - 1949
to
 9-29400 - 1955
Used occasionally up to 9-30592
40000 series
1949 - 1950
Collector's series
9-11046
Collectors' Classics
9-29401 - 1955
to
9-31100 - 1960
Decca Records was a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934. Because of World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades.
The name "Decca" dates back to a portable gramophone called the "Decca Dulcephone" patented in 1914 by musical instrument makers Barnett Samuel and Sons. That company was eventually renamed The Decca Gramophone Co. Ltd. and then sold to former stockbroker Edward Lewis in 1929. Within years Decca Records Ltd. was the second largest record label in the world, calling itself "The Supreme Record Company". 
American Decca bought Universal Pictures in 1952, and eventually merged with MCA in 1962, becoming a subsidiary company under MCA. 
Dissatisfied with American Decca's promotion of British Decca recordings and because American Decca held the rights to the name Decca in the US and Canada, British Decca sold its records in the United States and Canada under the label London Records beginning in 1947.
The Decca name was dropped by MCA in America in 1973 in favour of the MCA Records label. 
The American Decca label went out with a big bang with its final release, "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray in 1973 ( # 33057), reaching #5 on the Billboard chart and receiving gold record status. 
14500 series
1949 - 1955
Faith series
46000 series
1949 - 1951
Country
STEREO 33 1/3
Mfrd by Decca
New York
Mfrd by Decca
New York
A Division of MCA
New York
Mf'd by MCA Records
Calif., U.S.A. (Ridges)
9-31065 - 1960 
to
31252 - 1961
9-31101 - 1960 
to
1962
1962
to
Late 1971
Late 1971
to
Early 1972
Mf'd by MCA Records
Calif., U.S.A.
Late 1971
to
33057  - 1973
1994-1997
Label revived by MCA
(plain white sleeve)
1998
(plain white sleeve)
Gold Label Series
Reissues
....
Sleeves
Range
Front
Back
Details
No 1
1949
to
1950
 
 Cut straight/notch   Inside glued  
No 2
1949
to
.
Large mesh pattern
Small notch
"Decca..." below frame
   Cut straight/notch   Glued bottom/right  
No 3
.
to
.
Upside down Decca
Small notch
"Decca..." below frame
   Cut straight/notch   Glued bottom/right  
No 4
.
to
.
Upside down Decca
Small notch
"Decca..." below frame
"Printed..." moved right
   Cut straight/notch   Glued bottom/left  
No 5
.
to
.
Upside down Decca
Large notch
"Decca..." inside frame
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
No 6
.
to
Late 1950
Small mesh pattern
Large notch
"Decca..." inside frame
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
 No 7
Late 1950
to
.
45-albums up to late 1950
   Cut straight  Glued left/right  
 No 8
Late 1950
to
.
45-albums up to late 1950
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
Singles up to 1951 - glued left/right
No 9
1951
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
No 10
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
No 11
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
No 12
.
to
.
 Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
Singles up to 1951 - inside glued
No 13
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 14
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 15
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 16
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 17
.
to
.
. Ref 116  Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 18
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 19
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 20
.
to
1957
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 21
30100 - 1957 (approx)
to
.
Albums from 1956-1957
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 22
.
to
.
Albums from 1956-1957
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
No 23
.
to
.
Albums from 1957-1958
   Cut straightt/notch  Inside glued   
No 24
.
to
.
 
Albums from 1957-1958
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 25
.
to
1959
Albums from 1957-1959
   Cut straightt/notch  Inside glued   
No 26
1959
to
1960
 
Albums from 1958-1959
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued (!)  
The Black Circles sleeve 1960-1965
5 different backs were made for this sleeves. They were printed on brown/manila paper.
Several printings were made. This caused a lot of differences in the text arrangment.
Separate page.
No 27
1960
to
1961
 
BRENDA LEE
Albums from 1959-1960
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 28
1961
to
1962
 
EBB TIDE EARL GRANT
Albums from 1961
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 29 a
1962
to
.
THE VERSATILE BURL IVES
Albums from 1961-1962
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 29 b
.
to
1962
THE VERSATILE BURL IVES
Albums from 1961-1962
. Ref 116B  Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 30
1962
to
1964
THE GOLDEN OLDIES
Albums from 1962-1963
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 31 a
1964
to
.
SHANGRI-LA
Albums from 1963-1964
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 31 b
.
to
1964
SHANGRI-LA
Albums from 1963-1964
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 32 a
1964
to
.
BURL IVES SINGS
Albums from 1964
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 32 b
.
to
1965
BURL IVES SINGS
Albums from 1964
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 33
1966
to
6
..............................................
Albums from 1965
   Curved top   Inside glued  
No 34
5
to
6
Albums from 1965
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 35
5
to
6
No ®
Albums from 1964-1965
No date on flap
   Curved top   Inside glued  
No 36
5
to
6
®
Albums from 1964-1965
No date on flap
   Curved top   Inside glued  
No 37
5
to
6
®
Albums from 1964-1965
"T.R. 1-66" on right flap
   Curved top   Inside glued  
No 38
5
to
6
®
Albums from 1964-1965
"R.D. 2-66" on right flap
   Curved top   Inside glued  
No 39
5
to
6
®
Albums from 1964-1965
"J.D. 2-66" on right flap
   Curved top   Inside glued  
No 40
5
to
6
®
Albums from 1964-1965
"H.D. 2-66" on right flap
   Curved top   Inside glued  
No 41
1966
to
1967
Phonographs and guitars
. Ref 116A  Curved top  Inside glued   
No 42
1967
to
.
Phonographs, guitars etc.
A disvision of MCA Inc.
   Curved top - high top  Inside glued  
No 43
.
to
.
Phonographs, guitars etc.
A disvision of MCA Inc.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 44
.
to
1968
Phonographs, guitars etc.
A disvision of MCA Inc.
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 45
1968
to
April 1969
No date
   Curved top  Inside glued   
No 46
April 1969
to
1970
Date: 3-69
   Curved top  Inside glued   
No 47 a
1970
to
.
A division of MCA Inc.
   Curved top  Inside glued  

 
No 47 b
.
to
1970
A division of MCA Inc.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 48 a
1971
to
© MCA Records Inc., 1971
   Curved top    
No 48 b
.
to
.
© MCA Records Inc., 1971
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 48 c
.
to
.
© MCA Records Inc., 1971
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 49
.
to
1971
© MCA Records Inc., 1971
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 50
1972
to
.
© MCA Records Inc., 1972
on the back
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 51
.
to
1973
© MCA Records Inc., 1972
on the front
   Curved top  Inside glued  
Christmas sleeves
C 1
 
Albums from 1950-1957
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
C 2
 
Paper brown inside
Albums from 1950-1958
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
C 3
 
Paper white inside
Albums from 1950-1958
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
Artist promotion sleeves
P 1
Used for several
Bing Crosby issues
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
P 2
 
Bobby Helms
First hit July 1957
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
P 3
 
Warner Mack
First hit July 1957
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
..
Contact for corrections
...
Thanks to Middle-Earth Records for scans in this section
...
Thanks to John Villanova, New York for scans and info in this section
...
Thanks to Dave Turk, Denver, Colorado for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Jim Ronat, Highland, Illinois for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Johan Alberda, Berlin, Germany for scans and info in this section
....
Thanks to Bob Marek, Illinois for scans and great help in this section
....
Thanks to Ade Macrow, England for scans in this section
.......
Thanks to Jim Barnes - Top 40 Research - Australia  for scans in this section
....
Thanks to Sam Mathis, Jacksonville, Florida for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Bill Eaton, Tulsa, Oklahoma  for scans and great help in this section
......
  Repro sleeves available from Big Boppa Records
....