45-SLEEVES - HOME
Revised 18/5/14

MERCURY
US Labels and Company Sleeves 1949-1979

Labels
5008 - 1949
to
5363 - 1950
5396 - 1950
to
5999 - 1952
70000 - 1952
to
71039 - 1957
.................. (Maroon ends around 71100)..................
Mercury Record Corporation was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1945 by Irving Green, Berle Adams and Arthur Talmadge. Early in the label's history, Mercury opened two pressing plants, one in Chicago and the other in St. Louis, Missouri. With the use of automatic presses and providing 24-hour turnaround, they went into direct competition with the major recording labels such as Columbia, Decca, and RCA Victor.
The company released an enormous number of recordings under the Mercury label as well as its subsidiaries:  Blue Rock, Cumberland, EmArcy, Fontana, Limelight, Philips, Smash and Wing. In 1969, Mercury changed its corporate name to Mercury Record Productions Inc. while its former parent Conelco became North American Philips Corp (N.A.P.C.) after Philips brought control of the company. In 1972, Philips along with German Electronics giant Siemens merged their record operations with Deutsche Grammophon to become PolyGram. That same year PolyGram brought Mercury from N.A.P.C.. corporate name was changed to Phonogram Inc.
5645 - may 1951
Red vinyl
801 - 1951
Blues series
8917 - 1950
Jazz series
71383 - 1958
Contract press
1001 - 1950
to
1180 - 1951
Reissues - Jazz series
8940 - 1951
Jazz series
Country issues
R&B issues
Small perimeter print
Small perimeter print
"Starday" below logo
Large perimeter print
71032 - 1957
to
.
71040 - 1957
to
71343 - 1958
71120 - may 7, 1957
71346 - 1958
to
72152 - 1963
Large perimeter print
Small perimeter print
71362  - 1958
71404  - 1959
72172 - jul 1963
to
72320  - sep 1964
Perimeter print
Perimeter print
No perimeter print
Brown/black
72320 - sep 1964
to
72566 - 1965
72425  - 1965
72575 - 1965
to
72733 - 1967
72321 - 1964
to
Contract pressings
Black
Double oval
Single oval
Read the story
72331 - 1964
to
Contract pressings
72732 - 1967
to
72827 - 1968
72831 - 1968
to
72856 - 1968
72770 - april 1968
72622 - 1966
72679 and 72739
are also reported to excist on this label
No
perimeter print
Manufactured and...
by Mercury Record Prod...
Manufactured and...
by Mercury Record Prod...
Manufactured and...
by Phonogram Inc.
72856 - 1968
to
73224 - 1970
73218 - 1970
to
73330 - 1972
73334 - 1972
to
73360 - 1973
73363 - 1973
to
73367 - 1973
.... by Phonogram Inc.
Distr. by Phonogram Inc.
Distr. by Phonodisc Inc.
Distr. by PolyGram
73368 - 1973
to
73500 - 1974
Series jumps to 73601
73601 - 1974
to
1976
1976
to
1981
1981
to
1983
Marketed by  PolyGram
1983
to
.
.....
EP 1 4022 - 1956
EP 1 3369 - 1958
STEREO
COMPACT 33
COMPACT 33
PLAYCRAFT
Celebrety Series
Reissues
Celebrety Series
Reissues
Celebrety Series
Reissues
Timepieces
Reissues
............
Sleeves
Range
Front
Back
Details
No 1
.
to
.
"45" both sides
 Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 2
.
to
.
Thin letters
   Cut notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 3
.
to
.
Thicker letters
   Cut notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 4
.
to
.
New font
Smaller hole
   Cut notch  Glued left/right  
No 5
.
to
.
Large "Mercury"
"45" - new font
Small "45"
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 6
. 
to 
.
Small "Mercury"
Small "45"
.  Cut straight  Glued bottom/right  
No 7
. 
to 
.
"SLEEVELOPE"
Large "Mercury"
Large "45"
   Cut notch  Inside glued   
No 8 a
.
to
.
Large "Mercury"
Large "45"
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 8 b
.
to
.
Large "Mercury"
Large "45"
. Ref 131B  Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 8 c
.
to
.
Large "Mercury"
Large "45"
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued   
No 9
.
to
.
Betty Amos - large hole
RIIA logo in/over red field
Brown bottom stripe
   Slightly curved top  Inside glued   
No 10
.
to
.
Betty Amos - smaller hole
RIIA logo in/over red field
. Ref 131  Slightly curved top  Inside glued   
No 11
.
to
.
Betty Amos
RIIA logo in/over red field
   Curved top  Inside glued   
No 12 a
.
to 
.
Betty Amos
RIIA logo in red field
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 12 b
.
to
.
Betty Amos
RIIA logo in blue field
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 13
.
to
.
Patti Page
Large band
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 14
.
to
1957
Patti Page
Smaller band
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 15
71040 - 1957
to
1959
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 16
1959
to
.
Small hole
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 17
.
to
1960
Normal hole
Design redrawn
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
No 18
1960
to
.
Blueish purple
"mood" blueish purple
Back: Brook Benton etc.
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 19
.
to
.
Light blue
"mood" blue
Back: Brook Benton etc.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 20 a
.
to
.
Blue
"mood" blue
Front: Brook Benton etc.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 20 b
.
to
.
Bright blue
"mood" blue
Front: Brook Benton etc.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 21
.
to
.
Blue colour last printed 
"mood" black
Front: Brook Benton etc.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 22
.
to
1961
Black and white
Front: Brook Benton etc.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 23
1961
to
.
White bottom line
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 24
.
to
1962
No white bottom line
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 25 a
1962
to 
.
Normal paper
Green/purple
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 25 b
.
to 
.
Normal paper
Green/black
. Ref 131A  Curved top  Inside glued  
No 26
.
to 
72733 - 1967
Thin paper
Lighter green/black
   Curved top  Inside glued  
No 27
1964
(a few months)
   Curved top  Inside glued   
No 28
72732 - 1967
to 
72827 - 1969
   Curved top  Inside glued   Portables
No 29 a
72831 - 1969
to 
.
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
No 29 b
.
to 
.
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
No 30
.
to
73360 - 1973
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
1973
   
No 31
73363 - 1973
to
.
Formerly Mercury...
Small text
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
No 32
.
to
1976
Formerly Mercury...
Larger text
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
No 33
1976
to
1977
A PolyGram Company
 One IBM Plaza/Chicago
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
No 34
1977
to
1979
A PolyGram Company
 One IBM Plaza/Chicago
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
No 35 a
1979
to
.
A PolyGram Company
 One IBM Plaza/Chicago
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
No 35 b
.
to
1983
A PolyGram Company
 One IBM Plaza/Chicago
   Curved top  Glued left/right  
No 36
1983
to
.
 
   Curved top    
STEREO
S 1
.
to
.
 Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right  
S 2
.
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Glued left/right   
Compact 33
C 1
.
to
.
 
   Curved top  Inside glued   
Celebrity Series - Reissues
R 1
C 30000
to
.
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right   
R 2
.
to
.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
R 3
.
to
.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
R 4
.
to
.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
R 5
.
to
.
Starts with C 30001
Jan August
   Curved top  Inside glued  
R 6
.
to
.
Starts with C 30080
Sil Austin
   Curved top  Inside glued  
R 7
.
to
.
Starts with C 30087
Rex Allen
   Curved top  Inside glued  
Promotion sleeves
P 1
Used to promote the Perfect Presence 
Sound Series LP's in 1960-1961
No "Stereo"
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
P 2
Used to promote the Perfect Presence 
Sound Series LP's in 1960-1961
"Stereo" added
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
Timepieces - Reissues
T 1
.
to
.
© 1989 PolyGram Records
STDSTIMEPCEVOI
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
Special sleeves
SP 1
Performance Tracking sleeve
Around 1972
35 East Wacker Drive,
Chicago, Illinois 60601
   Curved top  Glued left/right   
...
Contact for corrections
...
Thanks to Middle-Earth Records for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Jim Ronat, Highland, Illinois for scans in this section
...
Thanks to John Villanova, New York for scans and info in this section
...
Thanks to  Steve Kolanjian, New York for scans and info in this section
....
Thanks to Dave Turk, Denver, Colorado for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Johan Alberda, Berlin, Germany for scans in this section
....
Thanks to Tony, NYC for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Gary L. Anderson Albany, NY  for scans in this section
....
Thanks to Tim Dupree, Pittsfield, Massachusetts  for scans in this section
........
Thanks to Richard Hall, U.S.A.  for scans in this section
........
Thanks to Jim Barnes - Top 40 Research - Australia  for scans in this section
.........
Thanks to Michael McKenna, Centreville, Virginia for scans in this section
......
Thanks to Bill Mangahas, Farmingdale, NY for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Sam Mathis, Jacksonville, Florida for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Franz Zeleny, Austria for scans in this section
...
Thanks to Dave Budlong, Portland, Oregon 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
....
45 Discography for Mercury Records from Global Dog Productions
.....