Untitled Document

MERCURY US Labels and Company Sleeves 1949-1979

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	71383 - 1958 Contract press


1001 - 1950 to 1180 - 1951 Reissues - Jazz series	Country issues	R&B issues


Small perimeter print	Small perimeter print	Large perimeter print	Large perimeter print
71032 - 1957 to .	71040 - 1957 to 71343 - 1958	71346 - 1958 to 72152 - 1963	71404 - 1959


Small perimeter print	Perimeter print	No perimeter print	Brown/black
72172 - jul 1963 to 72320 - sep 1964	72320 - sep 1964 to 72566 - 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	PLAYCRAFT


Celebrety Series Reissues	Celebrety Series Reissues	Celebrety Series Reissues	Timepieces Reissues

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
.

Small "Mercury"

Small "45"

Cut straight

Glued bottom/right

No 6

.
to
.

"SLEEVELOPE"

Large "Mercury"

Large "45"

Cut notch

Inside glued

No 7 a

.
to
.

Large "Mercury"

Large "45"

. Ref 131B

Cut straight/notch

Inside glued

No 7 b

.
to
.

Large "Mercury"

Large "45"

Cut straight/notch

Inside glued

No 8

.
to
.

Betty Amos - large hole

RIIA logo in/over red field
Brown bottom stripe

Slightly curved top

Inside glued

No 9

.
to
.

Betty Amos - smaller hole

RIIA logo in/over red field

. Ref 131

Slightly curved top

Inside glued

No 10 a

.
to
.

Betty Amos

RIIA logo in red field

Cut straight/notch

Glued bottom/right

No 10 b

.
to
.

Betty Amos

RIIA logo in blue field

Cut straight/notch

Glued bottom/right

No 11

.
to
1957

Patti Page

RIIA logo in red field

Cut straight

Glued bottom/right

No 12

71040 - 1957
to
1959

Cut straight

Glued bottom/right

No 13

1959
to
1960

Cut straight

Glued bottom/right

No 14

1960
to
.

"mood" in purple

Back: Brook Benton etc.

Cut straight/notch

Inside glued

No 15

.
to
.

"mood" in blue

Back: Brook Benton etc.

Curved top

Inside glued

No 16

.
to
1961

"mood" in black

Front: Brook Benton etc.

Curved top

Inside glued

No 17

1961
to
.

White bottom line

Curved top

Inside glued

No 18

.
to
1962

No white bottom line

Curved top

Inside glued

No 19 a

1962
to
.

Normal paper
Green

. Ref 131A

Curved top

Inside glued

No 19 b

.
to
72733 - 1967

Thin paper
Lighter green

Curved top

Inside glued

No 19 c

1964
(a few months)

Curved top

Inside glued

No 20

72732 - 1967
to
72827 - 1969

Curved top

Inside glued

Portables

No 21 a

72831 - 1969
to
.

Curved top

Glued left/right

No 21 b

.
to
.

Curved top

Glued left/right

No 22

.
to
73360 - 1973

Curved top

Glued left/right

1973

No 23

73363 - 1973
to
.

Formerly Mercury...
Small text

Curved top

Glued left/right

No 24

.
to
1976

Formerly Mercury...
Larger text

Curved top

Glued left/right

No 25

1976
to
1977

A Polygram Company
One Ibm Plaza/Chicago

Curved top

Glued left/right

No 26

1977
to
1979

Curved top

Glued left/right

No 27

1979
to
1983

A Polygram Company
One Ibm Plaza/Chicago

Curved top

Glued left/right

No 28

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 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
.

Cut straight

Inside glued