Columbia 12" Release Series
Columbia Master Book, Volume IV, Brian Rust and Tim Brooks, eds.
Following are the principal Columbia 12” double-face release series used during the period covered by Volume IV of the Columbia Master Book. Single-face issues used the matrix number as the release number. Dating charts for some of these series will be found in Volume I.
Table 6c:
Columbia 12” Release Series
Return to Columbia Tables
See also: Columbia Acoustic Matrix Series; General U.S. Matrix Series Recording Dates and Release Dates
| Dates | Catalog #s | Series |
|---|---|---|
| 1908–1923 | A5000 to A6233 | General |
| " | A 7500 to A 7579 | Educational (originally prefixed “S”) |
| " | C1000 to C1300s | Spanish (Central & South America) |
| " | E5000 to E5283 | Ethnic H1000 to H1100s: Spanish--Symphonic (Export) |
| " | S5000 to S5100s | Spanish--Concertos/Opera (Export) |
| 1924–1934 | 50000-D to 50385-D | General (1924–1939) |
| " | 53000-D to 53008-D | Educational (1924–1929?) |
| " | 54000-D to ? | Race (not used?) |
| " | 60000-D to 60007-D | Classical (1924)* |
| " | 65000-D to 65034-D | Classical (1924)* |
| " | 67000-D to 73284-D | Classical/Masterworks (1924–1952) |
| " | 68000-D to 68088-D | Classical (1924)* |
| " | 71000-D to 71003-D | Classical (1924)* |
| " | 74000-D | Classical (1924) |
| " | 5000-M to 5138-M | Celebrity (Black label; 1925–1934) |
| " | 6900-Ms | Celebrity (South America) |
| " | 7000-M to 7784-M | Celebrity (Blue label; 1925–1953) |
| " | 8900-Ms | Celebrity (South America) |
| " | 9000-M to 9171-M | Celebrity (Purple label; 1925–1947) |
| " | 9900-Ms | Celebrity (South America) |
| " | 50000-F to 82000-F’s | Ethnic (blocks within for different languages) |
| " | 50000-X to 57000-X’s | Ethnic export (blocks within) |
*These early series, denoting different price categories, were discontinued ca.1925; records remaining in the catalog were renumbered into other series. Subsequent classical releases were numbered in the 67000-D series or the new “M” series. When 67999-D was reached in late 1931 that series continued into the 68000-D’s, reusing some previously used numbers. The series continued for many years, eventually reaching 73284-D in 1952.
Back to Volume IV Introduction (U.S. Twelve-inch Matrix Series, 1906–1931) | Forward to Appendix A: Matrix and Catalog Number Dating Charts
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The Columbia Master Book Discography, 4 Volumes, Complied by Brian Rust and Tim Brooks. Reprinted by permission.