Pressing Plants

“K” followed by a 3 digit number (K-###) in the dead wax indicates that this is an Allied Record Co. pressing.

The two Ruben and the Jets singles pressed by Bestway have both stamped  “Bestway” in the dead wax.

Pitman pressings can be identified by a small stamped “P” or etched “CP” in the dead wax. There will be a number indicating which stamper been used. could be “CP-1”, “CP-2”, etc.

1979 pressings such as the early Zappa Records singles has the number “56” on the label but this was no longer used sometime during 1980 for Zappa Records.

I don’t own many Pitman pressings but here you can see a few examples. The “P” is from the 1966 Bobby Jameson – Gotta’ Find My Roogalator/Lowdown Funky Blues and it looks a bit strange and has a “tail” at the bottom. The “CP 3” is typical for the Zappa Records pressings.

Columbia Records, Santa Maria pressings can be identified by several signs. They have “1A”, “1B” and one or several “S´s” or “SI”, “SII”, etc. etched into the dead wax. The “S´s” indicates the stamper number.

1979 pressings such as the early Zappa Records singles has the number “25” on the label but this was no longer used sometime during 1980 for Zappa Records.

Terre Haute pressings has “TI”, “TII”, etc. or “T1”, T2, etc. or “CT1”, “CT2”, etc. in the dead wax. The numbers tells us which stamper was used. “TI”, “T1”, “CT1” means first stamper, “TII”, “T2”, “CT2” means second stamper and so on.

1979 pressings such as the early Zappa Records singles has the number “73” on the label but this was no longer used sometime during 1980 for Zappa Records.

The Bloomfield pressings can be identified by the block-shaped “S” stamped in the dead wax (see photo) The “S” can sometimes be very faint and almost impossible to notice.

“How Could I Be Such A Fool?/Help I’m A Rock, 3rd Movement: It Can’t Happen Here” does not have this “S” but comparing the label to other Bloomfiled pressings you will see that it is the same. I have also noticed that the silver on Bloomfield pressings has a lot more “shine” to it.

Midwest Record pressings can be identified by the label.

Here is what William Brown wrote me:

“Midwest Record Pressings copies had as typefaces on their label copy, Ludlow fonts (with Radiant Bold being the text font) pre-1967, and Varityper fonts post-1967.”

I have also noticed that Midwest Record pressings does not use a hyphen for the catalog number like MGM Record Manufacturing Division and Monarch Records pressings does.

Monarch pressings are usually easy to spot. they have an encircled “MR” stamped in the dead wax (see photo). Sometimes the encircled “MR” can be difficult to see since it can appear very faint. I have Monarch pressings where I could barely see part of the circle and the “R”

Monarch pressing does also use a 5 digit delta number in the dead wax. for instance “How Could I Be Such A Fool?/Help I’m A Rock, 3rd Movement: It Can’t Happen Here” Monarch pressing has ∆ 62371 and ∆ 62370 stamped on the A and B-side.

Alco Research And Engineering does also use a five digit delta number but does not have the encircled “MR”. They also use a different typeface and fonts on the label.

PRC Recording Corp., Richmond pressings can be identified by “PR” or “PRC” etched into the dead wax. “PR” was used for earlier pressings.

1979 pressings such as the early Zappa Records singles has the number “72” on the label but this was no longer used sometime during 1980 for Zappa Records.

Southern Plastics pressings can be identified by the number “5” being etched into the dead wax and “Nashville Matrix” being stamped. Nashville Matrix made metal parts for pressing plants.

From 1977 to 1987 CBS Haarlem had a characteristic sequence of digits and characters held together by an underscore that identifies the pressings.

let’s use the matrix on side-A of Dancin’ Fool/Baby Snakes as an example.

“01_7261_1A_1”

“01” = Label code. 01 means it is an international product

“7261” = Catalog number

“1A” = Matrix in use and side indicator

“1” = Stamper in use

670 found in the runouts indicate that this is a Phonodisc B.V. pressing. furthermore, the “1F” and “2F” are codes used by this plant. The “F” tells us that this is a 7″ 45 rpm mono record.

Here are a few indicators that determines that a single is a Société Phonographique Philips pressing. “VEV” before the catalog number which means it is a Verve pressing. “PPN” that indicates it is 7”, 45rpm record. “380” tells us that the Lacquer was cut by Société Phonographique Philips.

The characteristics for this pressing plant is a four digit number followed by A or B (indicating side) and often SST (Schallplatten Schneid Technik) etched into the dead wax.

SST is not a pressing plant marking but tells us that the lacquer was cut by Schallplatten Schneid Technik Brüggemann GmbH.

Pallas press singles for both the European and American market.

“Manufactured In Germany” stamped into the dead wax indicates that this is a Teldec-Press pressing.

Pressings by CGD Pressing Plant can be identified by the CGD logo. This logo has a very distinctive look with the letters forming a triangle.

Pressings by E.M.I. Manufacturing Ltd. can often be identified by a dot between the characters and the numerical parts of the catalog number.
Another clue is “Made in New Zealand by E.M.I. Manufacturing Ltd.“ which is printed on the factory sleeve for the Tears Began To Fall/Junier Mintz Boogie single.

E.M.I. Manufacturing Ltd. succeed by EMI (Manufacturing) NZ Ltd. in 1973. There are very little information about the company after 1973 and I can’t find any other indicators that this is a EMI pressing besides the print on the factory sleeve for the “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow/Cosmik Debris” single.

“710” stamped in the the dead wax and “NCB” on the label tells us that it is a Norwegian pressing. The only Norwegian Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention 7” is Why Don’t You Do Me Right/Big Leg Emma and it would have been pressed by Musikkindustri A/S.

The label indicates that a single was pressed by Teal Record Company Ltd.