Hello all ~
A few of you know that I'm a "Paper Engineer". I'll be traveling to
China (yes, the land of the modern "Crap-o-phone"), having nothing to
do with phonographs but to provide oversight and QC for the fall
printing of my current pop-up book.
I use a very high-end printer, the best of only about five printers
(all are in the Far East) that print and assemble pop-up books for the
world-wide market. Although its facilities are in China, this company
is Japanese-owned and has a superb quality standard.
I have long thought that I should use my printer contacts in China, to
quote on the cost of manufacturing reproduction 10", ten or twelve-
sleeve albums. Up until now I've pictured this being a generic
version; perhaps maroon cloth-bound, with the gold-foil stamping
"Records" on the spine and cover, and possibly including a letter (A,
B, C, D, E, etc.), or the more conventional paper-laminated board
cover versions, if cost for the higher-class version is prohibitive.
I've thought about having them actually recreate the Victor albums,
either the early ones (like what was used in the L-door XVI), or the
later semi-gloss Orthophonic era albums. An embossing die would need
to be made for the Nipper logo, leather-grain pattern if the later
style, etc.
Which brings me to the point: Does anyone here know the current
ownership status of the famous trademark?
Also, if any of you have comments on what you might like in such an
album, even a generic style, I welcome them. Any need for 12"
albums? Ten or twelve sleeves? Index? Removable vellum style insert
on the spine for writing a few words about what's inside? Green paper
or brown, archival paper, pull style, etc. Other ideas?
Most importantly, what would people be interested in paying for
freshly made 10" albums (either generic or accurate reproduction), and
in general how many albums are likely to be ordered by individual
collectors?
Unfortunately, the minimum order quantity would be quite high (not
less than a few thousand of each type) so there would be a sizable
initial investment. I don't know for certain that I would proceed
with this idea, but the printer I use is nicely set up for mill-board
die-cutting and hand assembly, and with my existing travels to China
on book business in general and my ability to provide the necessary
QC, they would be the logical choice for such a project.
If there isn't much of a response, I probably won't pursue it
further. If any of you are in the phonograph parts supply business,
feel free to let me know. If higher quantities can be handled (such
as a couple hundred order at a time), I'm sure quantity discounts or
wholesale prices can apply if there's enough margin to cover my time
to begin with.
Best,
Andy Baron
Santa Fe
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