British company sleeve · Decca / Warner-Brunswick
Panachord “for Gaiety and Romance”
A brown Panachord company sleeve, with a large tilted disc and the slogan “for Gaiety and Romance”.
Dating at a glance
- Printed
- c. 1932 – 1939
the matching label wording is documented from 1933 - In use
- During Decca’s years of the Panachord label, which ended in November 1939
- Confidence
- High that the design belongs to Decca’s Panachord, 1932–1939. Medium for a start earlier than 1933. Not dated within the range for this copy
- Basis
- The wording on the sleeve, compared with Panachord labels and the published history of the label
The sleeve
Brown or sepia paper, printed in dark brown, with Panachord
in a large script, RECORDS
in capitals underneath, and an airbrushed picture of a large record tilted across the sleeve. To the lower right of the hole:
for Gaiety and Romance
MADE BY
DECCA
MFD. FOR WARNER-BRUNSWICK LTD. LONDON (ENG)
No address or printer’s imprint is visible. A faint pencil inscription at the top left appears to read Valerns
, and a hand-written 2
stands at the top right. The bottom edge is worn and slightly torn. The back was not photographed.
The evidence
- DocumentedThe label. Panachord was launched in May 1931 by Warner-Brunswick Ltd, the British company behind the Brunswick label, as the counterpart of American Melotone. The 10-inch series ran from 25000 to 26046 (or 26049; sources differ on the last number) and was discontinued by Decca in November 1939. A short-lived 12-inch series, numbered from 9001, was also produced (M. G. Thomas; the 78 rpm Club series listing).
- DocumentedDecca’s takeover. Decca acquired Warner-Brunswick Ltd in 1932, obtaining the Brunswick and Panachord labels. Discogs gives the month as April 1932; Grace’s Guide records the acquisition in 1932, citing The Times of 12 October 1932. The company was renamed Brunswick Limited during 1933, but the older name continued to appear on Panachord labels until the end of the series.
- ObservedThe wording matches Decca-period labels. Simon’s sleeve says
Made by Decca
andMfd. for Warner-Brunswick Ltd. London (Eng)
. That is the wording on Decca-period Panachord labels, seen on issues from at least 25475 (Gene Autry, 1933) through 25973 (1938) and 26040 (Tex Ritter, 1939). Earlier labels, including 25017 (1931) and 25311 (Randolph Sutton, 1932), do not sayMade by Decca
; 25311 is markedMfd by Warner-Brunswick Ltd. London (Eng)
. - InferredSo, a Decca-period sleeve. The sleeve cannot predate Decca’s takeover in 1932, and it would not have been printed for new issues after the label ended in November 1939. The matching label wording is first documented in 1933, so a start in 1932, immediately after the takeover, is possible but not proven. We have not found a dated photograph of this sleeve holding a record of known date, so this copy is not placed more narrowly within 1932–39.
Sources
- M. G. Thomas, Panachord label page: http://www.mgthomas.co.uk/Records/LabelPages/Panachord.htm
- The 78 rpm Club, Panachord 25000–26049: https://series.78rpm.club/series/record-series-p/panachord-25000-26049/
- Discogs, Brunswick Ltd. profile (acquisition in April 1932; name change during 1933): https://www.discogs.com/label/75085-Brunswick-Ltd
- Grace’s Guide, Decca Record Co: https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Decca_Record_Co
- Label wording compared on Discogs: Panachord 25311 (1932, no “Made by Decca”); 25475 (1933); 25973 (1938); 26040 (1939).
What we could not find
- A dated example of this sleeve design holding a record of known date.
- When in 1932–33 the “Made by Decca” wording was first used on the labels.
- A precise date, within 1933, for the company’s rename from Warner-Brunswick Ltd to Brunswick Ltd.
Researched 13 November 2026 from Simon’s photograph of that evening.