British company sleeves · Vocalion, Hayes

Broadcast Twelve: two Vocalion sleeves

Two sleeves for Vocalion’s Broadcast Twelve, the 10-inch record that played as long as a 12-inch one.

Dating at a glance

Printed: c. 1928 – 1932
the brown sleeve probably the earlier
In use: Broadcast Twelve was phased out by 1934
Confidence: High for the range. Medium for the order of the two
Basis: The life of the label, the maker named on the sleeves, and the catalogue numbers they list

The sleeve

Brown “Popular Classic Record”

Brown paper with scrolled ornament. The front reads BROADCAST TWELVE, DOUBLE SIDED 2/-, Playing duration equal to a 12″ Record, The Popular Classic Record and ELECTRICALLY RECORDED BY THE MARCONI CO’s PROCESS. The back reads BROADCAST TWELVE The Long Playing RECORD, lists A Few Examples showing the Wonderful Value of the Broadcast Twelve (numbers 5001 to 5013, including Thea Philips and Francisco Vada Recorded in the Stoll Picture Theatre, London, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra under Stanley Chapple, the Band of H.M. Life Guards, Peggy Cochrane, Maurice Cole and Arthur Vivian), and is signed Manufactured by Vocalion Gramophone Co. Ltd. Hayes Middlesex.

Green “The Long Playing Record”

Green paper printed in dark blue: BROADCAST TWELVE The Long Playing RECORD and Manufactured by Vocalion Gramophone Co. Ltd. Hayes, Middlesex. Two panels give A Selection of Titles from the Popular Classic Series (Blue Label) 2/- each, with numbers from 5003 to 5074, among them Grieg’s Piano Concerto with Maurice Cole (5059–5061) and Ethel Hook (5074). Both sleeves carry a CAUTION notice about selling below the authorised price and the line MARCONI CO’S PROCESS OF ELECTRICAL RECORDING EXCLUSIVE TO BROADCAST RECORDS. A handwritten number is pencilled at top left of the green sleeve.

Simon photographed the brown sleeve front and back, and one side of the green sleeve.

Brown Broadcast Twelve sleeve front with scrolled ornament, a 2/- double-sided price panel and The Popular Classic Record. — Brown sleeve, front. Select the image for a larger view.

Brown Broadcast Twelve sleeve back with two panels of example records and the Vocalion Gramophone Co. Ltd., Hayes imprint. — Brown sleeve, back: records 5001–5013.

Green Broadcast Twelve sleeve printed in dark blue, with panels of Popular Classic Series titles and the Vocalion imprint. — Green sleeve: titles up to 5074.

The evidence

DocumentedThe label. Broadcast Twelve was introduced by the Vocalion Gramophone Co. in 1928. Vocalion went into liquidation in 1932 and its business passed to Crystalate, which phased the label out by 1934 (Museum of Obsolete Media; Discogs gives mid-1932 for the Crystalate takeover).
InferredBefore mid-1932. Both sleeves name Vocalion as maker, so they were probably printed before Crystalate took over.
ObservedThe brown sleeve lists the first numbers. Its examples run from 5001 to 5013. The green sleeve lists numbers as high as 5074.
InferredSo the brown sleeve is probably the earlier, perhaps from the label’s first months in 1928, and the green one later. That depends on the numbers having been issued in order, which we have not checked.

Sources

Museum of Obsolete Media, Broadcast Twelve records (1928–1934): https://obsoletemedia.org/broadcast-twelve/
Discogs, Broadcast (2) label profile: https://www.discogs.com/label/132025-Broadcast-2
M. G. Thomas, Broadcast label page: http://www.mgthomas.co.uk/Records/LabelPages/Broadcast.htm

What we could not find

Release dates for Broadcast Twelve 5001 and 5074. The CLPGS Broadcast listing (2017) should give them.
The other side of the green sleeve, which was not photographed. Simon’s note that the backs in this batch are blank or the same may cover it; to be confirmed.

Researched 12 November 2026 from Simon’s photographs of that evening.