British company sleeve · British Homophone

Sterno “The Supertone Record”: two printings

Two versions of the same Sterno design, one plain and one with prices in the corner roundels, each listing a different set of artists.

Dating at a glance

Printed: c. 1929 – 1935
the plain version probably 1932 or later
In use: Up to mid-1935, when the last Sternos were made; stock may have lasted a little longer
Confidence: High for the label’s life. Low-medium for the order of the two printings
Basis: The life of the red Sterno label, and the artists each sleeve names

The sleeve

Brown paper printed in dark blue. Both versions have a sunburst with THE STERNO at the top, ELECTRIC RECORDING, a large STERNO RECORD and The SUPERTONE Record. along the bottom, and two boxes headed Vocal: and Instrumental:, each ending Every Record a Celebrity. No company name, address or printer’s imprint is visible.

Without prices in the corners

The four corner roundels are printed as plain records.

Vocal: Thorpe Bates · Miss Megan Thomas · Thelma Tuson · George Dosher · Jack Gallagher · Jack Morrison · Collinson and Dean · Jack Hodges · Raymond Elliott · Leonard Henry · Sandy Rowan · Luis Mandarino
Instrumental: Kneller Hall Band · H.M. Royal Horse Guards (Blue) · Walter Kommoll and His Salon Orchestra · Reginald King and His Orchestra · Mantovani and His Tipica Orchestra · Percival Mackey and His Band · Rudy Starita & His Band · Oscar Rabin & His Band · The Tziganos Accordeon Band · Orchestra of the Städtischen Opera Berlin · Berlin Orchestra Symphonique · Jean Goulescu and His Tzigane Orchestra

With prices in the corners

The corner roundels read 1/3 and 10 with a small fraction and “d” (read as 10½d), diagonally opposite each other.

Vocal: Thorpe Bates · Miss Megan Thomas · Thelma Tuson · Gus Elen · Jock McKay · Jack Morrison · Collinson and Dean · Jack Hodges · Raymond Elliott · Harry Wulson · Sandy Rowan · Henry Hearty · Flanagan & Allen
Instrumental: Kneller Hall Band · Orchestra of the Städtischen Opera Berlin · Royal Horse Guards (Blue) · 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars · Ernest Leggett’s Orchestra · Bertini and His Band · Jan Ralfini & His Band · Edgar Adeler’s Hawaiian Players · J. B. Cuvelier · Nat Star & His Band · Tommy Kinsman and Ciro’s Club Band · Sir Robert Peel and His Band

Simon took two photographs of each version. We have not established whether each pair shows the two sides or the same side twice; the design is the same in both.

Brown Sterno sleeve printed in dark blue with a sunburst, Electric Recording, lists of vocal and instrumental artists, and plain record roundels in the corners. — Without corner prices. Select the image for a larger view.

Second photograph of the Sterno sleeve without corner prices. — Without corner prices, second photograph.

Brown Sterno sleeve of the same design with the prices 1/3 and 10½d in the corner roundels. — With 1/3 and 10½d in the corners.

Second photograph of the Sterno sleeve with corner prices. — With corner prices, second photograph.

The evidence

DocumentedThe label’s life. Sterno was a British Homophone label. After a brief first issue in 1926, the main red-label series began in 1928 (M. G. Thomas) or 1929 (University of Surrey), and the last Sternos were produced in mid-1935. The two sources differ on the start year.
DocumentedThe usual price was 1/6. M. G. Thomas gives 1/6 for the normal 10-inch red Sterno. The 1/3 and 10½d on the priced version are not explained by the sources we read. They could reflect a price cut or a different series, but that is not established.
DocumentedOscar Rabin, named on the plain version, is one of the bands M. G. Thomas says recorded for Sterno by 1933–34.
InferredMantovani’s Tipica Orchestra. The Mantovani family website says he formed the Tipica Orchestra after giving up a concert career, following recitals in about 1930–31. That makes the plain version unlikely to be earlier than about 1932.
ObservedSir Robert Peel and His Band, named on the priced version, appears on Sterno 473, offered by a dealer as a 1930 issue. That shows the name was on Sterno early on, but does not date this sleeve.
InferredWhich came first? We cannot tell. The two artist lists share some names and differ in many others, which suggests the list was reset at least once.

Sources

M. G. Thomas, Sterno label page: http://www.mgthomas.co.uk/Records/LabelPages/Sterno.htm
University of Surrey, Early British disc record labels 1898–1926: S (Sterno): https://www.surrey.ac.uk/early-british-disc-record-labels-1898-1926/a-z/s
Mantovani family website, “The Early Years”: https://www.mantovaniorchestra.co.uk/the-early-years
DoGramofonu.pl, Sir Robert Peel, Sterno 473 (dealer listing): https://dogramofonu.pl/pl/p/Sir-Robert-Peel-On-The-Sunny-Side-of-a-Street-Exactly-Like-You-473a-Sterno/15022

What we could not find

An explanation for the 1/3 and 10½d prices, for example a dated Sterno price reduction in the trade press.
First Sterno issues for the artists unique to each list, which would put the two printings in order.

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