In about 1920, the then-new Vocalion records pressed colored vinyl records in the form of a reddish-brown, mostly to distinguish their products from others in the marketplace. These cylinders, which were more durable and had longer playing time than the earlier versions, used celluloid that was dyed blue in order to make them stand out in the marketplace. The earliest examples of colored vinyl records date to 1908, with the introduction of Blue Amberol cylinders by the Edison company. Add to cartĬlick here to view our selection of colored vinyl records. Unauthorized or Pirate Colored Vinyl RecordsĬolored Vinyl Records Today Featured ProductsĪ rare still sealed colored vinyl copy of the double album Broadcasts/Maui by Jimi Hendrix, issued on the Trademark of Quality label. Older Labels That Manufacture Colored Vinyl Records

In this article, we’ll cover the history of colored vinyl records and show examples of some of the more interesting ones we’ve seen over the years.Ĭlick any of the links below to jump to each category: Colored vinyl records have long been popular with collectors and they usually command a premium price on the collector market.

When you use different types of materials and different sources, you can make sure that all of your finished product looks the same by adding substances to make them look black.ĭespite this, over the years, a few recordings, dating to the cylinder era, have been manufactured as colored vinyl records, with “colored vinyl” generally defined as some color other than black. The reasons for this had to do with both cost and with quality control. This isn’t a new thing since the introduction of the commercial cylinder record in 1889, most records of any kind have been made from materials that were either naturally black or which were colored during the manufacturing process to make them appear black. Historically, most records are black, probably because black vinyl is relatively inexpensive compared to other colors of vinyl and possibly because the dark colors might help obscure any impurities that might be in the compound. If you have spent any time around records, either 45 RPM singles or albums, you might have encountered the term “colored vinyl records.” You might think that’s a strange question after all, all records are colored vinyl records, aren’t they? And aren’t they all black?

Old 76 rpm vinyl records value