Pickofall-Record

Pickofall-Record (some labels show Pickofall-Record – Regent) appeared in November 1912 at 2 shillings (10p) each. They were made in Germanyfor Leon Leibowich, whose company, Regent Fittings, had existed since 1903. He later entered the gramophone trade, and was offering low price discs by 1909, possibly ‘The Conqueror Record’. By May 1913 Pickofalls were down to 1s 6d (7.5p), and the 12″ (30cm) size to 2s 6d (12.5p). The Price War of 1913-14 caused a further reduction, to 1s 3d and 2s 0d respectively. Leibowich also had other labels: Besttone and Playwell Regent. By October 1914 Pickofalls were 1s 1d. If they still said ‘Pressed in Prussia’ – which they presumably did – they would have been very difficult to sell. Still, Frank informs us that Pickofalls were (perhaps unsurprisingly) still to be had as late as April 1916. Leibowich, who was a Roumanian, had taken British nationality in 1908; he joined the British armed forces in November 1916. He survived the War, and continued in business after 1918, though he no longer offered his own brand of records. 4 years is a reasonably long life for a label like Pickofall; but Leibowich can hardly have moved large quantities of them, for they are quite scarce today. Source: http://early78s.uk/?page_id=359 Further information here: http://mgthomas.co.uk/Records/LabelPages/Pickofall.htm