Scranton Record Company

Originally founded as the Scranton Button Company in 1885, they later started manufacturing shellac records, such as the well known World War I song "Over There". In the 1920s, as the popularity of shellac records increased, they produced records for Brunswick and many other cheap "dime store" labels. Following the purchase of the American Record Corporation (of which Scranton had been a major part) by Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc., CBS consolidated pressing operations at Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Bridgeport and dropped Scranton. Eli Oberstein and a group of Pennsylvania investors reorganized the operation as the Scranton Record Company and it served as the production facility of Oberstein's newly formed United States Record Corporation. Oberstein held a 30% interest in the company, but fell behind in payments to the plant and Scranton filed for bankruptcy in August 1940. It was again reorganized and began pressing for Musicraft in 1940 and Capitol in 1942. Capitol gradually became the sole client. In March 1944, Capitol Records, Inc. and "Scranton" entered a contract that gave "Capitol" the option to buy the plant. In March 1946 Capitol Records, Inc. fully acquired Scranton Record Company & Scranton Record Distributing Corporation for $2 million. Records pressed here can be identified by observing an "Ƨ" stamped in the runout.