Rollos Victoria - Jose Oliver y Co., Madrid, Spain

Hi Robbie,  your page, "Music Media for Mechanical Music Instruments",
within the MMD is very helpful for new and old collectors.  I could
not resist to scan some of my rolls labels and send them to you for
inclusion in this compilation.

As my first pedaled player piano has spent most of its time in
Barcelona, Spain, most of my rolls originate from that region, too.
The vast majority of my 88-note collection bears the Victoria label.

I send you this label in two version, a floral one (Victoria 1170) and
a more geometric (later?) design (Victoria 2189).  I can not confirm
the brand as made by "Jose Oliver y Co., Madrid, Spain", but this entry
in your list seems very plausible for me.

One roll in my collection bears a "Best" label (Best 1809).  If you
compare it with the second Victoria label design, you will follow my
assumption that this label was awarded to the bestsellers in the
Victoria production.  I think Ampico did a very similar thing with
their Golden Edition?

The last label that I send to you is from a Victoria Popular roll
(8101).  In spite of the lack of any similarity with the other Victoria
labels I always assumed that Victoria Popular was the non-classic line
of Victoria.  The range of numbers for Victoria and Victoria Popular
confirmed my assumption.  The lower number are Victoria and somewhere
in the 7000 numbers Victoria Popular starts.  Other manufacturers did
similar things with their numbering scheme.

Best regards from Germany

Walter Tenten

 [ Editor's note:
 [
 [ See the MMD Media site at http://mmd.foxtail.com/MMMedia/
 [ Click on the underlined link to "Brand names on music roll labels",
 [ which yields http://mmd.foxtail.com/MMMedia/brands.html
 [ Then find "Victoria" and click to see the roll labels.
 [
 [ I have one Victoria Popular roll in my collection with a colorful
 [ box covering which is a montage of labels.  Most of the numbers are
 [ 6000 and greater, but a few are smaller, e.g., 1201.  Perhaps the
 [ firm reissued older "evergreen" songs in the Popular series.  I've
 [ added an image of the box following the labels.
 [
 [ I don't know where I found the name of the firm, Jose Oliver y Co.;
 [ can someone please help me with some evidence?
 [
 [ -- Robbie