Radio Artifact #64

 

This is a total mystery. These labels were found inside a "Recobin" a carry-case for 10-inch 78 rpm records. It's manufactured by the I.M. Hescheles Company, and distributed by Recordex. The labels are for numbering the records individually to match the dividers inside the box. It's a simple item that was probably very common sixty years ago. You can see printed adverts for them in Billboard as early as 1946. But Herns department store advertised them in the New York Daily news back in Debruary of 1943 which lines up perfectly.  It's clearly a predecessor to the 45rpm box and those very awkward 12" boxes that Crosley is making now.  

I found a Recobin logo with a use claim dating to January 20th 1943. (above) But there is also a related patent from 1921 belonging to an Isadore M. Hescheles for a box partition. It's Patent number 1,379, 563. The same man in 1927 composed the music to the vacation waltz and provided the publishing. He was already in the biz in 1918.

In the Printing trade Blue Book of that year they list him as the owner of the Vienna Bindery on 137-139 East 25th street. That fills in some blanks. Isadore was a print-maker and one that was clever, and inventive. He parlayed his shop into other businesses through pure savviness. 

A 1947 issue of Radio retailing lists RECOBIN in the index merely as "See Recordex Corp."  They were located at 32 University Place New York, NY.  But the August 1948 issue puts them at 24-34 University Place.I found a 1949 reference in a paper on the Physical Considerations of Music Libraries. I find no later references and that's probably due to the 78 rpm 10" size going into decline as 45's and LPs began to take over the market.