Date Your Records Pressed by Monarch

Go To Discography of all Monarch Pressings in our Database

Monarch Records
4852 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

Δ Delta Numbers

Monarch Records in Los Angeles, California, started pressing vinyl 45 rpm records in July of 1954. To keep track of the orders, they put a small triangle, the Greek letter delta (Δ), next to a unique number on each side of every record they pressed. Amazingly, they stayed with their numbering system consistently for decades. They did a lot of business with small, independent labels but they also did large quantities for the major labels when they had a hot 45 and needed extra copies.

Below is a chart that can be used to date the records they produced. In using this chart, the numbers below represent approximately the mid-point of the production for each month.

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1954 --- --- --- --- --- --- 141 586 1031 1476 1921 2366
1955 2811 3256 3701 4146 4591 4975 5436 5957 6358 6682 7234 7710
1956 8253 8720 8962 9299 9743 10155 10602 11122 11636 12146 12658 13123
1957 13634 14194 14747 15269 15745 16083 16566 17215 17710 18328 18745 19415
1958 19980 20592 21192 21855 22544 23021 23560 24157 24818 25448 25967 26446
1959 26912 27540 28199 28870 29543 30125 30617 31316 32000 32571 33175 33858
1960 34320 34496 34699 34994 35339 35671 35995 36421 36660 36917 37142 37362
1961 37697 38083 38592 39064 39312 39573 39778 39908 40195 40600 41023 41424
1962 41698 42048 42693 43104 43355 43849 44012 44463 44601 44764 45225 45708
1963 46238 46738 47157 47588 48030 48512 48800 49111 49458 49938 50426 50859
1964 51227 51471 51725 52122 52589 53000 53428 53855 54215 54391 54866 55400
1965 55884 55999 56226 56500 56688 57155 57605 58123 58650 59218 59518 59910
1966 60101 60395 61036 61598 61870 62100 62210 62831 63076 63587 63990 64239
1967 64616 65249 65884 66300 66651 66950 67201 67534 67888 68458 68876 69456
1968 69696 69932 70400 70823 71250 71840 72378 72808 73245 73556 73893 74100
1969 74380 74640 74941 75131 75546 76191 76846 77244 77823 78111 78621 78959

Some labels which have had the Δ number include; ABC, Abner, Ace, Aladdin, Apollo, Argo, Arvee, Atco, Atlantic, Backbeat, Bigtop, Cadence, Cameo, Carlton, Challenge, Chancellor, Checker, Chess, Class, Dolton, Dot, Duke, Ember, End, Era, Gee, Gone, Josie, Jubilee, Laurie, Liberty, Parkway, Roulette, Sue, Scepter, Sun, Swan and Vee Jay.