Scranton Record Company

Records pressed here after the 1920s can be identified through the "Ƨ" stamped in the runout. In mid-1944, the plant began introducing an [Anvil symbol] instead. From April 1946, when the plant became Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Scranton, it continued to use the [Anvil symbol] and occasionally also the older "Ƨ" symbol.

The company was originally founded in 1885 as the Scranton Button Company. Around 1916, this company started manufacturing shellac records. In the 1920s, as the popularity of shellac records increased, they produced records for many cheap "dime store" labels. In July 1929, Scranton became both a founding member of and the pressing plant for the American Record Corporation.

The history of the Scranton Record Company proper begins only in 1939. Following the purchase of the American Record Corporation 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 (this time keeping its name) and began pressing for Musicraft in 1940 and Capitol Records in 1942. Capitol gradually became the most important client. In March 1944, Capitol Records, Inc. and the Scranton Record Company entered a contract that gave Capitol the option to buy the plant. Only on March 26, 1946, however, was Capitol Records, Inc. actually able to acquire Scranton Record Company & Scranton Record Distributing Corporation for $2 million. This purchase turned the plant into Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Scranton.