Telefunken Magnetophon reel-to-reel tape, in Telefunken sleeve

Object/Artifact

-

Archive of Cuban Socialism

Name/Title

Telefunken "Magnetophon" reel-to-reel tape, in Telefunken sleeve

Entry/Object ID

2025.1.315

Description

A flat square grey Telefunken tape jacket printed "Tonband / tape / bande magnétique" with the Telefunken diamond logo and a quarter-circle pivoting flap that swings open to release the reel; two punched holes at the spine corners (for ring-binder/album storage). Inside is a clear ≈5-in. Telefunken reel wound with brown ¼-inch tape (red leader; green splice tab at one end). The reel carries the manufacturer's "Magnetophon" spiral hub label, color-coded by side — one side numbered "1" (teal/grey label), the reverse numbered "2" (red/orange label). The owner added paper side-stickers. Two identical items.

Context

A West German (Telefunken) reel-to-reel tape and storage jacket. The trilingual jacket and "Magnetophon" reel are characteristic Telefunken consumer tape of roughly the late 1950s–1960s; the maker's per-side color coding (Side 1 one color, Side 2 another) is a normal feature of the reel, not evidence of two tapes. The owner's "C…" stickers number it within the same personal "Cinta" cataloging system seen on the other tapes.

Collection

The Cabrera Arús family collection, Leopoldo Arús Gálvez collection

Acquisition

Accession

2025.1

Made/Created

Manufacturer

Telefunken

Time Period

1960s

Place

Country

F.R.G.

Region

Central Europe

Continent

Europe

Edition

reel-to-reel "Magnetophon" tapes 15 540 (540 meters)

Notes

Sleeve and reel: Telefunken (West Germany / BRD). Recording: presumably home-made by the (unidentified) owner; contents unconfirmed. Date: Telefunken stock of this style is broadly late 1950s–1960s; the recording date is undetermined and not fixable from the object. Place: media made in West Germany; used/recorded in Cuba

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Notes

Jacket: "Tonband / tape / bande magnétique," Telefunken diamond logo. Reel hub (manufacturer, by side): "Magnetophon 1" (one color) / "Magnetophon 2" (other color). Owner side-stickers: "C[3?]-1" and "C[3?]-2," plus a small sticker with a hand check-mark and faint text. No tracklist filled in.

Dimensions

Height

16 cm

Width

15.3 cm

Depth

2 cm

Parts

Grey Telefunken jacket (with pivoting flap); Telefunken "Magnetophon 2" reel with recorded tape, leader, and splice.

Materials

Material

Plastic

Material Notes

Coated card/plastic (jacket); clear molded plastic (reel); magnetic tape (brown — likely acetate or PVC base of the period); printed/ink and paper stickers.

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Relationships

Related Places

Place

City

Havana

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Notes

use

Place

Country

F.R.G.

Region

Central Europe

Continent

Europe

Notes

production

General Notes

Note

There was another single reel of the same brand inside a Sony case.

Created By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Create Date

March 31, 2022

Updated By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Update Date

June 16, 2026