[Phono-L] Never thought it would happen to me
Andrew Baron
andy at popyrus.com
Wed Oct 21 06:31:39 PDT 2009
Thanks, Douglas. Needless to say, the novelty of seeing this visitor
in my music room hasn't begun to lose its luster, and the XVIII will
soon regain its.
I thought of Go-Jo as well, at least as a first step. The black
residue is dense here and there, but it must also be darkening the
finish even where it doesn't appear to be built up to opaqueness.
Andy
On Oct 20, 2009, at 4:46 PM, Douglas Houston wrote:
> I've had my VV-XVIII for about 25 years. It took a moment to
> realize just
> what I was looking at, but $120.00 was a reasonable price,
> regardless of
> condition. Everything was there, except the storage albums. One
> spring was
> broken at the outer end, and was quicly repaired. A going over with
> Go-Jo
> made it clean as new. I know just how you feel, Andy!
>
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Mobility Scooters <mobilityscooters at xtra.co.nz>
>> To: Antique Phonograph List <phono-l at oldcrank.org>
>> Date: 10/21/2009 1:26:44 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Never thought it would happen to me
>>
>> Andy
>> Great story!
>> Well done that is just fantastic and to think of how many people
>> must of
>> seen it before you did in the afternoon.
>> I would say it was waiting for you.
>> There will be no stopping you going shopping with your wife for the
>> rest
> of
>> your life. ha ha
>> All the very best
>> Tony
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: phono-l-bounces at oldcrank.org [mailto:phono-l-bounces at oldcrank.org
>> ]On
>> Behalf Of Ken and Brenda Brekke
>> Sent: Tuesday, 20 October 2009 12:57 p.m.
>> To: 'Antique Phonograph List'
>> Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Never thought it would happen to me
>>
>> Congrats!!!! Any chance of posting pictures???
>> Ken B.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: phono-l-bounces at oldcrank.org [mailto:phono-l-bounces at oldcrank.org
>> ]
> On
>> Behalf Of Andrew Baron
>> Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 6:46 PM
>> To: Antique Phonograph List
>> Subject: [Phono-L] Never thought it would happen to me
>>
>> From time to time, I've derived vicarious pleasure from reading of
>> some
> of
>> the phono-L members' coincidental discovery and acquisition of a
>> particularly sought-after or scarce phonograph.
>>
>> In general, most of the membership are in areas that are either more
>> populated, or nearer to denser metropolitan areas than here in
>> Santa Fe,
> NM.
>> Roll back the calendar a few decades, and my region is pretty
>> sparsely
>> populated, with more ranching than any kind of manufacturing or
>> other work
>> that would draw a larger population.
>>
>> Fewer people = fewer manufactured goods, including phonographs.
>> Add to
> this
>> the budget for a machine that most New Mexicans had (or prioritized
>> for
>> music) a century or so ago, and you have relatively few phonographs
>> to
> begin
>> with, and most of those in the low-to-middle cost range. Edison
> Standards,
>> Victrola IV's, X's and XI's, and low- end Columbias are inevitably
>> the
>> models that turn up, and usually in none too good a condition if
>> not out
> of
>> a collection. Naturally some desirable machines were brought here
>> later
> on,
>> but by and large this hasn't amounted to anything significant, and
>> there
>> isn't much of a collecting community here.
>>
>> So opportunities to build a collection are rather limited. That being
> said,
>> I started collecting in 1974, when I was 12, and my Victor 8-30X,
>> Edison
>> maroon Gem, Edison early A-250 and a Zonophone Grand
>> Opera were all acquired here in Santa Fe, current population 72,000.
>> Not exactly a small town, but outside of Albuquerque, we are
> geographically
>> isolated from the big population centers. The Zonophone was
>> brought here
>> from New England in the '70s, when its past owner moved here.
>>
>> To the subject at hand:
>> Two days ago, a big local consignment shop was having their annual
>> Fall
>> sale; everything 30% off. This event draws what seems like half of
>> Santa
>> Fe, and while my wife and I usually attend it, we generally wait
>> until
> late
>> in the day to avoid the pressing crowds. Anyway, most of what the
>> shop
>> sells is vintage furniture, rugs, artwork, etc., some of it quite
>> nice,
> but
>> rarely anything of particular interest to a phonograph collector,
>> so no
>> penalty for arriving when convenient.
>>
>> We had been browsing around for about a quarter of an hour when the
>> proprietor let me know that there were "a couple of Victrolas" in
>> the next
>> room. We continued looking around in the part of the store where we
>> currently were, and after about ten minutes more, I finally said
>> that I'd
>> like to take a look and see what the phonographs were. We headed
>> casually
>> across the distance, through the crowds of people and things toward
>> the
> next
>> room. No sooner had I uttered the words "These machines are going
>> to be
>> examples of the most common models, and probably overpriced", than
>> I could
>> see the unmistakable silhouette of Victor XVII or XVIII, just
>> sticking out
>> beyond the wall separating the rooms.
>>
>> Quickening my pace (they were still 20 feet away), I prepared my
>> mind to
> see
>> a Victor XVII, the alternative possibility being somewhat beyond my
>> powers
>> of imagination. Still, a Victor XVII would be a great find
>> although I
>> already own one (courtesy of a very kind tip from a thoughtful
>> phono-L
>> member, $200, and a 125 mile round-trip to Albuquerque).
>>
>> Coming up alongside the curvy machine, I noticed first that the top
>> curl
> of
>> the rear corner post was mostly missing -- a clean break from
>> bashing the
>> machine into a wall or truck bed, no doubt. I also noticed the fine,
>> expressive trim on the cabinet side and the chevron- shaped veneer
>> pattern
>> and practically leapt the last couple of feet so I could see the
>> front of
>> the machine, which left no doubt.
>>
>> There's something unbelievable about finding a top-end machine in New
>> Mexico, and even though I have the XVII, and was already well aware
>> of the
>> differences, I had to see the VV-XVIII on the ID plate with my own
>> eyes.
>> The 3-digit serial number was also a strange thing to behold on a New
> Mexico
>> Victrola. This was a dirty, dusty machine, with some of its edges
>> and
> trim
>> scraped up from careless handling, but at a glance, in generally
>> good and
>> very solid shape except for a few scrapes and that broken-off upper
>> rear
>> corner piece. Definitely not something out of someone's phonograph
>> collection, and just as you like to find them
>> -- clearly untouched for decades.
>>
>> A quick appraisal of what it had to offer revealed:
>> Original gold V key;
>> Gold needle cup, all original casters, all correct knobs, front and
>> back;
>> Large, gold crank escutcheon detached and screws missing, but still
> sitting
>> on the crank about a half-inch out from the side of the cabinet; Near
>> perfect felt on the platter; Almost certainly the original gold
>> Exhibition
>> soundbox, Ser. #87347B, never rebuilt; Very, very dirty under the
>> lid and
> in
>> general (what is this greasy, black stuff?); Most of the record
>> storage
> area
>> filled with (non-Victor) matched albums full of classical records,
>> and
>> otherwise stuffed to the gills with sheet music; Missing the lower
>> key
>> escutcheon and motor lift knob (and that maddeningly absent corner
>> curl).
>>
>> Price, $650, minus 30%.
>>
>> Sold!
>>
>> It's home now, and I'm having fun cleaning it up and getting more
> intimately
>> familiar with its exquisite details, and learning why this model is
>> so
>> prized. It's going to be quite nice, ultimately, with a respectable
>> original finish, after a many hours of carefully applied elbow
>> grease and
>> the appropriate preparations. The fancy work and doors on the back
>> with
>> their gold-plated hardware, concealing a nice compartment came as a
> complete
>> surprise. You never see this view in the books. The motor is
>> relatively
>> clean (very little of the usual greasy build-up, just a yellowed
>> film of
> old
>> hard residue). A couple drops of oil in all the pertinent places,
>> and a
>> light coat of fresh
>> grease on the governor worm, and it runs very quietly and evenly.
>> Even the speed indicator works. The main springs thud something
>> awful
> when
>> winding down though, so I'll treat the motor to a proper tear- down
>> and
>> rebuild when I attend to those noisy springs.
>>
>> Comparing the total production of the spring-motor XVIII to the
>> number of
>> Victrolas produced puts it at something like 0.0004 of the total
>> 1906 - 1929 production, and .0009 of the 1906-1920 production total
>> (Roman
>> numeral model-number era). This equates to less than one-tenth of
>> one
>> percent of the total production of the early Victrola era, and less
>> than
>> half of that when considering the total Victrola era, if I did my
>> math
>> right.
>>
>> Finally (for those who've had the patience to read this far), the
>> gold-
>> plated motor lift knob was found in the needle cup, and the broken-
>> off
>> upper-rear corner was found otherwise undamaged, in a recess of the
> cabinet.
>> It proved a seamless fit to the fracture surface. Anyone got a key
>> escutcheon?
>>
>> I hope you've enjoyed this story, still fresh from the event and
> accurately
>> conveyed, and I wish similarly exciting phonograph discoveries for
>> those
> of
>> you who have not yet had the pleasure.
>>
>> Kindest regards,
>> Andy Baron
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