[Phono-L] Andy's VV-XVIII

[Andrew Baron]

Hi Doug ~

The serial number on my XVIII is 744, which if we take the starting  
serial number for this model into account (#501, according to the  
Victor Data Book), should make mine the 243rd XVIII made?

One has to wonder how many they were being produced in a single day.   
Models like this one I imagine must have taken longer, with the curved  
cabinet structure, more hand-carved details, more careful selection  
and placement of veneers, and all that additional gingerbread.

If it could ever be known how many were made in a day or a week, we  
could get a fair idea of just what part of 1915 or 1916 any XVIII was  
made.

Regarding the needle cup holder, I noticed that while my XVIII has it  
on the right, my XVII has it on the left, which seemed a little odd to  
me.

No handsprings at the moment, but I have to admit that it's been hard  
to keep focused on my paying work here in my pop-up book studio, and I  
steal a glance at the XVIII in the next room almost every time I step  
out of the studio.

Andy

On Oct 23, 2009, at 4:53 PM, Douglas Houston wrote:

>
> I don't recall if you told the serial number in your original post.  
> Yours does have the earlier ID plate, so it would suggest to me that  
> it's earlier than mine.
>
> I'll have to look at a video I made of mine playing, but I think  
> that the needle cups are on the LH side of the playing compartment.  
> Could be wrong, of course.
>
> Mine has a decal in the lid from J.L. Hudson's Piano Store. Hudson's  
> was THE store to buy things from, and the largest one in Michigan.  
> The store's now gone, the name is gone; Hudson's is just a memory to  
> us oldsters here, so the decal has a stronger meaning for many of us.
>
> I'll bet you're still doing handsprings around the block over this  
> find.
>
>
> Douglas Houston
> cdh041 at earthlink.net
>
>
>