The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Slightly off topic, but thought not worth starting a new topic. I just picked up a bog standard grey 101. What is a bit odd is the aluminium id tag on the motor board. I have seen a picture of a French made ”La voix de son Maitre” 101 with similar tag. I find it also a bit odd that there is no trim plate around the crank hole. There are clear indication dents marked for the screws, but there are no holes. Cutting the costs on a de luxe model? Can someone enlighten me?

I just checked my coloured 101s, (grey, blue, red, green and brown), and none of them have the type of cover that is attached to the motor board, they all have the type that is attached to the back of the escutcheon (same as yours). My guess is that the motorboard on yours was old, recycled stock, with the holes already drilled, and the grey material was glued on without first filling them in. A similar situation is on late black 101s with automatic brakes. If you look carefully, you can often see filled holes where the winding crank clips and manual brake would have been fitted on earlier machines.

Here is my grey 101J with the metal trim piece in place. The metal ID plate replaced the circular ivorine disc during 1929. It bore no serial number, and management soon decreed that serial numbers should be reinstated, so the ivorine disc re-appeared during 1930.

Thank you for the information guys!

There is a grey 102 on Ebay at the moment

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quality-Luxu ... SwFbparZXf

Seller of this machine writes: ”THIS GRAMOPHONE IS SIMPLY A STUNNING LOOKER & HAS BEEN BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED & FULLY SERVICED & IS AN EXCELLENT PERFORMER & A RARE COLOUR HMV102.
THIS WAS THE “ROLLS~ROYCE” OF THE 1930s THIS WAS THE FLAGSHIP OF HMVs SUPERIOR RANGE.”

To me this looks like a very expensive parts donor machine only. The case has been patched up horribly, case bottom is wrong colour, feet missing, record tray missing, home made tonearm clip. That is only what can be seen from the pictures. Surely there is more hidden surprises. And it comes with the No. 16 soundbox.
£295 for this Rolls-Royce? I’m happy with my Merc.

I have never had any dealings with this seller, but I have had a good look at his eBay listings past and present.

In February he sold a grey 102 record tray for £59. Could this be the one missing from the grey 102 pictured above?

In April he sold a standard red 102 with a BLACK lid transfer panel for £355, so he not only asks high prices but sometimes achieves them.

As for "The Rolls-Royce......flagship of the HMV range" etc, I wonder if he has ever seen a red leather 102 with gilt fittings?