HMV 102 serial number

Discussions on Talking Machines of British or European Manufacture
Post Reply
User avatar
nostalgia
Victor IV
Posts: 1397
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 1:58 am
Personal Text: Keep winding up
Location: My gramophone repair room

HMV 102 serial number

Post by nostalgia »

Maybe I am tired today, but I can't remember having seen a serial number rectangular plaque like this without a B-code showing the year of manufacture?

A blue 102 landed on my doorstep yesterday, from the photos I thought it would be a donor machine, because it looked so scrappy, but sometimes objects look better in real life than on the photos, even if it is (from my experience) more often the other way around when it comes to gramophones...
Attachments
mai2021 042.jpg

epigramophone
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 5204
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:21 pm
Personal Text: An analogue relic trapped in a digital world.
Location: The Somerset Levels, UK.

Re: HMV 102 serial number

Post by epigramophone »

Your machine probably pre-dates the introduction of the "B" code, which took place in 1936.
Having said that, most early 102's have a circular plaque, not a rectangular one.

Oedipus
Victor II
Posts: 298
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2018 7:59 am

Re: HMV 102 serial number

Post by Oedipus »

I have no documentary evidence, but I have always assumed this style of plaque dates from 1935.

User avatar
Inigo
Victor VI
Posts: 3753
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2017 1:51 am
Personal Text: Keep'em well oiled
Location: Madrid, Spain
Contact:

Re: HMV 102 serial number

Post by Inigo »

About that... My only black 102 MOS edition from 1945 was bought cheap, as for parts, from eBay USA, and it resulted a perfectly usable machine, with an ugly plant pot mark and a needle run on the turntable felt as the only faults! The pot mark went out easily with black shoe polish, and the felt still has the needle run, but it works and plays marvelously!
Inigo

User avatar
nostalgia
Victor IV
Posts: 1397
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 1:58 am
Personal Text: Keep winding up
Location: My gramophone repair room

Re: HMV 102 serial number

Post by nostalgia »

We can have a look at the photos received, before I bought it. We can see it has a no. 4 soundbox, and the case cover looked very "brittle", and quite some rust, that maybe also had attacked the motor. So from the photos I had already expected to throw the case to waste, and only use the motor, winding handle, and also save the motor board and turntable for later. I am currently servicing the machine, including the case, so we later on can see how it looks after a good cleaning etc.
As you say too Inigo, one never really know before receveing the machine what state it is in, so one should never say never.
Getting the machine for €20 was of course a bargain, and no one really seem to want it, since it was for sale for two weeks before I made an offer.

Photos uploaded, all taken by the seller, before I puchased it.
Attachments
065_2011221904.jpg
065_879241302.jpg
065_101534329.jpg

User avatar
Inigo
Victor VI
Posts: 3753
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2017 1:51 am
Personal Text: Keep'em well oiled
Location: Madrid, Spain
Contact:

Re: HMV 102 serial number

Post by Inigo »

Ahaaaa, the same situation. The seller photos se very well, it's a machine to restore a bit and play it. Marvelous! What a bargain!
Inigo

User avatar
nostalgia
Victor IV
Posts: 1397
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 1:58 am
Personal Text: Keep winding up
Location: My gramophone repair room

Re: HMV 102 serial number

Post by nostalgia »

I finished serviced it around midnight yesterday. As we can see there is not much wrong with the case cover, and the only spot that is visible on the case now, is a thin white line at the front of the case that can easily be covered with blue shoe cream. There are realy no other visible marks under the lid etc. Apart from that it now is only missing a No 5 soundbox, that I have at hand, and a tungsten needle box holder ( that I have in store) where one screw was impossible to remove so I had to break the (rusty) metal holder.

Light conditions and camera settings had a big impact on the before and after photos of this machine, so this time the machine went from close to scrappy to becoming an above average, and even close to very respectable machine during some short hours.

Thank you to Roger and Oedipus for dating the machine to 1935, and also to Inigo for all positive inputs !
Attachments
mai2021 016.jpg
mai2021 013.jpg
mai2021 020.jpg
mai2021 015.jpg
Last edited by nostalgia on Fri May 21, 2021 7:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
gramophone-georg
Victor VI
Posts: 3984
Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:55 pm
Personal Text: Northwest Of Normal
Location: Eugene/ Springfield Oregon USA

Re: HMV 102 serial number

Post by gramophone-georg »

That's just beautiful. :D

I keep yanking myself away from wanting a blue, red, grey, and green example of these machines and you blokes keep re-stoking the zombie fire! :lol:
"He who dies with the most shellac wins"- some nutty record geek

I got PTSD from Peter F's avatar

User avatar
Inigo
Victor VI
Posts: 3753
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2017 1:51 am
Personal Text: Keep'em well oiled
Location: Madrid, Spain
Contact:

Re: HMV 102 serial number

Post by Inigo »

Nice! :)
Inigo

leels1
Victor I
Posts: 137
Joined: Sat Jun 27, 2020 8:40 am

Re: HMV 102 serial number

Post by leels1 »

It has the blue needle tray as opposed to the chrome one that featured on earlier examples.
Not quite sure when they changed it but would make sense it’s 1934/1935.

Post Reply