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Is this front winding 101 rarer then the side winding ones?

Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 10:56 am
by Nigel
Hello. Somebody is saying that this front winding one is rarer then the side winding ones, so its considered more sought after. Is this true? Also is this earlier version better build\better sounding?

Thanks!

Re: Is this front winding 101 rarer then the side winding on

Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 11:22 am
by epigramophone
The front wind 101 is less common than the later side wind version only because of it's relatively short production life from 1925 to late 1926. The side wind version was produced until July 1931 when it was replaced by the 102.

The 101 pictured is the first version, identifiable by the twin needle bins inside the lid. It has certain disadvantages in use. The long throw of the winding handle makes it necessary to place the machine on a raised surface for winding, with the risk of scratching that surface because the bottom case corners have no rubber feet. The later side winding 101 overcomes both these problems.

There is no difference in build quality and sound between the versions, with one exception. The No.4 soundboxes of earlier 101's are made of brass, but later ones are made of pot metal with all the potential problems associated with it. The rear rubber insulator on brass No.4's is flush fitting, on pot metal ones it protrudes, so check carefully.

Very few versions of the 101 can be described as rare. It was the best selling portable HMV ever made.

Re: Is this front winding 101 rarer then the side winding on

Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 11:57 am
by Nigel
Hi epigramophone, thanks for your reply. Would you consider this front winding version, worth more then the side winding ones? so far it seems theres only minuses for owning one

Re: Is this front winding 101 rarer then the side winding on

Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 1:24 pm
by epigramophone
If the machine you are considering is the one in the following eBay link, you should be able to buy a good side wind 101 in black for half that amount. Coloured 101's available from c1927 onwards cost rather more, but should still cost no more than is being asked for this front wind example.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SCARCE-HMV-H ... SwxNBcb9aE

Re: Is this front winding 101 rarer then the side winding on

Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 1:39 pm
by Phono48
epigramophone wrote: The No.4 soundboxes of earlier 101's are made of brass, but later ones are made of pot metal with all the potential problems associated with it. The rear rubber insulator on brass No.4's is flush fitting, on pot metal ones it protrudes, so check carefully.
But beware, the insulators are very easy to swap over, so what may appear to be a brass-backed version may, in fact, be pot metal. The pot metal versions have courser milling round the edge, but of course to see the difference you need to have a brass one for comparison. Some unscrupulous people have been known to put a No.4 insulator into a later 5a soundbox and then claim that the 5a was made like that as an "update" for the 101. Don't be fooled!

Re: Is this front winding 101 rarer then the side winding on

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2019 8:08 am
by Nigel
Phono48 wrote:
epigramophone wrote: The No.4 soundboxes of earlier 101's are made of brass, but later ones are made of pot metal with all the potential problems associated with it. The rear rubber insulator on brass No.4's is flush fitting, on pot metal ones it protrudes, so check carefully.
But beware, the insulators are very easy to swap over, so what may appear to be a brass-backed version may, in fact, be pot metal. The pot metal versions have courser milling round the edge, but of course to see the difference you need to have a brass one for comparison. Some unscrupulous people have been known to put a No.4 insulator into a later 5a soundbox and then claim that the 5a was made like that as an "update" for the 101. Don't be fooled!
Thanks for the tip!

Re: Is this front winding 101 rarer then the side winding on

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2019 8:09 am
by Nigel
Also, Epigramophone, I saw you found an auction of a Teak model 101. I would love to own one. Also a Teak 102. I saw the post you posted on the ebay section too late sadly, and the auction was ended when i arrived. They seem quite rare, arent they?

Re: Is this front winding 101 rarer then the side winding on

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2019 11:00 am
by epigramophone
The British Raj in India was a lucrative market for makers of luxury goods. Teak HMV portables were made in their Calcutta factory, and were never sold in the UK. The few examples which made it here were brought home by their owners, often Army officers or Colonial civil servants, at the end of their service.

The teak 101 is rare in the UK and the 102 even rarer. There are several threads on these and other teak HMV models on this forum.