My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Discussions on Talking Machines of British or European Manufacture
gramophoneshane
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by gramophoneshane »

transformingArt wrote:* Note: I actually tried to write this as a "Featured Phonograph", but since there might be so many people at here who would laugh at me for introducing a PORTABLE, I decided that I'll write down about this as a independent post. To be honest, I'm not a Machine person, but a Record person, so I hope you'll understand.


I wouldn't worry about that TA. It doesn't have to be a rare & valuable machine to be a feature phono, and even the humble portable deserves to be in the spot light now and then.
Personally, I'd like to see ALL the HMV, Victor, Columbia portables (& many others) featured and archived eventually. There's always somebody out there looking for information on "Grandma's picnic gramophone", so it's a great drawcard for the board, and as collector I find it nice to even see simple variations within the same model, like a change in soundbox, motor or braking system.
I think it all adds to the interest of the hobby.

You were very lucky to be given "the worlds greatest portable", and knowing the full history of any machine is always an added bonus. I particularly like the polished motor board on your example. Most 102's that I see here are later models with a rexine covered motor board. I think it adds a bit of olde world charm :)
These really are a wonderful sounding machine. They certainly beat the pants off even the transistorized portables from the 1960s & 70s that I've ever heard. Pretty amasing when you think about it. It's not hard to see why they were still selling in the early 60s.
I too have always wanted a 102, but still haven't got myself one. I always get outbid, and they seldom go here for under about $300 for even a basic black model anyway :cry:
Congratulations, and thanks for sharing your 102 we us.

While we're on the subject of 102's, it's probably worth mentioning that when first introduced, they had the short lived HMV No.16 soundbox. The No.16 looked like a Victor orthophonic, but was pressed together instead of screwed, making it irrepairable. Possibly the reason they were discontinued & reverted to the older 5a/5b.
I also recently found scans of the instruction manual on the web, so thought I'd add them to the thread. I'm sure there's a lot of folks out there who have a 102 minus instructions.

BTW: Your Japanese Victor sounds interesting. Feel free to share that one too sometime :D
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Valecnik
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by Valecnik »

Thanks for posting and for telling the story. The story alone makes it worthy of being a "featured phonograph".

By the way, I can relate to the problems created at airports when you try to carry these "weaponlike" contraptions in your hand luggage. I know from personal experience that a half dozen reproducers in your luggage raise suspicion and cause delays. Cylinder records too are "suspicious". :lol:

transformingArt
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by transformingArt »

Andersun wrote:What is the card on the turntable for? Speed adjustment?
Just noticed the burger and coke (last pic)... now I'm hungry!
The Card is called "Stroboscope", which you can adjust the speed with it. It is very useful for me to adjust any record speed - it simply covers up most of every possible speed ever appeared on "78rpm" records.

BTW, FYI - Not trying to nitpicking - it's not a burger and coke, but a bagel and iced coffee. Something totally different! :lol:

Mark.

Burtemg
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by Burtemg »

This columbia model 99 is similar to the hmv102
Same sound quality. Good working brake system
No markings on the 5b reproducer.
It sounds incredibly good!!!
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Phono48
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by Phono48 »

Burtemg wrote:This columbia model 99 is similar to the hmv102
Shouldn't that read "Columbia 9000"?

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mattrx
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by mattrx »

I Love my 102. I do not have the back story, though. Really nice little machines and they sound great! Mine started out pretty rough when I got it. Not perfect, but pretty nice now.

Thanks for posting!
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mikejk
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by mikejk »

Thank you for sharing your great 102 story. I too feel this is the best portable that I own. Here's mine, it came out of a dumster in N.Y.C., saved by a family member that worked for the NYC Dept. Of Sanitation. It came out looking just this way.
Mike
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epigramophone
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by epigramophone »

transformingArt wrote:* Note: I actually tried to write this as a "Featured Phonograph", but since there might be so many people at here who would laugh at me for introducing a PORTABLE, I decided that I'll write down about this as a independent post. To be honest, I'm not a Machine person, but a Record person, so I hope you'll understand.


Maker: His Master's Voice (later EMI)
Model: Portable Model 102
Serial # : 102079724
Year(s) Made: 1931 ~ 1960 (This One dates from c.1933)
Original Cost: 5 Pounds and 12 Shillings
Case/Cabinet Size: 16.625 x 6.5 x 11.25 Inches (Closed)
Turntable/Mandrel: 10 Inch
Reproducer/Sound-Box: HMV No.5A/5B
Motor: Single-Spring
Reproduction Parts: None
Current Value: $ 50 ~ 2000 (I saw a Japanese dealer sells one of the 1950s Models for this outrageous price!)


This Portable originally belonged to Professor Frederick A. Ficken (1910 ~ 1978), a Mathematician who taught at Princeton. He bought this around June 1933 in Liverpool, while he was studying in England as a Rhodes scholar. Later, around early 1970s, this was eventually given to Mr. Roger H. York (YouTube user "merrihew") of Richmond, VA, whom he had an acquaintance. Since then, it was in Mr. York's possession until July 2008, when I had a big trip to the U.S. for five weeks, and visited Mr. York, spending a week together at his house. We have known each other for about a year via YouTube, and it was (so far) first and only time we met offline. I enjoyed staying there very much, listening some records from his vast collections of 78s and LPs, as well as watching some early films, and meeting some interesting people.

I already had two Phonographs (Japanese Victrola J1-50, and a Columbia portable, both originally belonged to my maternal grandfather.) back in Korea, but as soon as I saw the HMV 102 machine on his Living room table, I fell in love with that thing. It was, as you can see, in a not-so-perfect condition; the key, and the original record tray went missing, some minor rusts on the turntable, broken carrying handle, and lots of tears on the leatherette cover. But the motor is so smoothly working (I have never seen any other Phonographs which has really quiet motor like this one), and the sound quality was brilliant. On the day I left Mr. York's house, I asked him if I could get it from him, and Mr. York generously gave this one to me for free.

For the rest of my trip during U.S. and Canada - eventually ended up taking the plane back to Seoul in Vancouver - I had some trouble at the Airport customs offices, as the Customs people thought this as some sort of 'Weapon of Self-Destruction" :lol: ; but eventually, I finally made it to bring it to my house, which I keep it on top of my desk, listening my favorite records every time that I want.
I have only just come upon this thread, and it is always interesting to read the story behind the machine. It is important to record and preserve this information for those who come after us.

No-one has yet pointed out that the turntable cloth on your 102 has been replaced. Black 102's had a dark brown felt (not velvet) cloth which should not be too diffficult to find, and the detachable record tray was lined with the same material. The trays regularly appear on UK eBay but are not cheap.

I sold most of my HMV portables when they started making silly money, but still have three 102's, two blues and one red leather with gilt fittings.

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celticguitar666
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by celticguitar666 »

very nice looking machine and I bet it has been very nicely taken care and sounds lovely. It's great that it brings you a lot of joy and isn't that what's about!
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StanB
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Re: My Favorite Machine - The HMV 102 Portable!

Post by StanB »

Energ15 wrote:Thanks for showing us that great machine! I've been looking into buying one of those, but as a previous member said, they are selling for high prices.
I'm curious, what are "High Prices" for one of these machines?
My first machine was identical to this, but HMV was in French, and the latch is on the left side instead of the front. I suspect I paid much less for my machine.
Stan (The New Guy)

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