The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This machine has a Model 250 label and the scroll frame lid transfer, but the swan neck tonearm and No.4 soundbox identify it as one of many 250's returned to the factory for conversion into 251's. The book "His Master's Gramophone" depicts an example in what appears to be an original Chinoiserie finish (Fig 4.39 Page 126) but although it's finish has some age the eBay machine may have been decorated after sale, as the interior remains in mahogany.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hmv-gramopho ... 1438.l2649

that's not factory original, right?

I don't believe that particular example is "factory original." If done by Victor, the inside under the lid would also have been painted and then the Victor decal would have been applied. There were many business that offer this sort of decoration done post delivery from the Victor dealer. I believe that type of decoration, done when the machine was nearly new, makes the machine very interesting and desirable. Jerry Blais

Jerry B. wrote:I don't believe that particular example is "factory original." If done by Victor, the inside under the lid would also have been painted and then the Victor decal would have been applied. There were many business that offer this sort of decoration done post delivery from the Victor dealer. I believe that type of decoration, done when the machine was nearly new, makes the machine very interesting and desirable. Jerry Blais

That’s what I figured, but didn’t know for sure whether HMV handled anything differently in the U.K.