Looking for Advice on Victor II

[bbphonoguy]

A fellow board member has alerted me to a Victor II for sale not far from where I live. Can anyone advise me on what to look for when I examine it? What type of soundbox should it have? Also, any clues to value and fair price would be appreciated. I'm going to see it tomorrow, so I'll check later today to see what you all have said.

Thanks!

Carl

[FellowCollector]

Begin with asking price. If it is too high then it doesn't matter what condition it is in unless you are willing to pay most any price. If you get past that objective then first assess the oak cabinet condition. Does the finish look original and in good condition (a plus). Are there any obvious repairs or "adjustments" to the cabinet including extra holes to accommodate in a different motor (it happens more frequently than you might think). The backmount should have some or hopefully most of the original pinstriping remaining. The horn could be a Victor black petal horn or brass bell and both should have an original decal unless the black has been repainted. A decal that is bright and clean may indicate a repro decal and/or horn. Open the cabinet and examine the single spring motor. Assure that the governor has all of its weights and spins freely and evenly with the brake released. The bottom of the cabinet should be free of any loose parts or pieces. Chances are good with Victors (excellent quality) that the gears will be OK but spot check the gears for any visual problems. Close the cabinet and crank it up. Listen carefully to the motor with turntable spinning. It should be reasonably quiet and turntable should spin with minimal wobble. Put a record on and listen for an even playback. Reproducer should be a regular Exhibition likely with a round needle hole although the later triangular hole Exhibitions are acceptable. Nickel plating should look aged and even somewhat soiled from handling on a completely original machine. ID Plate should read Vic-II or V-II with a serial number after. Best of luck and let us know how you do. I'm sure I missed some things but that's what I can think of off the top of my head to help you from my perspective.

Doug

[bbphonoguy]

Thanks for the checklist Doug! I'll let you all know on Monday how this turned out.

[JohnM]

Well, how'd it go? Successful I hope!

[bbphonoguy]

After seeing it in person I opted out. I think her asking price was fair, but being inexperienced I wasn't sure.

Anyway...the horn is appropriate, but doesn't seem original (it's welded into the neck)and has a poor repaint job. The turntable also isn't original, and neither is the spindle. The spindle seems to be the end of some type of threaded rod, then the turntable was threaded onto it, then the whole assembly painted black to make it look uniform. The soundbox is from a later portable, and the nickel on the arm is very very worn. The collar for the crank was at an angle, which made me wonder what that was about, and I'm not sure even the crank was original since I've never seen one like it, but, as I said, I'm inexperienced with machines this early.

I offered her half her asking price but she wanted to wait and see if she could get what she was hoping.

All in all, I didn't want a project this involved, and I figured by the time I was done restoring this I could just go and buy one in decent shape.

The seller was very cooperative, and I offered to place a notice in the trading section of the board for her.