rarest of the rare?

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brianu
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rarest of the rare?

Post by brianu »

a vv-107? I know they're not very common, but am I off in thinking this seller has some pretty high hopes?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Victrola-VV107-VV-1 ... 45ef836798

also, it always strikes me as odd - maybe lazy - when someone is selling something considered the rarest of the rare, for a price in the thousands, yet can't bother to supply some decent photos.

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Valecnik
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Re: rarest of the rare?

Post by Valecnik »

Fully agree. Do they really think someone would pay that kind of money based on a few poor photos. What really gets me is when I ask for better higher res photos, they just email me the same or equally poor photos.

Re. rarest of the rare, sure rarity is a big factor but only one factor. This particular model of Victrola is rare but there are many Victrolas out there that look very much like it, perform equally as well or better and might have in the opinion of many, a more attractive case, (wife factor in case you want it in the living room). Also there's nothing technically innovative or interesting about this one. In that respect it is not at all rare.

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Steve
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Re: rarest of the rare?

Post by Steve »

I completely agree with you, Bruce.

I'm also suspicious when I get pictures showing just 3 sides of a cabinet. It's happened to me before and when I got the machine the unseen side had undisclosed damage! Coincidence? Yeah, right!

I very rarely sell anything on Ebay today but when I do, I ALWAYS add lots of supersize pictures of anything, even for 'cheap' toy machines. To my mind, to not do so shows a little contempt for the potential bidder / buyer from the public. You're effectively asking (and expecting) them to trust you implicitly to tell them the whole story about an item rather than let them view the item properly and decide for themselves. I know that if I see a listing with numerous pictures and close-ups, I feel far more confident about the item, the seller and I'm more likely to bid anyway. I therefore believe it's also slightly foolhardy to short change the buyers this way, as you might just well be short changing yourself.

It strikes me that Victor produced a lot of high-end models with gold plated hardware. The cabinet on this one looks a bit scuffed and scratched to me, nothing serious maybe but not top end money?

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Re: rarest of the rare?

Post by Uncle Vanya »

Ah! But see that the machine is in the "Regence" style. A Victrola in the "Style Regence" is indeed an uncommon thing to possess.

At least that's what the copywriter for N. W. Ayer had to say about the Victrola 107.

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Re: rarest of the rare?

Post by Jerry B. »

To a Sting-Ray bike collector, a Schwinn Krate is a prized find and I was really excited to buy my first Krate. Krates came in several colors and were available as a 5-speed stick shift or as a single speed coaster brake bike. My first Krate was a white "Cotton Picker" coaster brake bike and I couldn't wait to call my friend who was a much more experienced bike collector. I asked him which was more rare, the coaster brake bike or the 5-speed with stick shift and cool motorcycle type drum front brake. My friend was excited for me but also quite gentle. He explained that the coaster brake bike is much more rare but the 5-speed was more desirable. He knew I like cars and he asked which I would take if I had a choice between a Chevy Impala Super Sport or the Impala wagon. That was easy, I'd take the Super Sport. He then said the wagon is more unusual but the Super Sport is more desirable and valuable. He said you have a nice bike but it's the wagon.
I think this "rarest of the rare" Victrola may be quite unusual but its desirability is kind of like the "wagon". In no way do I want to offend any phono friend that has this model. I proudly display my coaster brake Cotton Picker. Jerry Blais
Last edited by Jerry B. on Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Andersun
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Re: rarest of the rare?

Post by Andersun »

Wow, you just brought back memories that I had forgotten! As a child in grade school in the early 70's, i remember seeing Schwinn's Apple Crate and Lemon Peelers at my grade school's bike rack. As I remember they were 5 speed stick with a spring front suspension and directional signals on the back! The rich kids had them at my grade school. I had a bike that my dad got me from a warehouse fire sale. It had solid rubber tires! I think about it now and should have named it the nut cracker!LOL

bbphonoguy
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Re: rarest of the rare?

Post by bbphonoguy »

As another example of how rarity does not equate with value, I have a Victor Alhambra II, which is even more rare than the machine on ebay, but is probably worth less. Why? It's a console, and as a piece of phonograph technology it's not that exciting. I like it, and I'll never get rid of it, and since it cost me $50 when I bought it, it certainly was a bargain, but other collectors just don't find it interesting.

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