ID This Victrola Radiola?

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CDBPDX
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ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by CDBPDX »

I was in an antique mall in Lincoln City, Oregon and saw this. Ordinarily, I am not too impressed by old radio/phono combos but this one was pretty fancy (and expensive) and has all 8 of the original record albums. Just curious what model it is.

The albums had some great records in them, but the folks were adamant about not selling them separately. Bummer.

Thanks! Cliff
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Re: ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by marcapra »

That is the more expensive brother to the 1929 Victrola RE-45, and is the Victrola RE-75. It is identical to the RE-45 as far as the radio and phono. I believe the furniture style of the RE-75 is based on Italian Renaissance style. I have owned both in the past. They can make 78s of the late 20s sound very good, if the phonograph has been rebuilt including the pickup. They were the last phonographs made that are considered products of the Victor Talking Machine Co. before being taken over by RCA. These late 20s radio phonographs tend to be very slow sellers due to most phonograph collectors being afraid of electronics. I doubt if the store will sell this at the listed price.

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Re: ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by CDBPDX »

marcapra wrote:That is the more expensive brother to the 1929 Victrola RE-45, and is the Victrola RE-75. It is identical to the RE-45 as far as the radio and phono. I believe the furniture style of the RE-75 is based on Italian Renaissance style. I have owned both in the past. They can make 78s of the late 20s sound very good, if the phonograph has been rebuilt including the pickup. They were the last phonographs made that are considered products of the Victor Talking Machine Co. before being taken over by RCA. These late 20s radio phonographs tend to be very slow sellers due to most phonograph collectors being afraid of electronics. I doubt if the store will sell this at the listed price.
Thanks! I think it has been in the store, an antique mall, for a long time. The seller would entertain an offer, I was told, but I have no interest in anything electrical except as, in this case, something to be in awe of. I have no idea if it works, at that price it should.

Cliff
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Re: ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by Vinrage_mania »

I do not think it would sell at half that....but it is less common than an RE45 .I have gotten three of them in less than a year

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Re: ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by EarlH »

I have a restored one here on my back porch and I doubt I can get $550 out of it. They are nice sounding and very nice looking machines. Maybe a bit awkward to play through those front doors when you are used to playing a regular Victrola. BUT, you can pile junk up on top of them and not have to remove it every time you want to play the thing. Or maybe it's just me that sets stuff on every available flat surface. Haha! The albums are nice to find in it though, but I wouldn't want to give over $200 for it the way it sets. Earl.

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Re: ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by victor 15-1 »

CDBPDX wrote:I was in an antique mall in Lincoln City, Oregon and saw this. Ordinarily, I am not too impressed by old radio/phono combos but this one was pretty fancy (and expensive) and has all 8 of the original record albums. Just curious what model it is.

The albums had some great records in them, but the folks were adamant about not selling them separately. Bummer.

Thanks! Cliff
Yes, those albums are nice.
The RE-75 was introduced in Dec 1929 as a 1930 model and a little over 14,000 were made.
A close inspection of the decal inside will reveal Victor Talking Machine Division,Radio Victor Corporation of America.
While some tags elsewhere on the machine will state victor talking machine co,like it's little brother the RE-45 it is an RCA product.

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Re: ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by marcapra »

Yes, it was being sold as a current model after the merger and it does have an RCA radio in it, but I read that it was designed by the Victor Talking Machine Co. before the takeover and that's why Baumbach includes it and the RE 45 in his Victor Data Book.

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Re: ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by victor 15-1 »

marcapra wrote:Yes, it was being sold as a current model after the merger and it does have an RCA radio in it, but I read that it was designed by the Victor Talking Machine Co. before the takeover and that's why Baumbach includes it and the RE 45 in his Victor Data Book.
I think we should have some more seasoned members weigh in on this issue.
The Re 45 uses the type 45 tube..not offered to the public till Feb 1929 well after the merger

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Re: ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by marcapra »

According to the Victor-Victrola website, the RCA merger happened in the fall of 1929, which would be a bit after February. Since these radio/phonographs were designed by Victor Talking Machine people, they are included in the Victor-Victrola website, which is a site that says they do not include RCA Victor products. Although, because these machines came on the market around the same time as the merger, they can also be considered the first RCA products. So in a way we're both right.

http://www.victor-victrola.com/RE-75.htm

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Re: ID This Victrola Radiola?

Post by startgroove »

One of the photos above of this set shows the radio dial, which I recognize as being the dial of the famous Victor Micro-synchronous radio tuner. It was claimed by someone early in my collecting career that this was not an RCA, or related companies, design.

In trying to track that down on the 'net, this turned up, it is a thread from the Antique Radio Forum posted March 28, 2012. It seems to be the best explanation I could find on the subject:

"Thanks, Alan. I agree. And corporate history is certainly something that is subject to creative writing. I did find it interesting that in RCA's 1964 history of the Victor Talking Machine Company, they mention the Micro-Synchronous as being a very well built and well received radio without elaborating. They seem to indicate that it was a Victor effort without RCA's input.

Here is the excerpt:

On March 15, 1929, the Victor Company was acquired by RCA, but continued to operate with few, if any, changes in personnel or distributors for nearly two years (Victrolas were manufactured by the Victor Division of the Radio-Victor Co.). Similarly, the Radiola (p. 99) lines were distributed by the Radiola Division through Radiola distributors. The Victor plant had, in the meantime, been taken over by (General Electric and Westinghouse, Radiola's previous sources of supp1y. The new manufacturing operation. known as the Audio Vision Appliance Co., was set up to supply both the Radiola and Victor Divisions. Victor, having in mind its reputation for quality reproduction of sound, decided to rest its case on an excellent, newly developed TRF chassis. It was given the name, "Microsynchronous" and a sales campaign featuring the word was built tip around it. It was markedly successful. Victor's total instrument sales for 1929, made up principally of two radio-phonograph combinations (RE-45 and RE-75), an electrically amplified talking machine, and a straight radio set, totaled $50,540,000 which was the largest in the company's history. This total, however, was not entirely spontaneous. Production was somewhat beyond demand and sales effort was required, even in the active Fall months, to run up the total. The chassis, however, was warmly received. Owners were generally satisfied that the reproduction was better than anything previously offered. Five or ten years later, many owners still felt that nothing had yet appeared which was as good.

Most of the 1929 line was continued well into 1930 with a new line added during the Fall of 1930. This contained a lower priced combination, RE-17 (a modification of the RE-45 with home recording added), RE-57, R-15, and R?35."

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