Victor Credenza Cabinet Evolution

[CDBPDX]

I recently acquired a nice 2 door Victor Credenza X serial number 933 with a mahogany cabinet. The bottom of the doors each has a complete rectangle of wood. When did the cabinet change to a continuous rectangle all the way across the bottom of the 2 doors?

Thanks! Cliff

[Victrola-Monkey]

Good question. Yours was made in the last quarter of 1925. Looking back at some pictures I see that a 2-door I once owned was serial# 2541 (made in the last quarter of 1925) and it had two lower rectangles like yours but it was a windup, not electric like yours.

The electric ones went to 4-door around serial# 6500 in the 2nd quarter of 1926 and the windups around serial #12,000 in the 1st quarter. So generally the switch from two lower rectangles to one must have happened happened at the end of 1925 or the beginning of 1926. Knowing at what serial# would be nice.

Interesting that the two door Credenzas shown on pages 274 and 275 in the Victor Data Book are of the one lower rectangle type. Though I had a few 2-door Credenzas, I never noticed the different door types before you mentioned this. And I thought I knew all the differences of the Credenzas and 8-30s.

[CDBPDX]

Thanks for the info. Did the 8-1 have the one long rectangle or two smaller ones?

[Django]

My Walnut two door Credenza, #5998 has a single rectangle. The serial number puts it at the end of 1925.

[Victrola-Monkey]

Thanks for the info. Did the 8-1 have the one long rectangle or two smaller ones?

Cliff,

Another good question. According to the Victor-Victrola web site, the initial machines had an ID plate with the 8-1 name, then the name changed to Credenza, then later, the name became 8-30. As previously discussed the early Credenzas had the two lower rectangles while the later ones had just one. What is strange is that the Victor-Victrola web site says that the initial machines with the 8-1 ID plate are reddish in color and shows a photo in which that machine only has one lower rectangle. It seems awfully strange that the evolution would start with one lower rectangle, then go to two, then back to one.

Is there anyone out there that actually has a machine with the 8-1 ID plate?

[CDBPDX]

After looking at literally hundreds of pictures of Credenzas on the 'net, I've concluded that the 2 door models came with both long rectangles and 2 small rectangles. The little carvings along the top under the lid are all the same, more elaborate and different than the 4 door models. All 4 door models have the same later carvings under the lid and the long single rectangle at the bottom of the doors.

There aren't a whole lot of pictures of the 2 rectangle models. Apparently, the Donley's auctioned one off in 2018, though I don't have access to the details. Interestingly, I found an auction facility in Japan offering a spring motor 2 door Credenza with the 2 small rectangles, serial number 12117.

Cliff

[CDBPDX]

The Donley folks informed me that their Credenza sold for $850 plus 23% buyers fee, total $1045.50.

[CDBPDX]

This cabinet cleaned up very nicely!