Colonial HMV or Fake?

Discussions on Talking Machines of British or European Manufacture
SPOONMAN19
Victor O
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Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by SPOONMAN19 »

Guys, does this look real to you? Or is it some kind of hybrid? It seems to have an awful paint job on the inside
As always thanks for your time!
Attachments
IMG-20190205-WA0027.jpg
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Phono48
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Re: Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by Phono48 »

Genuine machine, but missing three things that I can see immediately. The handbrake, motorboard lifting knob, and the autobrake on/off indicator plate.

SPOONMAN19
Victor O
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Re: Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by SPOONMAN19 »

Thank you, Phono48. Most helpful.

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Marco Gilardetti
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Re: Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by Marco Gilardetti »

...on the other hand, this looks like the colonial version of the ultra-rare an much sought-after 114, so I would personally buy it even if it lacks some parts which could be easily replaced by scrapping another machine.

I'm not a "colonial" models expert, so this machine to my eyes could also look like a "standard" 114 with stripped leatherette and then repainted in natural wood finish. In either case, if the price is cheap, you may consider buying it. It's worth being restored in one way or another.

Phono48
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Re: Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by Phono48 »

Marco is right, it is a 114. It can't have been stripped of it's leatherette, though, or the HMV transfer would have disappeared.

SPOONMAN19
Victor O
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Re: Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by SPOONMAN19 »

Marco Gilardetti wrote:...on the other hand, this looks like the colonial version of the ultra-rare an much sought-after 114, so I would personally buy it even if it lacks some parts which could be easily replaced by scrapping another machine.
Thanks Marco and Phono48 - I'm torn between this and the 112. Both are the same price - around 200$. But would lean towards whichever is rarer to come by. My fear is getting one of this and then slowly realizing that the repair / restoration job is prohibitively expensive. Especially if 114 parts that Phono48 mentioned are tough to come across. And I've never seen a colonial with that paint-job on the inside. Guessing somebody tried to "smarten" it up!

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Marco Gilardetti
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Re: Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by Marco Gilardetti »

I think (but I'm not sure as, I've alrady said, I never had access to these nearly-impossible-to-find machines) the handbrake and the auto/manual brake tab can be "borrowed" by any late 102, which is a very common machine that can be scrapped for parts.

The motorboard lifting knob is another matter, however I don't see it as an essential part. Does anyone have a picture of it perhaps?

What do you mean about paint? Could you inspect the machine personally? To the best of my eyesight, I couldn't notice anything weird by these (quite poor in resolution, in light and in overall quality) pictures.

CarlosV
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Re: Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by CarlosV »

The two photos below show one of my 114's. The upper hardware is virtually the same as that of the very common 102. Its uniqueness concerns the nr 32 motor, which has a different spindle height. On the one shown above, it is hard to see if there was originally a lifting knob and a manual brake. It may be that this particular one was built without these features. HMV did not follow their quality standards for machines to be sold in the colonies, and variations have been found in their colonial models. If the brake and the knob were there originally and have been removed, it is easy and inexpensive to find a replacement from a 102.
Attachments
114 2.jpg
114 1.jpg

SPOONMAN19
Victor O
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Re: Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by SPOONMAN19 »

Lovely!
Thanks guys.

SPOONMAN19
Victor O
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Re: Colonial HMV or Fake?

Post by SPOONMAN19 »

Marco Gilardetti wrote:What do you mean about paint? Could you inspect the machine personally? To the best of my eyesight, I couldn't notice anything weird by these (quite poor in resolution, in light and in overall quality) pictures.
No, have'nt inspected the machine. Its in Burma / Myanmar. On my computer, the paint comes across as a light green when it ought to be grey / black. Yes, pictures are pretty bad. But one reason for these prices is that the seller is not a dealer but a farmer who wants to get rid of his "quote" no use old stuff...even getting these pics from him was a bit of a chore!

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