HMV 101....identification

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nostalgia
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HMV 101....identification

Post by nostalgia »

I got this HMV 101 for free today, I acted on a second when I saw an ad, also because the gramophone was situated 10 minutes away, and in a color that I don't have. It is tatty, and the cover is not at all good looking, but it is brown crocodile..or? If it is brown crocodile, is that the machine that is listed in the HMG bok as Brown (B.C.), manufactured in 1881 copies?
It has some peculiarities, the carrying handle, it must have been replaced, and this clasp, or whatever it is, under the carrying handle...
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Steve
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Re: HMV 101....identification

Post by Steve »

Yes, its a brown crocodile (B.C.) and extremely collectible. In 30 years I'd never seen one for sale and then 3 turned up in the past year on Ebay, the last two of which I bid on, winning one of them before setting a new world record for one as underbidder on the other superior condition example.

The leather part of the carrying handle on yours has been replaced, yes, but all the rest is correct and original.

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jamiegramo
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Re: HMV 101....identification

Post by jamiegramo »

nostalgia wrote: Thu Aug 26, 2021 2:47 pm I got this HMV 101 for free today,
Have I read that correctly? You were given this for ‘free’? Obviously you made a typo error.

Where on earth do you live? When I was in Norway everything was 4 times the price of normal.

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nostalgia
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Re: HMV 101....identification

Post by nostalgia »

Steve, thank you for certifying this was as brown crocodile 101 :geek:

Jamie...yes everything in shops are very expensive here, BUT...there are ( or must be) few gramophone collectors in this area ( I live in the central East..where most people live in Norway), and people in general often give things away for free instead of throwing it to the garbage. It is often this way, either things are extremely over priced, or you get it for free or very cheaply. In general, people are still quite often very friendly and helpful, and want to help or support a hobby etc..if they can.

That said, 6 people had contacted the man giving the gramophone away, minutes after I contacted him...it is of course, always a matter of being there, at the right time, and not hesitate...Luck is also involved, and no doubt,,I have had my good share of luck the last 2 years concerning gramophones...
Last edited by nostalgia on Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Steve
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Re: HMV 101....identification

Post by Steve »

nostalgia wrote: Thu Aug 26, 2021 4:46 pm Steve, thank you for certifying this was as brown crocodile 101 :geek:

Jamie...yes everything in shops are very expensive here, BUT...there are ( or must be) few gramophone collectors in this area ( I live in the central East..where most people live in Norway), and people in general often give things away for free instead of throwing it to the garbage. It is often this way, either things are extremely over priced, or you get it for free or very cheaply. In general, people are still quite often very friendly and helpful, and want to help or support a hobby etc..if they can.

That said, 6 people had contacted the man giving the gramophone away, minutes after I contacted him...it is of course, always a matter of being there, at the right time, and not hesitate...Luck is also involved, and no doubt,,I had had my good share of luck the last 2 years concerning gramophones...
I'd say! If anything your last sentence is the understatement of the year. In over 30 years I've never encountered anyone who has bought or been given so many bargains. If there was an award for it, you would be the only contender for it. You have no competition.

Okay, I've met some people in the UK who appear to live in an alternative universe where prices are still stuck in the 1950s, but they're quite uncommon.

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Inigo
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Re: HMV 101....identification

Post by Inigo »

Nice machine and good luck again!
I was lucky too years ago when I bought mine in excellent condition for a mere 100€ or so... Mine is a British machine imported into Spain by a Spanish dealer, who added its beautiful metal id plate, as a bonus, Damasco, a big music dealer from Alicante from whom I've seen many ads, record sleeves, and the same label pasted on record labels.
This model carries that metal plate at the right side of the lid, that when closed, covers the crank hole. A beautiful machine.
You can renew the crocodile rexine cover by careful cleaning and then using a good shoe cream of suitable color, not difficult to find. It is a very common mid brown shoe colour. For the corner and edge areas that tend to peel off you can retouch with an ink marker of same color.
My original leather handle was also broken, not strange, as for this model it was a simple thin leather strip with two D rings at the ends. I replaced mine with a new thicker leather cinch, simply tied to the two D rings.
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nostalgia
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Re: HMV 101....identification

Post by nostalgia »

Steve, I know...I live in a kind of alternative universe in this matter, after some months on the forum, I realized the machines I encountered and got access to, and prices paid for these machines, are hard to compare to the market in the UK and in other areas of Europe. It was amuzing to read your post though, you very likely hit the spot well with that comment :clover: :geek:

Inigo, thanks for posting photos of your machine, and for recommendations. I have tried shoe cream in the past for some 101 and 102 machines, and sometimes it works well for minor spots, but for bigger and more troublesome areas, I have met some challenges. It may also be caused by the brand of shoe cream of course, but for a black 102, that really had a beautiful motor board and fittings, BUT with some annoying white marks of paint on the cover, I tested a black spirit based leather paint/stain, and it worked wonders. It blended perfectly with the texture of the cover, and well...it was impossible to see that the cover had been repaired in any way. Unfortunately I did not take photos before I painted the rexine with black leather paint/stain, but the after photo is here, and as we can see...it worked wonders: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=49585&p=294438&hil ... am#p294438

I will today go out to get hold of some brown leather paint, and see if I am able to mix the paint to the correct color for the cover of this machine. I know they sell both light and dark brown of the same brand that I used for the black 102.

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nostalgia
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Re: HMV 101....identification

Post by nostalgia »

Opinions wanted!
I have cleaned the cover with Swarfega, but it is really difficult to remove all the black dirt, and if cleaning more the brown color will start to come off.
Would you leave it as it is, or....apply brown leather paint to blend with the brown rexine. From experience, I know it will blend well, if I am able to mix the correct color, and it will cover the black dirt, but it will of course look more "new".
I am hesitant on what to do on this one...

(I will anyway cover the ugly holes with some brown paint...)
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alang
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Re: HMV 101....identification

Post by alang »

To me that looks great for a 90 year old machine. The difference from your first picture is amazing. I know, there is always the urge to make it perfect, but that is not always better. I would leave it as it is now. Maybe add some brown shoe polish for protection.

Andreas

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Re: HMV 101....identification

Post by Steve »

I'd be very careful cleaning the tan crocodile. I tried cleaning mine with some wam water and mild dish soap but even that started to dilute and take off the dark shaded areas of the pattern. After trying a very small area I gave up and I'm resigned to leaving it as is.

Clearly the tan crocodile case was not exactly permanently printed / coloured, unlike the blue version.

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