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I thought I’d create a featured phonograph post for these ones as I’m planning on selling one in the future and
would like to have its existence documented.
Make: Victor
Model: VV-XIII
Serial # See below
Year(s) Made: 1921
Original Cost: $250 Canadian Dollars
Case/Cabinet Size: Ugh, I didn’t know I’d need a measuring tape for this!
Turntable/Mandrel: 12"
Reproducer/Sound-Box: Victrola No. 2
Motor: 2-spring
Horn Dimensions: Ugh, see case/cabinet size above.
Reproduction Parts: none
Current Value: ?
Interesting Facts: Specific to the Canadian market the XIII is a bit of an oddity (one of mine is odder
still!). According to Victor-Victrola.com the XIII had been documented in the Victor production logs but it was
assumed to be an error in record keeping until one showed up in the hands of collectors in the 1990s. Also,
according to the same website the factory records show 662 units were produced. The earliest recorded Serial
number from this site is 522 while the latest is 1169. One of my examples is before this range at 510 while the
other is near the end of production at 988. Surprising difference noted below.
Favorite Characteristics: Like most collectors, I enjoy staring at my machines for hours at a time, examining
their parts and imagining their history. I really enjoy imagining the story behind why this machine exists and
why so few were made. It is such an odd design, unlike anything I’ve seen of other Victrolas except for the
early XIV. Sometimes I speculate that the XIII was an attempt to reintroduce the early XIV style. Similarly to
how North American car manufacturers have tried to reintroduce old style muscle cars lately, but the XIII is
more like the Ford Thunderbird of 2002 where no one’s really sure why they built them and not too many people
bought or like them. As a native Torontonian, I also like that these machines were specifically built for two
Canadian cities. It makes me feel special, in a special Canadian kind of way.
The XIII with the early serial number (510) also has a curiously carved design around the motor board.
While I consider myself pretty good at spotting slight differences in finishes, colours, and textures, I’m
having a difficult time finding any evidence that would suggest this feature wasn’t added at the factory.
Note the pictures of the sides of the wood when the motor board is raised, I thought I’d see a different
colour or perhaps a run or brush stroke here but it looks completely original.
Has there ever been a Victrola that was slightly different than the rest of the production run?
Is it possible that 510 was the first machine produced?
What say you?
I’ll add a few close up pictures of some of the great details of these machines (hopefully tomorrow).
