UK HMV School Model On Ebay

[gramophone78]

WOW!!!. Wasn't this discussed on here a few weeks ago..?.

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 11&t=23187


The newly acquired green horn looks nice, although I can't see the large round HMV decal. I believe the green horn is actually earlier (pre-1910) and hence the absence of the HMV decal and therefore incorrect to the machine. By the 1920's, the (correct) HMV horn petal's went right down to the elbow and had the HMV decal on the right (as seen in Mr. Proudfoot's example shown in his book posted with this EBay listing).

The back bracket has gold stripes thicker than it's US cousin. Is that correct for the UK version or is it restored/repainted..?.

I am somewhat confused why the seller claims 545 were made. In fact, the authors of the HMV book have no record of how many were made....just that 545 were sold (on the home market). .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/c1921-HMV-MODEL ... 6016.l4276

[bhmack71]

WOW!!!. Wasn't this discussed on here a few weeks ago..?.

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 11&t=23187


The newly acquired green horn looks nice, although I can't see the large round HMV decal. I believe the green horn is actually earlier (pre-1910) and hence the absence of the HMV decal and therefore incorrect to the machine. By the 1920's, the (correct) HMV horn petal's went right down to the elbow and had the HMV decal on the right (as seen in Mr. Proudfoot's example shown in his book posted with this EBay listing).

The back bracket has gold stripes thicker than it's US cousin. Is that correct for the UK version or is it restored/repainted..?.

I am somewhat confused why the seller claims 545 were made. In fact, the authors of the HMV book have no record of how many were made....just that 545 were sold (on the home market). .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/c1921-HMV-MODEL ... 6016.l4276

Hey G78,

The HMV 26 was mine and yea, I should've probably said 'sold' and not 'made'. Thanks for the correction. There is often a distinction. Though if I know anything about gramophone manufacturing, every one made was eventually sold, if at huge discount (or donated and counted in sales numbers) or destroyed/stripped for parts or repurposed to another manufacturer, so I'm not sure what the distinction is here. That being said, the EMI Group Archive Trust (where I'm sure Proudfoot got his raw data as well) says, "THIS MODEL SOLD 193 UNITS IT'S FIRST MONTH AND AT THE END OF IT'S PRODUCTION NEARLY THREE YEARS LATER IT HAD SOLD A TOTAL OF 545 UNITS." After month one, HMV didn't sell much more than 11 per month on average and I'm sure sales had fallen to one or two by the last several months of production so it's fairly certain production didn't outstrip sales. ⅓ of all sales in month 1 of 33? Wow. Talk about production shutting down by month 6 and resuming here and there based on demand or orders. Based on the first month's sales, and the following sales numbers, what seems likely to me is they followed the first month's numbers by producing a tentative two months stock and then it had taken two plus years to sell them all. Anyway, I hope sharing my thought process alleviates some of the confusion on why 'the seller claims 545 were made'. I don't think I was being egregious and I'm fairly certain I wasn't trying to spin the facts to raise the rarity quotient in any case. Also, based on my findings, this model was never produced in India so these 545 would be it. All the machines that made it from the factory to the public. Hence 'Made'. However, in deference to the old lawyer's quibble, I still should have said 'sold' I suppose.....

After a month or so of pseudo-research (Google UK, all the UK dealers I could reach by phone, and talking to a few members of the CLPGS via email) I have only been able to verify four units in the UK, one at a London dealer being restored and one sitting dusty, and in need of restoration, in the garage of a member of this forum. I found one pic on a UK Gramophone forum posted by a proud new owner a few years back. Sure there are many dozens more being used as lamp stands and in long-held collections but, besides these, there are absolutely no records/public sale info/collection pics, etc. of any online. Maybe one or two historic shots taken from a distance is all. Oh, except for a butchered one sold at Christie's ten years ago. No legs at all. Turned into a table top machine. Horrid. So, as for the tonearm bracket being repainted because the pinstripe is different than the model produced in the US, hopefully the forum member with the one sitting shamefully in his garage will read this thread and pipe in at some point.

Funny about the HMV 26. Only slight interest here in the US but I had folks in Europe fighting over it, regardless of a honking UPS freight charge, and it's within a day or two of being on it's way back across the pond. Sad really. I wish I could have kept it in the States. Alas, money.

As for the horn, you are correct and I sold the machine sans horn, so I'm on the lookout for a machine for it. Spare hornless Monarch, Sheraton, or Melba anyone?

Regards,
Bobby