Udell Works Record Cabinet

[SonnyPhono]

A friend of mine has a VV-IX that came with a matching cabinet. The IX fits precisely on the top with molding around the edge of the cabinet to hold it in place. (Is the term continuation top cabinet correct in this instance?) Inside the right door is a decal that says The Udell Works Indianapolis U.S.A. He has decided to sell both of them together and wanted me to find out some more information about the cabinet.

Does anyone know if these are desirable or rare. The name rings a bell but I let a friend borrow some of my reference books so I don't know if I have read about it or not. Can anyone shed some light on the company with a brief history or any other information? As always it would be very much appreciated.

I will post pictures of it tonight. Thanks for the help!

[brianu]

did you even try google? this took about three minutes...

http://www.indyscore.org/docs/nl_2q08.pdf

... see page 6.

also...

http://www.arcade-museum.com/mtr/MTR-19 ... 5-7-13.pdf

http://www.gracyk.com/makers.shtml

[Jerry B.]

The Victrola IX was made for a very long time is by far the most common table model Victrola with a lid. It is not rare. The matching record cabinet is not nearly as commonly found but it is not rare... interesting maybe, but not rare. Mahogany is the most common wood. If the record cabinet has tons of style, it might have good value.

I sold a very nice oak IX at the CAPS sale for $300. It had two new springs, the reproducer had been rebuilt, and was collector quality down to the nickel needle cup. I sold it late in the sale as I was packing to leave and I had to include several packages of needles and some good records. I would estimate that an oak IX would sell for about 25% more than a mahogany example is similar condition.

I am less comfortable estimating a value for the record cabinet. I would guess that it would add about $200 to the total value of the combination. If everything is in very nice original condition, I would estimate the total value somewhere around $425.

What do others think? Jerry Blais

[SonnyPhono]

did you even try google? this took about three minutes...

http://www.indyscore.org/docs/nl_2q08.pdf

... see page 6.

also...

http://www.arcade-museum.com/mtr/MTR-19 ... 5-7-13.pdf

http://www.gracyk.com/makers.shtml

I worded that wrong. I can find the general history of the company so I didn't need that info. I was more referring to information about how often other collectors come across these cabinets as well as their desirability. For instance, Herzog cabinets are obviously desirable based off of the prices they realize, as are Salter cabinets. I guess I was asking for others opinions about how often they are found and if they hold more or less value than a common, run of the mill cabinet. I don't know why I asked about a general history in my original post. Sorry about that.

Jerry, thanks for the input. I was thinking the same thing regarding the value. $300 for a very nice, original oak IX and maybe a couple hundred for the Udell cabinet.

I bought another cabinet yesterday that originally had a IX on top. It is mahogany this time, not oak. I opened the door to begin cleaning it and found it is a Udell cabinet too! Maybe it's coincidence that I found two in less than a week. Or, maybe they are very common by means of cabinets for tabletops. At any rate, it had a different decal. Does anyone know which company decal is older? Here are some pictures of both:







Thanks for the help!

[phonogfp]

For instance, Herzog cabinets are obviously desirable based off of the prices they realize, as are Salter cabinets.

Sonny,

I don't think record cabinets are valued so much by manufacturer as by the style of the cabinet. There are plain-Jane Herzog or Salter cabinets that sell for only a couple hundred. Udell was a well-known maker of record cabinets (we show a couple in our books), but their market desirablity will be determined on a cabinet-by-cabinet basis. In general, very early cabinets or very fancy cabinets - regardless of manufacturer - will be the most interesting to collectors.

George P.

[SonnyPhono]

Thanks for the information, George. You mentioned that early or elaborate cabinets would have desirability to collectors. Well, this one isn't elaborate at all, but it sure looks old! It's probably worth a million dollars, right?!







Just kidding. I paid next to nothing for this one, and at that probably overpaid. It was interesting to me because it appears to be a complete handyman build. There are no identification marks on it anywhere, (obviously) and it is VERY sturdy being made of solid oak. I imagine someone needed a place to put their new phonograph and either couldn't afford a cabinet or maybe was at a time when there were no aftermarket cabinets. It's not the most attractive cabinet and isn't valuable, (at least I don't think it is) but it has character and a story behind it. I would love to know what phonograph sat on top of it all those years ago. I'm not even sure what would look good on it now! Any ideas?

Just thought I would share some picture of it as this thread has been focused on the subject.

[gramophoneshane]

I think any lower end external horn machine, or lidless internal horn table model would be great on that last one, and would probably alter the overall quirky appearance of the cabinet, provided the machine was a good colour match.
I've got 2 cabinets, and 2 stands that are handyman built, and I love them. Most collectors would probably consider them pure junk, but they are fairly well built, were cheap, look good with a machine on top, are still serving their original purpose, and best of all, provide some much needed record storage that you dont get from an ordinary side table.
Sure, the professionally built, big name fancy cabinets will always be the most desirable, attractive and valuable cabinets, but back then (just as now), not everyone could afford them so they made do with what options were available. That can range from beatiful one-off solid timber craftsman built creations, to plain (or just plain ugly) cabinets built from old butter boxes and slapped together in someones back yard.
Either way, I still think they deserve some respect for the part they've played, and I think it's really a shame not to see them in more peoples collections. Many are just as old, and in some cases just as functional, as any big brand name cabinet, but with a uniqueness and history all their own.

[phonogfp]

I must agree with GShane - - regardless of its value, that's an interesting cabinet. And isn't that why we bring this stuff home in the first place?

George P.

[Jason]

I picked up this bookcase this weekend at a auction. Also a Udell Works piece. I can't find any information about the company either. I can find stackables and music boxes but this one is a bit tougher to track down. Any info is greatly appreciated

[Silvertone]

Udell advertised regularly in the trade journals in the teens and twenties. The seem to have specialized in cabinets for the music trade; sheet music, piano rolls and phonographs. I get the impression that they were a rather large organization.