CL - Later HMV 102 - Vancouver

[Lah Ca]

$275 CDN, about $200 US, €190, or £165

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/ap ... 23021.html

Overpriced, I think. Rough cosmetic condition externally. Missing the support for the winding crank.

[Phono48]

It's a very late 102H in terrible external condition, I would say that his GB price of £165 is very optimistic. Knocking the hundred off would be nearer the mark!
This model didn't have winding handle supports ( or guides). which is why so many of them turn up with a deep "dent" in the top of the side panel. Not a good design!
Barry

[Oedipus]

There is no escutcheon on these late 102s (or the similar Columbia 9000) because, with the flush motor-board, there is nowhere to put one. The 'dent' is always there because they were made that way; there is a scoop in the wood under the leathercloth. It's crude, but it works!

[Lah Ca]

It's a very late 102H in terrible external condition, I would say that his GB price of £165 is very optimistic. Knocking the hundred off would be nearer the mark!
Barry

While I certainly do not yet know a lot about these things, I might suggest that a price around £65 or $108 CDN is probably a little low for the market here. The HMV 102 is far less common on the west coast of Canada than it is in the UK or even than it is in eastern Canadian provinces and US States. Rarity breeds inflation. Familiarity breeds contempt?

[epigramophone]

The 102H should not have a panel inside the lid, yet this example has one, albeit a scaled down version.
The HMV logo was applied direct to the lid as shown here :

[poodling around]

The 102H should not have a panel inside the lid, yet this example has one, albeit a scaled down version.
The HMV logo was applied direct to the lid as shown here :

I haven't seen a scaled down version before. Which models were they used on I wonder ?

[Lah Ca]

The 102H should not have a panel inside the lid, yet this example has one, albeit a scaled down version.
The HMV logo was applied direct to the lid as shown here :

Very interesting.

And a closer look shows that the rexine/leatherette of the lid and the insert are quite different.

I wonder if someone has glued in the insert from another machine. Or is this machine some kind of an anomaly? Or not a 102H?

[Phono48]

And a closer look shows that the rexine/leatherette of the lid and the insert are quite different.

Well spotted! The "original?" leathercloth that the insert is mounted on is not like any HMV learthercloth I've ever seen. It has no grain or patterning whatsoever, and looks to be the same as the outer covering on the lid. I reckon at sometime all the original covering has been removed, perhaps because of damage, which would have included the original HMV trademark. The case was then covered in this plain black cloth, and the cut-down HMV plaque from a standard 102 stuck on. If this is the case then it all lowers the value of this offering even more!

Barry

[Watanabehi]

$275 CDN, about $200 US, €190, or £165

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/ap ... 23021.html

Overpriced, I think. Rough cosmetic condition externally. Missing the support for the winding crank.

00u0u_hMYGO146U2hz_0t20CI_1200x900.jpg

Screenshot from 2022-12-18 12-39-53.png

It doesn't show the soundbox is 5A or 5B. But if it is in good condition, US$200.00 is not bad. It is hard find in US. The seller should show the photo of the soundbox.

[Lah Ca]

Well there went two or three hours of my life that I will never get back.

There was a price drop on the machine, so I went to look at it. It is a train-wreck donor machine, a model 102.H.

The Bad and The Ugly


1. It doesn't work. There is a problem with the governor and speed control mechanism. The platter will turn, guesstimating by rough pitch, at about 160 RPM or not at all. The machine sometimes makes a horrible screeching noise.

2. The soundbox is a 5b, but its cosmetic condition is poor. There is a lot of black paint missing.

3. The lid fits awkwardly. It has been taken off and not realigned properly when it was put back on. Why has it been taken off? I would guess to perform the modifications that have been noted above. The rexine/leatherette inside the lid has been replaced, badly. The logo square, stolen from another machine, has been resized, badly, so that it is no longer square and so that the logo is no longer centred. It has not been placed well inside the lid, wrong place and out of alignment.

4. The exterior of the case is truly horrific. And potential salvage pieces, corner protectors, the hinge, and the latch, are not worth salvaging.

The (Maybe) Good

What is nice about it? The tone arm appears to be in excellent mechanical and cosmetic shape, moving freely without slop or restriction. The auto-shutoff mechanism works like a treat. The manual brake works. The patter is in pretty good condition. The crank is clean and nice. The clip for the crank is in good shape, too. It has a 5b soundbox, ugly-looking, yes, but which shows no sign of any obvious damage causing malfunction. The spring seems to be strong and absolutely silent.