Mystery Victor 6 Record Cabinet

[jmad7474]

I've had this Victor 6/matching cabinet combo for a little while but am just getting around to researching the cabinet maker now. Has anyone ever seen this same cabinet before? There is no maker's mark nor anything written inside which would assist me in recognizing the manufacturer. Compounding the mystery is that I have seen this cabinet's claw feet on several other music cabinets of the era, but none of those cabinets which I have seen in person bear a maker's mark either. It appears to be made out of the same type of mahogany as the phonograph's horn, and its dimensions are 23" L x 18.75" W x 33.5" H. If anyone reading this has further information I'd love to know!

[Inigo]

What a beauty!

[Curt A]

https://edisontinfoil.com/victor6.htm

[gramophone-georg]

I don't think those cabinets are the same.

[jmad7474]

Inigo, thanks for kind words! It's a lovely machine that plays records just as well as it looks. With regards to the linked Victor 6 on Rene Rondeau's page, George is correct - that is NOT the same cabinet as mine. It appears Rene has a Herzog cabinet, which I have seen a few other examples of and with all due respect looks super impressive but is a bit of an anchor compared to mine. There is one other Victor 6 cabinet I'm aware of (also much larger than mine) which has the gold ormolus and has two doors for record storage, one on the left and right sides. My cabinet is also the only one I have ever seen for a Victor 6 with record dividers originally installed AND can accommodate 12" records on both the top and bottom shelves. I wonder if my cabinet is a custom one built for a wealthy client back in the day?

[TinfoilPhono]

The one shown on my site is a "Cabinet That Matches" as made by Chicago Talking Machine Co., not Herzog. It's one of the best-known cabinets made specifically for the Victor 6.

I know of a couple of other styles of cabinets that were made for the Victor 6, but I have never seen the one in the pictures at the top of this thread. I have no idea who made it, but I love the design and the size. That's a great find, and I hope you can find out more about its background.

[Raphael]

I've had this Victor 6/matching cabinet combo for a little while but am just getting around to researching the cabinet maker now. Has anyone ever seen this same cabinet before? There is no maker's mark nor anything written inside which would assist me in recognizing the manufacturer. Compounding the mystery is that I have seen this cabinet's claw feet on several other music cabinets of the era, but none of those cabinets which I have seen in person bear a maker's mark either. It appears to be made out of the same type of mahogany as the phonograph's horn, and its dimensions are 23" L x 18.75" W x 33.5" H. If anyone reading this has further information I'd love to know!

Jason,

I sold you that cabinet and phonograph and my recollection is that it (the cabinet) was a Chicago Talking Machine product. I'm going to dig out the file and see if there are any notes or other information.

Raphael

[drh]

I may be way off base here, but...could it be an Indonesian reproduction? Those feet and the finish look a lot like the Indonesian pieces that flooded antique stores back in the 1990s/early 2000s. I have a few in my house, in fact, and although they varied, some of them really were very good. The carving is what gives me paws--er, pause; it's not as clean and distinct as I would expect in a true vintage piece, but a lot of the Indonesian ones were something like that. The 12" sized dividers would suggest the possibility it was made for LPs "in the style of" a cabinet that was made for 78s.

[Curt A]

The feet look like the claw feet on Salter cabinets...

[jmad7474]

I've had this Victor 6/matching cabinet combo for a little while but am just getting around to researching the cabinet maker now. Has anyone ever seen this same cabinet before? There is no maker's mark nor anything written inside which would assist me in recognizing the manufacturer. Compounding the mystery is that I have seen this cabinet's claw feet on several other music cabinets of the era, but none of those cabinets which I have seen in person bear a maker's mark either. It appears to be made out of the same type of mahogany as the phonograph's horn, and its dimensions are 23" L x 18.75" W x 33.5" H. If anyone reading this has further information I'd love to know!

Jason,

I sold you that cabinet and phonograph and my recollection is that it (the cabinet) was a Chicago Talking Machine product. I'm going to dig out the file and see if there are any notes or other information.

Raphael

Thanks Raphael! Funny you should post here - I was going to ask you about this cabinet at this year's Midwest Music Expo, but unfortunately our paths didn't cross there like they did in 2023. I appreciate you reviewing the sales file for it, I'm fairly sure that everyone who has visited my music room in person lately for the first time leaves being more impressed by the cabinet than by the phonograph on top of it!