The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Thanks for the continuing feedback. Estott, your silvertone is lovely! (and that purple felt! <3 )

I agree that the victor is rather bland looking, though I like the lines on it better than the straight sides of the Silvertone. They're both really appealing machines with completely different styles.

Does the condition of one look better than the other? Which one would be the better buy? Would the victor be less maintenance?

phonon00b wrote: This one is nearby, but the seller only says "Selling antique Victrola in good condition 250.00 OBO." Does it look like a Victor Victrola? (Seems like any standing phonograph turns into a "victrola".)

IMO, stick with the Victor Victrola, especially if you are new at this. The Victor is universally supported by knowledgeable collectors, and numerous repair manuals and how-to's are available on the net. Victor models before 1925 do not suffer pot metal problems.

tomwil wrote:
IMO, stick with the Victor Victrola, especially if you are new at this. The Victor is universally supported by knowledgeable collectors, and numerous repair manuals and how-to's are available on the net. Victor models before 1925 do not suffer pot metal problems.

Thanks, you make a good point about choosing a machine with a wide support base. Is this model pre-1925? My understanding from brief googling is that they continued to manufacture this model but switched the model name to a number, so this could be post-1921 production run end...is that correct?

I would tend to agree, that Victrola is a fine beginner's piece, and parts needed are going to be common and easy to fine...like the wood grip to the crank which appears to be missing. They are very solidly built. $250 is within reason, though try to talk him down to $200.

BTW- the turntable on my Silvertone is actually purple Velvet - it looks luxurious against the dark walnut interior and gold hardware. Victor never was as splashy as that.

The Silvertone may be a good first machine, but as others have mentioned, shop around. The Victor and Brunswick phonographs are well worth considering too. The price is a little high, but not unreasonable.
See if there are Silvertone label records included. You will mainly want to play acoustic records on it.
There are guidelines on some posts on the forum to help you.

In what part of the country are you located? Other collectors who live near you may be of help.

See if you can find-out more info about that Victrola ( ask the seller to share the model number and serial number of the metal plate in the right-rear corner of the motor-board.


Generally speaking, if any group of machines your are considering in similar cosmetic condition (go for "good" to "excellent"), a Victrola is always a safe bet (provided there is no broken hardware or extra holes on the wood under the turntable or back by the tonearm suggesting that parts have been swapped.).

Victor products were top-quality and are good performers ( if a little "boring" to experienced collctors).

The higher-end Silvertones are reputed to be decent machines too...

One thing I have found in my experience with antique phonographs: when looking at non-Victor/Victrola machines, check the cabinets for tight glue-joints. I've seen many Edison Diamond-Disc players and Pathé` machines with loose glue-joints, causing the cabinet to become rickety.

bumpity bump

I thought you guys would like to know how it turned out. I ended up getting the Victor - the deciding factor was distance and that the guy was willing to barter, so no money exchanged hands.

He did, however, damage the lid while loading it into my truck..

Here's some pics...does anything stand out to you as needing repair (aside from the missing crank handle)? The thing sounds awful; I dunno if it's the one record he had (I now have), the needle, or something with the machine.

(sorry the pics are so bad...I couldn't wait for better light conditions!)

The cat doing a reasonable impression of Nipper:

It appears you made a good choice. You can do some troubleshooting to decide what to do. There's lots of help on this forum. The XI is a good model and parts and help are available.(sent a PM several days ago with some suggestions about the phonograph type)

Looks like a good late example of the VV XI. I'd bet that the reproducer needs all the rubber parts replaced plus new needles and good records. Welcome!

Ah! A "fat-arm" Victor XI in mahogany, with a Victor #2 soundbox, and first-generation auto-stop.

I could not read the serial number, but this machine is probably from around 1920.


A good solid machine, with a decent sound.

This is an excellent starting place !


Good luck and thanks for letting us know how things turned-out !