The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

MarkH wrote:Also, is there any way I can find out what year this phonograph was made? I didn't see any obvious stamping.

Thanks!
Mark

Here's a link to a great resource that may help you.
http://www.victor-victrola.com/2-55.htm

Fran

PM sent.

MarkH wrote:Also, is there any way I can find out what year this phonograph was made? I didn't see any obvious stamping.

The serial number is probably on the speed indicator. You have to take the turntable off by unscrewing the center post to see it.

Thanks!

I found the serial number: VV2-55 124794 (but I haven't found anything online to indicate the period of production)

I've been away over the holidays, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their input.

I took a few pictures of the vv 2-55...I'm hoping to understand what type of gold coating is on my machine.

How best should I restore the gold bits? I'd like to do it correctly. To me, it almost looks like a rattle can spray paint - but it's 90 years old (so I'm guessing not).

I've attached a few pictures (sorry about my dog in the photo - she's my buddy and "helps" with whatever I do).

Thanks,
Mark

Here is a tip that is important because of where and how your machine was stored - before playing your records, make sure to clean them and get the 60+ years of crud out of the grooves. This can be easily done by washing them with a wet (damp) paper towel or cloth and then playing them with a new needle... usually a bunch of junk comes out on the needle tip.

After they are dry, you can more thoroughly clean them with a paper towel sprayed with some WD-40 on it - it restores their appearance and quiets some of the surface noise. I have done this for over 40 years with NO negative results to the records (there are some negative comments on the forum about using WD-40, but 40 years of testing proves my point). DO NOT CLEAN THEM WITH ALCOHOL, since alcohol is solvent for shellac... and don't wax them or use furniture polish on them.

There are literally millions of these records still in existence, so experiment and find the style or period of music you like and enjoy your new addictive hobby...

A good source of music to listen to from various periods is YouTube, so type in 1920s jazz or 1930s swing and you will be surprised at the really good music that exists from those time frames... Earlier than 1920s is enjoyable from a historic viewpoint and later than 1930s gets you into records that were made to play on electric turntables and don't play as well with steel needles, as the records are of a different composition and the added drag can bog down your machine...

Good luck on your new endeavor and it's great to have a family heirloom that your grandparents enjoyed...

Here is a link to the thread that I posted earlier about 1920s music for the 2020s... viewtopic.php?f=3&t=43382

"Let's Misbehave"...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iqqAIZ ... 0&index=17

This web site Victor Victrola has a lot of information about Victrola's. It has a section for dating phonographs . You find the section, scroll to your model, click on it, and it list the manufacturing date by serial number. http://victor-victrola.com/ Tom

I don’t personally see and serial#/date info for the VV2-55 on the Victor-Victrola website but according to Baumbach’s book “Victor Data Book”, yours was made in the first year of the three years these were made (1928-1930).

MarkH wrote:I took a few pictures of the vv 2-55...I'm hoping to understand what type of gold coating is on my machine.

How best should I restore the gold bits? I'd like to do it correctly. To me, it almost looks like a rattle can spray paint - but it's 90 years old (so I'm guessing not).

Your a motor cycle / car guy so you might appreciate that the original paint, even worn and faded is only original once. As an antique collector I want to see a clean well running machine. When someone decides to strip and refinish an antique, the value is diminished. Many instances require refinishing / painting, because the finish is completely worn away or severely damaged. My advise to you is to leave the gold parts alone and learn to appreciate the history of the machine. It's your ancestors hands repeatedly touching the tone arm that wore down parts of the gold color. That's kinda cool.

MarkH wrote:........How best should I restore the gold bits? I'd like to do it correctly. To me, it almost looks like a rattle can spray paint - but it's 90 years old (so I'm guessing not).
Thanks,
Mark

I'm not sure how the gold was applied, though one collector told me, years ago, that they used a gold wash. If you want the gold parts to look pretty, without repainting, etc., you might try "Rub N Buff" -- https://www.amaco.com/t/mixed-media/met ... rub-n-buff -- colored wax. I used this on a Credenza tonearm several years ago, and it did a nice job of masking the worn spots. The nice thing is, the original (worn) finish will remain intact.


OrthoFan