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More pics. Either I misremembered about the RCA Victor labelling on the outside of the case or my friend did not get me that pic.

I asked my friend if he could get a model number from the seller. What he seems to have obtained is a serial number.

If it is an RCA Victor model, which is looking more likely, it is a Canadian one.

It is a possible 01 or 0-15 which are on the rare side. The label on the lid I can not make out . That Would be very helpful. The painting on the base is a little odd but looks original. My record players and files are buried in the garage due to my daughters junk. Tom

The needle holders aren't like any RCA stuff I've seen- they didn't use octagonal parts. The tonearm is half nickel and half brass- another indicator of a bizarre machine. The crank enters in the side, not at an angle; again, NOT something RCA did.

gunnarthefeisty wrote: Fri Apr 01, 2022 12:36 am The needle holders aren't like any RCA stuff I've seen- they didn't use octagonal parts. The tonearm is half nickel and half brass- another indicator of a bizarre machine. The crank enters in the side, not at an angle; again, NOT something RCA did.

This is an RCA Victor of Canada machine, so I'm not so sure. The arm is actually half pot metal and half brass, I think. I'm willing to bet the brass part WAS nickel plated at one time. Some RCA Victor and even Victor Talking Machine models were made only for Canada, and can be oddballs.

I think it's real. Nobody is going to fake a cheap very late model portable. I've seen late RCA portables with that style reproducer and arm, too.

gramophone-georg wrote: Fri Apr 01, 2022 12:41 am I'm willing to bet the brass part WAS nickel plated at one time.

I was thinking the opposite, that the "gold plating" has come off the pot metal part of the tonearm.
Everything else seems to be gold plated on the interior.
The soundbox appears to be the same gold colour so perhaps it's original too?

gunnarthefeisty wrote: Fri Apr 01, 2022 12:36 am The needle holders aren't like any RCA stuff I've seen- they didn't use octagonal parts. The tonearm is half nickel and half brass- another indicator of a bizarre machine. The crank enters in the side, not at an angle; again, NOT something RCA did.

Most RCA portables from the 30s have either a front or side winding crank that did not enter as an angle. It was something they did.

gramophoneshane wrote: Fri Apr 01, 2022 4:54 am

gramophone-georg wrote: Fri Apr 01, 2022 12:41 am I'm willing to bet the brass part WAS nickel plated at one time.

I was thinking the opposite, that the "gold plating" has come off the pot metal part of the tonearm.
Everything else seems to be gold plated on the interior.
The soundbox appears to be the same gold colour so perhaps it's original too?

You're likely correct. Sometimes it's tough to differentiate between nickel and gold on a monitor due to lighting, but now that your perception made me look at the "brass" part more "in context", the other bits suddenly DO look more gold, and your hypothesis makes a lot more sense than mine.

Well ... having spoken to the seller, I am now wondering if it is not a reasonable quality vintage Indian portable gramophone to which somebody has added an RCA record holder and a sticker steamed off an old Canadian-made RCA radio or something.

I am debating with myself whether to go look at it or not. It is not far to go. I should probably go and get some better pics. LOL.

Well if it looks like a duck…

http://www.mulhollandpress.com/styled-2 ... index.html

I’m sure a big corporation like RCA wanted their fingers in all price levels. Just outsource your portables when the old Victrola tooling wore out.

Glenn