The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The front looks period. But the back looks like it is made
from modern plywood. Maybe the back was removed to re-purpose
the cabinet to hold a modern stereo and then replaced with plywood
at a later date??

The VV-IV fits in there without any room to spare. I wonder how a little Columbia 'Symphony' would fit in there, and what the crank hole alignment would be? Maybe if a Columbia belongs in the cabinet, a new back was installed to accommodate the different geometry of the Victor arm and support? Too bad it's priced just high enough to discourage anyone from buying it!

Skihawx wrote:The front looks period. But the back looks like it is made
from modern plywood. Maybe the back was removed to re-purpose
the cabinet to hold a modern stereo and then replaced with plywood
at a later date??

It just seemed strange to me that the cutout on the back was so sloppy. One would think if the cabinet was manufactured back in the day, the quality of the construction would be better.

Wow! Someone went to great lengths to put all of this stuff together & do so with great precision regardless how awkward it is. Thanks for sharing the pictures! Erich

1923VictorFan wrote:Wow! Someone went to great lengths to put all of this stuff together & do so with great precision regardless how awkward it is. Thanks for sharing the pictures! Erich

I'm glad you like the pictures

It's pretty clear, to me anyway, that it's an old accessory cabinet, meant to house a phonograph as it does now. However, the original phonograph was not the Victor that it holds now. You can see where another crank hole was plugged when the cabinet was modified for the Victor. The hole in the back was likewise modified as most of it was neatly cut, then crudely sawed in the upper left area to allow for the Victor arm.

JerryVan wrote:It's pretty clear, to me anyway, that it's an old accessory cabinet, meant to house a phonograph as it does now. However, the original phonograph was not the Victor that it holds now. You can see where another crank hole was plugged when the cabinet was modified for the Victor. The hole in the back was likewise modified as most of it was neatly cut, then crudely sawed in the upper left area to allow for the Victor arm.

JerryVan,

I think you hit the nail on the head.

novkev24 wrote:
I think you hit the nail on the head.

I think several of us did

Brad wrote:

novkev24 wrote:
I think you hit the nail on the head.

I think several of us did

Indeed

I have a couple of questions. I looked at the photos and it appears the VV-IV ID tag is still on the side. Perhaps it's where the tag was located and it's a different color. Does it appear that the Victrola ever had doors? I couldn't see marks where hinges were attached. Thanks, Jerry