HMV 102, the complete color range, the treasure trove !

[Lah Ca]

This collection is up for sale in my area, ot at least in my country, even if it roughly 500 km away from my hometown.
I have to share the photos for the sheer beauty of watching the collection.

Why do you torment me like this?

I have one blue 102b (circa 1935) in excellent mechanical condition but in somewhat less than excellent cosmetic condition. In its journey to my hands, it has lost its record holder. It currently is one of my chief joys in life.

I love the 5a soundbox/reproducer. Even with the small horn of the 102, it produces considerable volume with excellent fidelity within its functional frequency range. And its limited functional frequency range serves as a fairly effective high and low noise filter, something quite helpful with worn records.

One of my nephews is a musician, recording engineer, and producer. He owns one studio outright and has partial ownership of a couple of others. He has an amazing ear. Once when he was over for dinner, I played him some late 40s cusp-of-Swing-and-Rock&Roll, early Rock&Roll, Rockabilly, and DooWop 78s on the 102 (using damage mitigating fibre needles, of course). I also played some of the same records on a moderately high-end stereo with a Rek-o-Kut pre-RIAA phono pre-amp, using a Stanton 500 cartridge with a 78 stylus. He was blown away by the sound from the 102 and generally preferred it to that of the stereo, with the one exception of a Tiny Bradshaw disk that had particularly hot dynamics that were a bit muted on the 102.

Actually, thank you for posting the photos. Beautiful. I like the green one, the colour of envy.

[leels1]

There must be a market for these as repros, I’ve seen some obvious, but very good “fakes” of the green, red and blue 102s online. Unless you look closely they’re hard to spot.

In regards younger collectors. How do you define younger? I’m 41 but know of several people a lot younger than me who are avid collectors of both machines and 78s of all sorts of genres.

I’ve been collecting 30 years since I was about 10, my 2nd machine being a black 102. But it’s only in the last 10-15 years or so I’ve been able to afford some items that I’d wanted for ages.

Perhaps that’s why the younger gen aren’t so interested as cost is prohibitive?

[Steve]

There must be a market for these as repros, I’ve seen some obvious, but very good “fakes” of the green, red and blue 102s online. Unless you look closely they’re hard to spot.

In regards younger collectors. How do you define younger? I’m 41 but know of several people a lot younger than me who are avid collectors of both machines and 78s of all sorts of genres.

I’ve been collecting 30 years since I was about 10, my 2nd machine being a black 102. But it’s only in the last 10-15 years or so I’ve been able to afford some items that I’d wanted for ages.

Perhaps that’s why the younger gen aren’t so interested as cost is prohibitive?

Younger as in anyone far too young to have had much contact with an instrument like this. Remember there is a generation now for whom CD is a relic but it might be something they recall their parents using.

I don't think it's cost that prevents younger generation collectors. I know plenty of very well off spoilt children who can have money for whatever they want but they are certainly not asking for portable gramophones.

However, you Sir, are definitely what I'd describe as a younger collector. 10 years old in the early 1990s is not the age one would expect anyone to be hankering after century old technology.

I do know a promising young man of 10 who has already built a model steam engine by himself, enjoys helping to service the real full size thing when he can and is rarely seen out without a professional tool kit, electrical tools under arm and a "I know how to fix that" attitude in spades!

[poodling around]

There must be a market for these as repros, I’ve seen some obvious, but very good “fakes” of the green, red and blue 102s online. Unless you look closely they’re hard to spot.

In regards younger collectors. How do you define younger? I’m 41 but know of several people a lot younger than me who are avid collectors of both machines and 78s of all sorts of genres.

I’ve been collecting 30 years since I was about 10, my 2nd machine being a black 102. But it’s only in the last 10-15 years or so I’ve been able to afford some items that I’d wanted for ages.

Perhaps that’s why the younger gen aren’t so interested as cost is prohibitive?

By coincidence I owned my first gramophone at about the age of 10 and it was also a black HMV 102 ! My mum bought it for me at a village hall jumble sale. I remember continually playing a Myra Hess 12 inch Zonophone recording of 'Rosamunde'. I still have the record ! I don't think I ever changed the needle and it still plays fine now.

My mum also made me a Gonk (a stuffed toy) - called 'Gonky'. I no longer have Gonky and miss him ......

[poodling around]

Steve ! If you simply Google for new gramophones, you will find dozens of manufacturers on alibaba.com, and aliexpress. Then there are dozens of retail sellers and auctioneers on the eBay and gumtree. This means that there is a consistent and perennial demand for the gramophone in the market and the replica machine manufacturers are satisfying this demand.

Whatever new crapophones are being sold, the market has shrunk massively since a peak around the early to mid 1990s. In this millennia the prices have consistently dropped as a result. There are perhaps some areas where interest is holding better and prices are subsequently high: coloured HMV portables for example, but the underlying trend is undeniably downwards.

The reason for this is simple. When I started collecting in around 1990 most collectors were old enough to actually remember these things being used by grandparents and the like. They had an emotional connection to that era. Many collectors enjoyed the music from the period for the same reason. They were also retired and had money and time to spend indulging their hobby in-between juggling grandchildren and golf.

That generation has now sadly passed away. Their collections have filled sale rooms everywhere as their families don't want them. It's simple supply and demand. The amount of younger people interested, which was always incredibly small, is falling, not increasing. I don't believe that will change any day soon as the majority of the population would find the concept of using ancient technology a bit too alien and clunky. It's a niche novelty these days. It always has been but 30 years ago there was a lot more of us populating that niche market.

Not to wish to sound like the prophet of doom, but I said something similar along these lines in CLPGS magazine in 1997!

Anyway, I would add that none of the major manufacturers exist today, not even in name. The idea that a legacy manufacturer will, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, restart a major gramophone production is really quite fanciful.

Also,

Also what ? I was enjoying reading this - you can't just leave on an 'also' .............

This is exclusively for poodling around. No one else must read this!

Also, it is conceivable, however hard it might be for us serious collectors to swallow, that there is a peculiar market out there for slightly oddball decorative tat. Yes, some people might like to buy a Crapophone, not because they believe its authentic (or care), not because they want to use it, not because they want to find out more on the subject or collect but simply because it is a decorative item that in the era of nostalgia for vinyl records they think is a "cool" item to have. It costs them £59.99 from their nearest IKEA store and that's that, job done. Will they ever seek out a genuine gramophone? Probably not. To them they have seen the same crapophone in a period TV drama or film and that's good enough.

Frank James and I once talked about contrivance to get an EMG featured in the background of sn episode of Inspector Morse (he who had a penchant for Mark 2 Jaguar cars, no doubt helping to raise the car profile in the process), thus raising the awareness of EMGs in general!

To be cont'd.............(poodling around exclusive)
[/quote]

Very cool ! I feel like it's 1837 and I have just read the first installment of Charles Dickins' Oliver Twist and I can't wait for the next one !

[nostalgia]

So now my house will be even more over crowded...but I could not resist, again...

[Steve]

So now my house will be even more over crowded...but I could not resist, again...

You bought them? I thought I was mad enough but I've just added a 102H (black) and an HMV 163 to my collection this weekend. The latter looks hopelessly lost next to its big brother, the 202. The 102 just laughed at it!

[nostalgia]

That doess not leave me alone as a madman, Steve. That makes me feel better
Congratulations on your new acquirements.
I am not sure I will ever find a 202 here, but at least I have my 163(s) and I love it/them

Yes, I purchased the lot, for € 790, which I guess equals around £ 690. It was impossible to resist, also knowing the value of the sound boxes and the record trays alone for these 6 machines. I will collect it all myself in a week or two, and already made some arrangements with the seller, to fill up my car with other objects sold from the same family, all gramophone related, that need to be transported south. It means, I hopefully, will get part of the diesel cost covered, by other buyers who want their purchased objects transported safely down south, where the majority of us live up here in this long stretched out country.

They also sell a coin operated Parlophone horn model, in beautiful condition, but I must put my feet on the ground now...

[Steve]

That doess not leave me alone as a madman, Steve. That makes me feel better
Congratulations on your new acquirements.
I am not sure I will ever find a 202 here, but at least I have my 163(s) and I love it/them

Yes, I purchased the lot, for € 790, which I guess equals around £ 690. It was impossible to resist, also knowing the value of the sound boxes and the record trays alone for these 6 machines. I will collect it all myself in a week or two, and already made some arrangements with the seller, to fill up my car with other objects sold from the same family, all gramophone related, that need to be transported south. It means, I hopefully, will get part of the diesel cost covered, by other buyers who want their purchased objects transported safely down south, where the majority of us live up here in this long stretched out country.

They also sell a coin operated Parlophone horn model, in beautiful condition, but I must put my feet on the ground now...

Wow. Many congratulations on a fine haul! I'm a bit baffled though. I understood they had reached 1000 Euros already before you bought them?

[nostalgia]

Thank you:)
I think I wrote close to € 1000, but my head keeps spinning around €, £ and NOK,,,and the Norwegian Kroners are low
these days compared to the €, so after checking online the purchase amount equals € 790.
Not bad, not bad at all...

By the way, have a look at this beauty..a coin operated Parlophone. Current bid is € 440....the thing is huge according to the seller.
Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the complete machine from a distance, but these photos still tell the most....