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Steve wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:34 pm

Inigo wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:23 pm maybe i don't understand the question, but it's not a mystery to me... numbers prior to 1936 didn't have the B. So this one in eBay was made between 1931 and 1935 in the UK. isn't it?

Yes.

poodling around wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:46 pm

Steve wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:34 pm

Inigo wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:23 pm maybe i don't understand the question, but it's not a mystery to me... numbers prior to 1936 didn't have the B. So this one in eBay was made between 1931 and 1935 in the UK. isn't it?

Yes.

So, when epigramophone says "The rectangular Ivorine plaque was introduced in 1936" he means in 1936 the already existing rectangular Ivorine plaque started to show the B.

I get it now.

epigramophone wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 4:06 am

poodling around wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:46 pm

Steve wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:34 pm

Yes.

So, when epigramophone says "The rectangular Ivorine plaque was introduced in 1936" he means in 1936 the already existing rectangular Ivorine plaque started to show the B.

I get it now.

No that is not what I meant! At the risk of repeating myself, the numbering system for UK 102's is as follows :

1931 to 1935 : Circular Ivorine plaque. Number only.
1936 : Rectangular Ivorine plaque. "B" prefix printed on it's own.
1937 onwards : Rectangular Ivorine plaque. "B" prefix printed over a number startind at 1 for 1937, 2 for 1938 and so on.

As I stated in an earlier post, a rectangular plaque with no "B" prefix is an anomaly as yet unexplained.

poodling around wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 5:33 am

epigramophone wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 4:06 am

poodling around wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:46 pm

So, when epigramophone says "The rectangular Ivorine plaque was introduced in 1936" he means in 1936 the already existing rectangular Ivorine plaque started to show the B.

I get it now.

No that is not what I meant! At the risk of repeating myself, the numbering system for UK 102's is as follows :

1931 to 1935 : Circular Ivorine plaque. Number only.
1936 : Rectangular Ivorine plaque. "B" prefix printed on it's own.
1937 onwards : Rectangular Ivorine plaque. "B" prefix printed over a number startind at 1 for 1937, 2 for 1938 and so on.

As I stated in an earlier post, a rectangular plaque with no "B" prefix is an anomaly as yet unexplained.

Thank you as always Epigramophone.

I can only think that a 'batch' of these 'none B Prefix' Ivorines were sent over to India and the serial numbers therefore just continued.

Very interesting indeed. So much we don't know.

Steve wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 1:27 pm

poodling around wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 5:33 am

epigramophone wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 4:06 am

No that is not what I meant! At the risk of repeating myself, the numbering system for UK 102's is as follows :

1931 to 1935 : Circular Ivorine plaque. Number only.
1936 : Rectangular Ivorine plaque. "B" prefix printed on it's own.
1937 onwards : Rectangular Ivorine plaque. "B" prefix printed over a number startind at 1 for 1937, 2 for 1938 and so on.

As I stated in an earlier post, a rectangular plaque with no "B" prefix is an anomaly as yet unexplained.

Thank you as always Epigramophone.

I can only think that a 'batch' of these 'none B Prefix' Ivorines were sent over to India and the serial numbers therefore just continued.

Very interesting indeed. So much we don't know.

No, that's not correct either! If you recall there is another UK made 102 currently on Ebay which has an ivorine rectangular plaque without the 'B' prefix identical to the teak one this thread was started for. It's apparently an oddity, not a space oddity but a letter oddity! Maybe everybody was saving their money for this otherwise unspectacular 102? The current bidding shows a similar level of apathy anyway!

You're right about one thing though: there is a lot us collectors and historians still don't know and likely never will. Personally speaking I couldn't care less what colour or shape plaque is on my 102s or what the numbers might or might not be a reference to. I have many machines which I haven't even checked the IDs for yet but an HMV portable which was mass produced for almost 30 years is for me the least interesting one to find out about. But do please carry on with this dead end........

epigramophone wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 4:06 am

poodling around wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:46 pm

Steve wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 4:34 pm

Yes.

So, when epigramophone says "The rectangular Ivorine plaque was introduced in 1936" he means in 1936 the already existing rectangular Ivorine plaque started to show the B.

I get it now.

No that is not what I meant! At the risk of repeating myself, the numbering system for UK 102's is as follows :

1931 to 1935 : Circular Ivorine plaque. Number only.
1936 : Rectangular Ivorine plaque. "B" prefix printed on it's own.
1937 onwards : Rectangular Ivorine plaque. "B" prefix printed over a number starting at 1 for 1937, 2 for 1938 and so on.

As I stated in an earlier post, a rectangular plaque with no "B" prefix is an anomaly as yet unexplained.