The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/a ... 76346.html

I saw this local machine and wondered if this was a period specal finish. It looks as though everything under the lid is also painted and it looks like it took some considerabe work to do. It's not my cup of tea, but thought I would share here in case it has some significance.
Scott

Humm. While some care was taken in doing it, I am guessing this is something done by somebody years later who thought it would look nice rather than a factory variant. Not sure the inside is painted. Could just be age darkened shellac.

Clay

I would reserve judgement for a close inspection. There were companies that specialized in giving your Victrola a special finish. A Victrola with a special finish decorated when the machine was in current use is a very interesting machine to me. I personally think a period correct after market finish adds a great deal of value to an ordinary Victrola XI. A Victrola XI that was decorated ten years ago is a farce in my opinion and muddies future collecting waters.
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A first generation collector and friend of mine owned an Edison Concert that needed a restoration. He decided to nickel plate all the parts above the deck and the finished product looked great. He passed away and his son inherited the collection. When the collection was sold, the Concert was advertised as a "special nickel plated Concert" and sold as such. By then the nickel plating on the Concert had aged 30 years and looked somewhat aged.
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I believe any Edison with a nickel or gold finish should have an extra tag about the size of the ID tag. The tag should have a facsimile of Edison's signature. Always look for this tag. (If I am incorrect, please correct me... please! )

Jerry Blais

It's an interesting finish, no doubt about it, but resembles nothing from Victor that I've ever seen. I think the price is high, as it will certainly need a CLA of the motor and a rebuild of the Exhibition sound box. I would offer $300 absolute tops, go for less.

BTW, the serial no. is only a few thousand earlier than my XI-G (370333G)

Likewise, it's not my cup of tea, and no matter what the origin of the finish, it's still just a VV-XI.

Is that kind of like a mahogany Edison Standard is just an Edison Standard?

I'll defend the sonic quality of my XI on acousticals and most electricals (small jazz groups, solo performers, big band, chamber music, but not the big classical orchestral standards). You do need to have an Exhibition that's had a quality rebuild.

I think that prefixing any model name with "Just a..." is doing a terrible diservice. Whether common or rare, each deserves attention and restoration for having outlived their original owners by many decades. I would see no problem in placing this machine, with corrected finish, in the same room as my Credenza and XVI L-Door.

I would suggest that if this Victrola was decorated shortly after it was purchased by the original owner, there is no need to correct any of the finish. It's wonderful. If it was done recently, it was a terrific waste of time.

An XI is indeed a worthwhile machine. Apparently more than 800,000 people thought so, as they sold like hotcakes. However one does have to be realistic when it comes to value, and I suspect that was what the "just a" may have been signifying. Because they were made in such enormous numbers there are a lot of survivors and they don't bring very much. And for the same reason if you don't like what someone did with modifying one, unlike the case with a rare machine, it would not be economically worthwhile to try to put it back original because one in good original condition is so easy to come by.

Clay