The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The last HMV cabinets HMV models 152 and 153 , has anyone an HMV 152 or 153 in their collection ? , they seem very rare and unloved

I know of many that have been broken up and perhaps still are , the 153 in the pictures below was intact except it had had its legs cut off

And this looks like a tone arm from one on Ebay now ! I wonder where the soundbox is

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HMV-Tone-arm- ... 19e4184db8

I've had a 153 in the past. They are excellent little machines considering that they're actually a 157 in "modern console" clothing. The horn is exactly the same as a 157 ie half a re-entrant. Maybe they remind people of those very much unloved and not sought after radio-grams of the period?

[quote="Steve"]I've had a 153 in the past. They are excellent little machines considering that they're actually a 157 in "modern console" clothing. The horn is exactly the same as a 157 ie half a re-entrant. Maybe they remind people of those very much unloved and not sought after radio-grams of the period?[/quot

A friend of ours has a 152 and interestingly the inside of the lid is felt covered , rathert like the EMG felt thread

interestingly the inside of the lid is felt covered , rathert like the EMG felt thread

Yes, the 153 is the same. In fact the felt lining thing is very typical of something that started in the mid-30's and lasted well into the 1950's. Some HMV Radio-grams from 1952 certainly still had the brown felt inside them. Was it done for cheapness like so much of the "utilitarian" style of 1930's manufactured furniture?

That almost looks like a RCA prewar television cabinet.