The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I am interested in locating a Rose & Gracey's restored Victor Victrola, maybe a Victor. If you have one or know someone who does, please send particulars, photos, location, and price.

They always received top dollar for their restored machines. I've never seen one in person.
Didn't know they stop restoring phonographs.

O.K., I'll bite, what is a Rose & Gracey's restored Victrola? Obviously it's a Victrola restored by Rose & Gracey but, why so special?

JerryVan wrote:O.K., I'll bite, what is a Rose & Gracey's restored Victrola? Obviously it's a Victrola restored by Rose & Gracey but, why so special?

It was a business in Virgina with a website that sold heavily "restored" and rather expensively priced talking machines.

To be honest... not my cup of tea as a collector.

The two individuals that were restoring and selling machines under the Rose and Gracie business name (Kevin and Joel I believe) are no longer doing it. One of them is deceased and the other one is not involved in the hobby any longer. As others have indicated, their machines were heavily restored and very expensive.

Their web site is still up. Take a look at Machines Sold Recently. Look at the quality of the restorations, the metal work, the woodwork including the finishes done in re-application of hand-rubbed shellac and varnish finishes. In the old days you you see before and after photos. The attention to every detail to bring a machine back to the point of looking and working as it probably did when it was new... Hope you like what you see.

Yep, no question that those guys did quality work. Note that the most "Recently Sold" machine was September of 2007, so I'm not sure why the website is still there. I also noted that a nickel Victor "V" key was being offered for $65, so it wasn't just the restorations that you had to pay for.

Skihawx wrote:They always received top dollar for their restored machines. I've never seen one in person.
Didn't know they stop restoring phonographs.

They had a store at one of the area antique malls. It was such a treat to view the newly restored machines, watch them operate, and watch the sales status online (then, they would publish the sold prices).

At the time, I couldn't justify a purchase at the high prices.

It was disappointing when they closed up the shop. Wish I had taken pictures!

I used to exchange emails with them once in awhile, and since very few people are interested in doing a piano finish we had that in common if you will. It's a lot of work to do a piano finish with varnish and really takes at least 3-4 months to do it. Even some of the old factory schedules for piano companies 100 years ago mention it taking 120 days under the best circumstance. And it often takes 6-8 months for the finish to cure and give it a final rub out. We used the same brand of rubbing varnish probably because in those days there was really only one kind of rubbing varnish still being made. It was around $60 a gallon at that time.

About that time it was decided that it was an environmentally unfriendly finish and you can't get it anymore. I have an idea it was really because it wasn't a popular product anymore and most people just use polyurethane. Most people cannot tell the difference I guess. However, if you see a mahogany cabinet in Varnish, Poly, Lacquer or pretty much any other finish that I've ever been around, you will go for the varnished one every time. The varnish refracts the light differently than the other finishes do and really shows the wood off nicely. It's also a very clear finish and when rubbed out it really lets you see the wood. They knew that and it was the reason they got the prices they did. It's a great deal of work to do though and every little dent and blemish will show through the finish if you aren't careful about everything. I have spent a lot of time with toothpicks putting drops of varnish into small dents and then waiting for it to dry so everything can be leveled up for the last coat of finish. And they did that sort of work. The factory wouldn't have had it that bad because it was all new then and hadn't been banged around for 85+ years.

I didn't realize one of them had passed away. That's too bad. I have a feeling once they couldn't get products to do the work with anymore and the way things have changed as far as price is concerned, it would be really hard to get some of those prices now. I still have some rubbing varnish, enough for 3-4 more phonograph cabinets or maybe a piano, but it's kind of a non-renewable resource these days. Ha!