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Informations about gramophone

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 8:39 am
by aledg1982
Hello all,
I'm looking for some informations about a cabinet gramophone I have.
Below you can find some pictures, it measures 155x55x55 cm.
It has a double logo, the recording angel and the dog&trumpet.
I post also a photo of the soundbox.
Thank you!!

Re: Informations about gramophone

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 10:47 am
by Jerry B.
It looks like the equal to our American Victrola XI. Jerry Blais

Re: Informations about gramophone

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 10:56 am
by aledg1982
Yes, I saw pictures of VV XI and it's really similar, but I suppose that the small doors of the horn of the VV XI are smaller than those of my model.
Could it be an "italian" variant of some HMV model?
Sorry for posting in this section, I noticed there is a "UK&Europe" section after submitting the post :(

Re: Informations about gramophone

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 1:22 pm
by epigramophone
Your machine looks like an HMV Model 12 GDM (GDM signified mahogany, the oak version being GDO) which was catalogued from 1916 to 1922. This was a period when many HMV cabinets were little more than Victrola clones.

I cannot explain the presence of the Recording Angel in addition to the usual HMV logo. Perhaps, as has already been suggested, this machine was destined for export. Where are you located? This might give a clue to the mystery.

Re: Informations about gramophone

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 1:32 pm
by aledg1982
I live in Italy, maybe this is the explanation!!
Another expert suggested me that the presence of the recording angel is due to the consideration of dogs as inferior animals (even if I've never heard of such a strange thing here, but we were in the 20s so I don't know) in some countries in the past.

Re: Informations about gramophone

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2016 3:29 am
by epigramophone
HMV machines exported to countries where the dog was considered an unclean animal did not bear the Nipper logo at all. Your machine does, so the presence of both Nipper and the Recording Angel is still unexplained. Perhaps the Angel transfer was added by the Italian retailer, but why?

Re: Informations about gramophone

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2016 6:13 am
by aledg1982
Yes, the presence of both logos is a strange thing.
And I don't think that the Recording Angel was added by the retailer because of the different position of the "dog" logo, that should be placed where the Angel is, isn't it?