The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Checked out a garage sale today. The list of stuff in the ad said Victrola VV-XVI in mahogany, $800. When I got there, no Victrola. When I asked, the lady said she only had pictures; it was still at her father's house (he had died and this was an estate sale, but not at his house). She had the info from the Victor plate which identified it as a XIV, serial number 203327 and she said it had nickel hardware. When I asked why she had XVI in the ad, she said there was a paper in the bottom that says it's an XVI. Wishful thinking, I guess.

Anyway, she was kind of snippy about showing it (of course I didn't expect it right then, but later) saying she didn't have much time and only if I really was very very interested in it. She gave me her phone number to call later to setup a time.

From the pictures, the cabinet looked nice, but there were no pictures with it open. I don't know what to tell her. Maybe call her and say it's a XIV and I wouldn't offer, what, over $300 for it, depending on its operating condition? What do you all think?

And what if it HAD been a XVI? Is that a reasonable price for an L door model in great condition?

BTW, sorry for all the pricing questions. I don't have ANY phonograph at the moment and am new to the hobby, so I don't have a good feel for what is reasonable. Thank you for your help.

not all XVI's are L-doors, you know... was there a reason why you assumed that this woman's was one?

beyond that, a few hundred bucks for a XIV isn't such a bad price if it's in nice shape, particularly depending on the model - some earlier, rarer ones can actually get expensive.

so far as pricing... you do seem to be focused on those discussions here... if you don't already, I'd recommend that you really watch ebay, look at machines of the sort that you're interested in and track them, see what they sell for... that should give you some relative gauge regarding what a particular make/model machine sellers for, factoring in condition, etc.

First off, welcome to the hobby!!

Ebay is good advice, as Brian said, for gauging recent value. But, like he said, a lot depends on condition, rarity, etc.

I think up to $300 isn't out of the question for an XIV. It would have to be a pretty darn clean machine for me to pay $300, but doable. I'm pretty sure that the "L" door XVI is quite a bit harder to find than the later XVI's. Other members can correct me if I am off here, but I have seen "L" doors sell for anywhere from $500 to $2000 depending on condition, finish and location.

It is funny you mentioned the amount of $300 however. I was offered an "L" door XVI for $300 three days ago and I was really excited. When I looked at the pictures though, it looked like the lid was from a different phonograph. I may still go pick it up, but need to sell one or two from my collection first.

Sorry this was so long winded. Anyway, welcome and remember, no question is a dumb question.

Brian and Sonny offer good advice. My addition is once you have a feel for value and would like to have it make an offer that is fair to both of you. You don't want to overpay. If I want a machine bad enough, I will offer high, if I sort of want it but won't be disappointed, I'll offer a fair price and if I don't really want it unless it was a steal (i.e. common machine, poor condition, already have a few at home), I'll low ball. I have only had a low ball offer accepted once and I think both of us were happy afterwards. When I low ball, I am up front and say something like "you might be able to get up to $X for it on ebay. I'll give you $Y."

Good luck.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'll probably give her a call tomorrow afternoon after the garage sale is over.

SonnyPhono wrote: It is funny you mentioned the amount of $300 however. I was offered an "L" door XVI for $300 three days ago and I was really excited. When I looked at the pictures though, it looked like the lid was from a different phonograph. I may still go pick it up, but need to sell one or two from my collection first.

Sonny - I think we may have looked at the same phonograph? I looked at a XVI L-door here in NJ for that price, but unfortunately the turntable and motor looked like that of a Waters-Conley Phonola. There was only one hole on the side, but it did not have an escutcheon. ...so I passed.

Just an update. I called back and she said her lowest price was $600, so I passed on it. Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I'll keep on looking.