The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

We don't see too many Victors for sale in the UK, so when this Victor III appeared in my local saleroom I went to have a look.
I hope the buyer examined it in person, as I did, rather than rely on the solitary website picture below.

The front left corner column moulding was completely missing and the rear left one was incomplete.
The nickel plating on the tonearm was worn down to the brass and the smaller metal fittings were corroded.
The damaged soundbox was a British made Exhibition, not a Victor. The rubber back was perished and it required a complete rebuild.

It was not all bad news. The motor ran perfectly and the horn retained it's original paintwork.

It sold for GBP£420 plus Buyer's Premium, a total of £510 or $715 in Victor money.

As already written many times, in Italy decent gramophones are so scarce that I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a machine that would be scrapped for parts in the USA, fetch a price like that locally.

In UK, however, nice machines are a bit more common. I wonder if the bidders really knew what they were bidding on.