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I had a discussion about this with a friend. I think the outside horn nameplates were nickel plated. My friend says that some were brass. I think that the ones you see that are brass have just had the nickel polished off. Who is right? Or, are we both right, and it depends on the year of the machine?
Looking for support for either opinion.
Thanks!
Dave D

Hi Dave,

Don't know how definitive this is, but of the 3 Victor outside horn models I have within arm's reach, they all have nickle, or traces of nickle, on the name plates. (Vic. O, III, & IV)

P.S. "I had a discussion about this with a friend." That's purely hypothetical, correct?

I too have seen a few plates which were all brass w/o plating. They were on machines which were not restored, so it seems unlikely that someone would polish the nickel off the label and not touch the rest of the machine. Most Victor labels I've seen have some kind of plating on them. Nickel maybe, but it could also be tin or some other metal. That I speculate because the plated part seems to be a different color than nickel and also seems to turn black with age. That is something nickel does not do.

The coloring on Victor Talking Machine Co. products are said by some to have been colored with clockmaker's "silvering powder." It's a sort of fine powder used to make brass (the base metal) take on a beautiful nickel-like shine.

My upright Victrola has a nearly intact dataplate which shows that this finish is NOT nickel--the nickel tonearm was heavily tarnished like an old bathtub faucet but the nameplate was still very shiny. My Victor horn machine has a well-preserved tag as well that is starting to "brass", or wear to the point where the base metal (brass) is beginning to show. It had darkened somewhat but the rest of the machine was also rather dark, being covered in fine powdery dust.

In good condition the powder resembles polished aluminum rather than nickel metal.

Regarding other uses for silvering powder, certain Edison dataplates are also finished with it. I have a Standard E and a Fireside A that both retain quite a bit of their shine, but a Standard A banner-case was faded to brass likely due to storage in a damp basement.

Regarding the all-brass dataplate, that I would have to see to believe. I have seen it on "restored" machines and brass lettering does not look good at all there.


Okay, end of my exceeding learned "Once I Saw on the Internet" stump speech.

Here is my observation on these data plates. From the earliest front mounts through the early Victrolas, I have seen a silver or nickel plating on the data plates. Through the years, the plating wore off. There is a solution to restore that plating. There is a company called Caswell Silversmith. See link below.
https://www.caswellplating.com/electrop ... -4-oz.html#
I have used this stuff for over 20 years. Sure, it's expensive, but will last a lifetime. When you order this, be sure to get the professional grade. it looks like dull, old nickel. It works on copper, brass, and great for missing nickel.
Harvey Kravitz

Okay, you asked to see it, so here you go. This is the data plate from my Victor D. This machine has never been restored. The data plate has never been refinished that I know of. It displays patina that is consistent with it's age. It appears to have been coated with a resin of some kind, perhaps varnish.

Here are a few more. One from an early Victor 6, the other a Victor Monarch Special.

Thanks for all the replies. Seems like some were sent out in all brass. others with some sort of silver colored plating.
I think all brass looks odd on a nickel plated machine.
Dave D

Looked at my Eldridge Johnson "M" today. An early machine, but still showing some nickle on the name plate. As is the case above, I've never seen a Victor 6 with a nickled plate. Always a bronze color.