The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have received these two photos from a seller of a HMV 101. I however can't find a 101 of this color in "His Master's Gramophone" book.
The seller says photo number 1 is the exact color of the gramophone, that he calls brown, while photo number 2(showing the complete gramophone) is a bit affected by the light conditions while taking photos of the gramophone.
Still, I have problems identifying this color from the book, but maybe I am becoming color blind...

It's the one the HMV factory called "grey". The colour can vary considerably on these. I had one that had turned a peculiar shade of pink, but only in some places. It drove me mad, so I sold it for far less than I paid, just to get it out of my sight.

Well, I have one Grey 101 already, and I must say it looks very different, since it is...well Grey. I would have understood it if it was discolorated in some areas from sun exposure etc, but really, the whole gramophone has the same brownish color, bot on the inside and outside. Was it really shippped from Hayes like this, did the grey color of the leatherette vary this much from the factory, or maybe it even has been dyed in later years?

probably made to order to match someones luggage !

Soundgen: Was that a joke, or might that have happened, that one really could order a unique color if one paid well? Have you come across such HMV portables in the past?

nostalgia wrote:Soundgen: Was that a joke, or might that have happened, that one really could order a unique color if one paid well? Have you come across such HMV portables in the past?

The Dave Cooper book illustrates on page 30 a brown leather 101 with gilt fittings, used in a window display in the Oxford Street HMV shop.
I have seen a solitary pale green HMV102, and a small number of 102's were made in pink. These fade to a creamy colour.
My "grey" 101 is a fawn mushroom colour, nothing like the example pictured on this thread.

Fascinating, I had to have a look in the Dave Copper now myself too now.
Just the idea of possibly coming across a uniquely colored 101, in 2019, is of course...well fascinating, to put it mildly.
History seems at least to prove that unique colors exist and can be found on both model 101 and 102, if understand you HMV experts right.

Unfortunately lost this unique item, since it was listed as sold to nationals only,
despite having agreed with the seller to arrange for international shipping.
Discovered this problem too late, and the gramophone was today sold for 120 euro.. only.
I would have loved to open this gramophone and take photos inside to see if the
color is original, something it seems to be after carefully scrutinizing the photos.
Would of course also have loved to share these photos here on the forum, and actually possibly add
a new color to the HMV 101 series..., yet to be discovered?
One can not win every battle...but hated to lose this one:;)

Here you have another grey 101 for 100€
https://www.leboncoin.fr/collection/1683750211.htm/

Inigo wrote:Here you have another grey 101 for 100€
https://www.leboncoin.fr/collection/1683750211.htm/

That one has retained it's grey colour unusually well, and the price is very reasonable.