The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Recently I found a partially complete small backmount Victor, missing its tonearm and horn. but with a u-tube and roundhole Vic Exhibition. Looking at it, and with no books at hand, I thought backmount E, or Victor II.

But the ID plate's Type field is stamped "V 2" and the (quite low) serial number is 427. When I got it home I looked it up in the reference books and found nothing on this "V 2" but did see that in every other way it conforms to an early Vic II. In no way can it be mistaken for a Vic V, by the way.

It's a "humpback" Victor, where humpback refers not to a literary French bellringer but to a bulge on the back of the case that accommodates the geometry of the motor within while providing a mountpoint for the backmount.

Then I poked around a little more and find that there really isn't much information around about humpback Vics, and the V 2 type designation in particular. I think I found a humpback Vic II with s/n 3852 online, and a humpback "V 2" with s/n 3785 - so unless there was overlap we can nail down the range of the V 2 designation pretty well. And my V 2 is #427 so we know the s/n range probably started at 1 rather than 500 like some.

So let's have some fun with this. If you have a humpback, please take a look at the ID plate and tell us here what you find. Unless you have or state otherwise, we'll assume a single spring motor with slip-on crank, and a black backmount with gold ornamentation, and a small-bore tapered tonearm.

The goal here is to see what correlation may exist between the V 2 tag and the humpback case, plus anything else that turns up.

You see that numbering variation on the Victor VI/6 also. Basically the same thing, 2/II. There's probably some time frame when one version was used over the other.

My "humpback" Victor II is serial #45904. It is a later one with a threaded crank. I have a Victor VI stamped with only a "6" (serial #965) and a later one stamped "NO 6" (serial #4090.) I've always really liked the humpback II. Tons of style and good performance as well as a good value for todays collectors.

Jerry B.

Nice early example of a Vic 2. I think I have the tone arm if yours is missing.

Yeah! PM sent. Thanks.

Still looking for more sampling data, folks...

I have a Vic II in my collection with a serial number of 43701 with a threaded crank. I was approached earlier this year by a local gentleman to restore a V 2 for him that had been in storage and was a mess that was his grandfathers. It was Serial 4377 and had a slotted crank. Both are the humpback style. I am not a high volume collector but have been collecting for decades and his was the first Victor that I had seen in person with a "2" and not a "II". I asked a friend of mine who is very knowledgeable and connected in this hobby and he said the "2" was used for a short period early in the humpback production run. That is supported by your low, early serial number and his relatively low serial number of 4377.

My Victor II is stamped V 2 and serial number is 3545. It has a slotted crank. It also has the humpback case.

Great data, thanks!

It just kind of seems like they hadn’t come up with the Roman numerals approach to model designation yet.

How about a forth choice? The argument has been made that any rear mount Victor E, 2, or II is a "Victor the Second" or Victor II. Would that also apply to any Victor C that had been upgraded to a Rigid or Tapered Arm?

Jerry B.