The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Anyone know what this ‘DM’ suffix is on an oak L-door XVI?

There have only been 2 or 3 references to DM on this board, but no one has yet reached a conclusion about the meaning.

Could it be "Demonstration Model" ? But seriously, maybe the "M" signifies a Type D was modified / improved by Victor during that suffix run ??

Is the machine otherwise different from other oak L-door XVI's in any way?

According to the Victor Victrola page, D was a standard suffix added to VV-XVI machines in a range of serial numbers containing this one, starting at 43500 and going to E at 60727. Perhaps the "M" was reference to the finish? One of the oak finishes was "gunmetal"; perhaps this machine originally had that finish. According to the site, that finish has tended to fade over time to become largely indistinguishable from the more "standard" oak finish.

Sometimes on the earlier machines (up to around the 1917-8 versions) I've noticed when I'm refinishing some of them, there will be a reference to the veneer under a hinge or on the bottoms of the doors. I've seen CW or AW and for Circassian Walnut, or American Walnut. Sometimes on the bottom side of the board under the horn I have seen reference to the stain written in chalk or lumber pencil like GOP for Golden Oak Polished and that sort of thing. I would wonder if the DM on the ID tag has something to do with the machine getting damaged on the line or in shipping and it needed to be repaired in some way. For the most part, I don't think Victor paid much attention to book matching veneer, but maybe if you look it over carefully, you might find a repair on the case somewhere and perhaps that's what the suffix is there for.

It's too bad all the records seem to have gotten tossed. I have a letter around here somewhere that I guy wrote to Victor around 1925 asking about a Victor P that his Dad got for selling flower seeds. They wrote back and told him with the serial number he provided, what wood the cabinet was made of and the date it was sent to the jobber and that in general, they could not tell where the machine would have gone after the jobber received it. Seems like it was shipped in 1902 or 03 but it's been a long time since I've run across that letter. So Victor did keep track of all of that stuff of course.

John,

I worked on a machine with this suffix a few years ago. Link below. The machine had an unusual tag inside the rear door. “Second Hand Victrola Special License” I wondered at the time if the tag and the suffix were related.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15715&hilit=Xvi

Matt