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Hi HMV Lovers,

Do you know anything about this HMV Royal Gramophone "made for George V?

Hideki

For those of us not fluent in Japanese, if Japanese it is, a translation would be helpful.

It appears to be a unique 203 which turned up 20 years ago in the UK of all places!

Steve,
According to the source I know, only two were made for King George V by HMV in 1929 for the celebration of his 20th year coronation. The cabinet is mahogany and its horn is made of wood instead of metal like 202 and 203's except its throat. The cabinet size is almost same as HMV 203. The metal parts are gold plated. One of them is kept in the Buckingham Palace's "Gramophone Room".

I don't know this is really true or not. Let me know if you really know the facts. Thanks.


Hideki

First pic, machine-translated…

So pretty much what Hideki said.

Watanabehi wrote: Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:39 am Steve,
According to the source I know, only two were made for King George V by HMV in 1929 for the celebration of his 20th year coronation. The cabinet is mahogany and its horn is made of wood instead of metal like 202 and 203's except its throat. The cabinet size is almost same as HMV 203. The metal parts are gold plated. One of them is kept in the Buckingham Palace's "Gramophone Room".

I don't know this is really true or not. Let me know if you really know the facts. Thanks.


Hideki

The facts are that George V became King on 6th May 1910 and his Coronation took place on 22nd June 1911.
It follows therefore that a gramophone made in 1929, if 1929 it was, cannot commemorate either anniversary.
I doubt that HMV would have made a one-off wooden horn when the metal Re-Entrant was available.
I also think that for the King they would have fitted the extra cost option of an electric motor.
Finally, I know of no "Gramophone Room" in Buckingham Palace.

epigramophone wrote: Tue Sep 20, 2022 2:11 pm
Finally, I know of no "Gramophone Room" in Buckingham Palace.

How could it possibly be considered a Palace with no Gramophone Room?

JerryVan wrote: Tue Sep 20, 2022 7:32 pm

epigramophone wrote: Tue Sep 20, 2022 2:11 pm
Finally, I know of no "Gramophone Room" in Buckingham Palace.

How could it possibly be considered a Palace with no Gramophone Room?

They make do with a ballroom, containing an organ, and a music room containing no gramophones.

That music room so needs a gramophone......again!

That 203 was sold in the UK about 20-25 years ago. I recall some controversy about it but don't remember the details. I think Soundgen might know something about it?

The machine is certainly unusual and may even be unique, but whoever claimed a connection with King George V could not even get the readily available dates of his Accession and Coronation right, so I suspect that it was an inept attempt to add interest and value.

Some years ago there was much excitement about the existence of two bow fronted HMV163's, also rumoured to have Royal provenance. After much speculation, the consensus seemed to be that they were in fact specially made for top executives at HMV.