Cabinet Identification?

[jvic]

Hello, today I took delivery of a nice Oak Victor cabinet. It has book matched tiger oak front doors, two record holding areas inside that both have individual slots with levers that pop up when records are inserted into each slot. The top and bottom each hold 50 records. On the inside right door there is a nice His Masters Voice label with a correct nipper, horn, etc.

Any idea what this is worth restored? Reason for asking is that it was DROPPED in shipping and the bottom front leg got smashed off and broken into about 5 pieces as did the right side flared skirt. Just not sure how much to spend on the repair and exterior restoration.

Jeff

[gramophoneshane]

So is this HMV or Victor?
Which ever it is, I sure wish it were part of my collection
What a shame the morons damaged it!

[Phonofreak]

That's a really nice cabinet. It's a shame that it was damaged in shipment. A good wood worker can repair the broken foot, as long as you have all the pieces. If not, I'm sure one can be matched and finished to match the rest of the cabinet. I think it is an HMV cabinet.
Harvey Kravitz

[jvic]

Hello again all....I am still finding out how little I actually know about this hobby. I guess I started with the best knowledge.....knowing that I LOVE these machines, As for the rest....bear with me as I ask some seemingly crazy questions.....

As for if it is a victor or HMV, here is a picture of the label inside. I always wondered why the two different names were used but never new they did not mean the same thing.

Based on my research, these comments, and the label, I think it is an HMV cabinet. It was bought in England by an antique dealer many years ago and brought to the USA which is where I bought it.

I think I have all of the pieces, and they are relatively clean breaks.

Any idea of the cabinets value when restored?

Anybody know of a great furniture restorer in Central NJ???


Learning every day....Jeff

[solophoneman]

Something doesn't look right about the slats that hold the records. I have a golden oak record cabinet of similar design from the same period and slats are made of flexible wood and are much more spread apart. Yours look almost like some sort of cardboard material. What are they made from? Could someone have replaced the original slats ? Also what happen to the foot that broke off during shipment ? was it in the box? The cabinet looks like it is really good shape, and hopefully there isn't any wood or veneer damage. Was the shipment insured by the seller? Hopefully you can file a claim for the damage.

[jvic]

Here is a close up of the slats. They do appear to be some sort of cardboard with the front edge covered in a marblized and laquered finish. Clearly seem original to the unit. There are 50 slats on the top and bottom for a total of 100. It was shipped by FedEx and a claim has been opened. I do have all of the pieces (about 5 of them)that broke off.

Jeff

[gramophoneshane]

Your cabinet looks to be completely original to me. It appears to have been designed for the oak HMV model 126 which was introduced in 1923, although it was likely used for any of the other smaller table models available at the time. The decal inside the door was phased out in 1924 I believe, so it would definately pre-date 1925.
Unfortunately I cant really help on value. HMV machines sold in far far less numbers than their Victor counterparts, and cabinets such as these are not that common at all as a result.
I did find one that sold in the UK last year for £60 (see link below), but personally I think that is quite cheap. Here in Australia I would expect to pay $400-$500, but prices vary greatly from country to country & even state to state.
If I had to place a value on it, I would say it's worth about the same price as a similar record cabinet by Columbia or other quality American manufactured cabinet would cost you there, but unfortunately I have no idea what that price would be.
These things are worth more in good "unrestored" condition, so I wouldn't be looking at prices for fully restored examples, but would base it on what nice original examples sell for.

http://www.fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk/r ... SalesID=92

[Lenoirstreetguy]

Shane is right. Here's a scanned page from and HMV catalogue reprinted in Barry Williamson's HMV book. This cabinet isn't exactly the same as these but it is sure close.
Jim

[solophoneman]

Your cabinet looks to be completely original to me. It appears to have been designed for the oak HMV model 126 which was introduced in 1923, although it was likely used for any of the other smaller table models available at the time. The decal inside the door was phased out in 1924 I believe, so it would definately pre-date 1925.
Unfortunately I cant really help on value. HMV machines sold in far far less numbers than their Victor counterparts, and cabinets such as these are not that common at all as a result.
I did find one that sold in the UK last year for £60 (see link below), but personally I think that is quite cheap. Here in Australia I would expect to pay $400-$500, but prices vary greatly from country to country & even state to state.
If I had to place a value on it, I would say it's worth about the same price as a similar record cabinet by Columbia or other quality American manufactured cabinet would cost you there, but unfortunately I have no idea what that price would be.
These things are worth more in good "unrestored" condition, so I wouldn't be looking at prices for fully restored examples, but would base it on what nice original examples sell for.

http://www.fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk/r ... SalesID=92

Nice bit of research there. But look at the bottom of the cabinet in the catalog compared to the photo in the thread, it doesn't look quite right. The legs are longer and more pronounced, and the logo on the door in the catalog is rounded, and not the same as the one in the photo. It looks close and certainly could be a variation on the one shown I guess.

[gramophoneshane]

If I can find a picture of a 126 I'll post it & you'll see the legs of the OP's cabinet match the legs of a 126.
The plain square decal shown in the catalogue is the decal introduced during 1924, which replaced both the more decorative decal with scrolling (similar to Victors), and the small decal on the POs cabinet.