The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I was so fortunate to find this machine being sold locally several days ago..it works great and the record binders are in very good condition. THe cabinet sides are are bit rough as it looks like it may have been refinished at some point. I'm too big a chicken to do anything to the cabinet myself but it could use a bit of work to make it look really nice.

The side is not bad at all. Sometimes there is some UV damage from a side being in a sunny
window for too long. If the wood feels scratchy its because its been too dry for too long.
Just read up on the restoration threads for cabinets before you proceed. I can tell that will
clean up real nice, you found a very nice 18!

Hi - I am sure I will not be the only one to comment on your VTLA - It is in fact a Victrola model XX and about 17 are known at this time. They are highly desirable among advanced collectors. If you wish to sell it, it should bring a minimum of $5,000 and more likely $8,000 or better. Bob

You found a Victrola XX.

They were always tagged as a VTLA on the metal tag. The carved corners on the lid are the clue. Look at http//www.mrvictor.com website. He knows alot about these models. They sometimes had gold leaf applied to the corner accents, but some did not. That is a very desirable machine. Look in the Victor Data book for more information.

Congratulations....you scored BIG.

ColoradoPhonograf

That's a really nice looking machine. You usually don't find one with all albums in such good shape. Bet it will clean up nicely. I guess there was only 500 of that model made, so it's pretty rare. Congratulations on a good find. Jan

Correction, nice XX! Even better!

From the way the finish appears in the photos--hard to tell, for sure--I'd guess that the sides may have been re-coated with orange shellac. It has the "new/old" amber glow I remember from refinishing about a half-dozen Victrolas over the years. For whatever reason, they didn't do the back side --
I don't think that's just faded wood, but again, it's hard to tell for sure from a photo.

To test, you could take a small amount of alcohol on a Q-Tip and dab it to an inconspicuous are of the back side. If nothing comes off, then they've removed the top (original shellac based) finish from that area and didn't bother to apply a new coat.

Shellac is pretty easy to work with, but considering the rarity of this model, (and it's potential re-sale value if properly restored), you might want to turn over any cabinet work to a professional that knows about Victrolas-specifically.

Just my two cents.

My congratulations, too, on finding this.

Ortho_Fan

Yes - - that's a major score. Congratulations!

George P.

Congratulations indeed. From the pictures it looks quite good already. I don't know if I would do much other than a careful cleaning with Kotton Klenser followed up with a bit of their lemon oil beeswax. Over-restoration could harm the I expect considerable value.

A real treasure!!

Clay

Incredible fine! Most of us don't toss around the word "rare" very much but that is one of the most unusual and rare Victrolas to be found. Congratulations. Jerry Blais