The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello all,

I picked up a fairly late (Type J) mahogony VV-XVI at a local garage sale, probably 1919 from the serial number. It was $250 and in farily decent shape. How could I say no.

It is missing its needle cup(s). The wooden needle cup side bar has 5 storage spaces. I know that what goes in the large center hole is a gold-plated metal cup with a cap with a hole in the center that provides a place for used needles. I know what to get for that. The one out of my VV 9-15 is a perfect fit, so it is the late XVI type.

There are 2 cup-shaped spaces carved in the wood on each side of the hole in the middle where the used needle cup goes--one the same diameter as the hole in the center and one with a much smaller diameter. Did either of these originally have metal liners?

As to their purpose, the larger side ones would be for storing new needles of different tone (loud and soft, for example), but what were the 2 small ones for?

Clay

My original response was based on my poor reading of the question and I gave a stupid answer. After really reading the question about the little cups, I'd like to know the answer also. Jerry B.

There are no metal liners for the two needle cups.

As for the two small "cups"...if you look at the back of the machine, you will see two wooden buttons, probably just below where the horn area. Behind these two buttons is where the cabinet was screwed to the shipping create to keep it from shifting. The two wooden buttons were shipped in those two smaller "cups" on the needle tray. So once someone unpakced their Victrola, they popped the plugs out of the needle tray, and used them to cover the wholes where the Victrola was screwed to the shipping crate.

I had noticed that the little wood buttons fit nicely in the little cups in the needle holder. Thanks for the explanation. Jerry

Thank you Zeppy! Not something I would have figured out intuitively.

Clay

FloridaClay wrote:Thank you Zeppy! Not something I would have figured out intuitively.

Clay

Neither would have I....that's when the original instruction manual comes into play.