Antique Victor E Gramophone-Phonograph. Front-Mount. USA, Circa 1905

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Antique Victor E Gramophone-Phonograph. Front-Mount. USA, Circa 1905

Antique Victor E gramophone, a front-mounting model made in the USA circa 1905 and in very good condition. With the exception of the top cap of the turntable (which is a modern reproduction) and the turntable felt, all the elements which make up the device are the original ones. The motor preserves all its component parts too; the only one which has been included is a string which can be seen in the last photograph, easy to replace if an antique one were found. This gramophone is one of the first models produced by the maker, and though it is a really ancient piece it works really fine. The box is made of dark-finished solid oak wood, finely preserved. The front side has a riveted plate with the name of the manufacturing company and the serial number 82010. The horn is connected to an EXHIBITION reproducer, and both are supported by a wooden arm connected to the box by a metal arm.

As attractive as authentic, this antique front-mounting Victor E gramophone is a historic piece worthy to be exhibited in a museum of music.

Dimensions: Box: Side: 27.5 cm. Height: 14 cm. Horn: Length: 42 cm. Mouth’s Width: 24 cm.

Victor Talking Machine Co. - History

The Victor Talking Machine Company was founded in 1902 by Eldridge Johson, owner of a small machine shop in New Jersey (USA) after the proposal made by Emile Berliner to produce a low-cost spring motor to build a phonograph for his records. In the late 1880s, Berliner had invented a flat phonograph record that could be mass-produced. At the same time Edison had designed the cylinder phonograph, but the cylinders could not be mass-produced. After a complicated series of patent infringements and lawsuits, Berliner was restricted from selling his products in the USA so he moved to Canada. It was then when the Victor Talking Machine Company was founded; it was the beginning of a history of success. In 1906 the company launched the Victrola, a gramophone hidden into a piece of furniture which become a real success. During World War I the business declined but sales rose again after the content. In 1925 they produced the “Ortohponic” Victrola with an improved quality sound. At the late 1920s Johnson sold the company to RCA and it was renamed RCA-Victor.