The   VV IV - Is a   tabletop model sold between 1911-1926.

This page is  dedicated to the study of this phonograph.
 

For the main menu click here

I welcome new information and corrections!

My email is

cbladey@verizon.net

Stop in again soon!

For the rest of the museum of sound click here

History of the Period

Activity

Songs Popular when the machine came out

Sources for restoration information and parts.

Bibliography

Links

Tour of my Machine

Recent Sales on Ebay

Models and dates:

V-V on the Victrola plate Victor Victrola - inside horn
V-V IV = Tabletop model, selling from 1911 to 1926.
V-V VI-  same years higher price
V-V X - table top model and  upright, sold  from 1910 to 1921.
V-V XI -  most common Victrola, over 853,000 sold from 1910 to 1921 (1921   renamed the V-V 90, with a   85,405 units sold from 1921 to 1924-the "console" style more popular).
V-V XII  rare ( 4,913 units sold)
V-V XIII  very rare ( 662 units sold)
V-V XIV sold  from 1910 to 1921, renamed the 110 in 1921.
V-V XVI sold  from 1910 to 1921, renamed the 120.
V-V 210   console model sold from 1923 to 1925 for $100.  197,000 units sold in  two years a "flat top" console
V-V 215 console  sold from 1923 to 1925 for $150.
V-V 220  console model. It sold for $200 to $240
V-V240  "humpback" model like  the 260, 280, 300, and 330. Hump stopped people from putting things on the lid.

VV-IV

Lidless Table-Top Model

The IV was Victor's lowest priced model for many years. Production was started in September of 1911. Full production was discontinued in early 1924; however VV-IV's were still being assembled and shipped in low volumes as late as the spring of 1926. Catalogs state that the only available finish was oak, although several mahogany examples have apparently turned up in the hands of collectors; these were made near the end of the model run. Very early VV-IV's had a stamped steel grille covering the horn; subsequent versions had conventional wood slats in the horn opening. In 1917, the slats were again removed, revealing a hollow horn opening. Apparently, this was not a popular cost-cutting move, and the slats re-appeared the following year. Several design changes were made during production of this Victrola, as indicated by the change of suffix letter after the serial number. Most changes were of a very minor nature.  The IV used a simple single-spring motor. 

The original 1911 selling price of the IV was $15.00. At the end of the model run, it sold new for $25.00. An estimated total of 608,000 Victrola IV's were produced. 

The current collector database shows the earliest existent VV-IV to be S/N 887 and the latest to be S/N 603071.

* Note: the "A" designator after the model indicates a revised motor design. The A was later dropped from the dataplate, but the improved motor remained

-Source http://www.victor-victrola.com/IV.htm

Events and trends
Technology

* John Alcock Sir John William Alcock (1892-18 December 1919) was, as a Captain in the Royal Air Force together with Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown, the pilot of the first successful non-stop transatlantic flight, from St. John's, Newfoundland to Clifden, Connemara, Ireland which took place on 14 June 1919 departing St Johns' at 1.45 p.m. local time, and landing in Derrygimla bog 16 hours and 12 minutes later after flying 1980 miles (3186 km). The flight was made in a modified Vickers Vimy bomber, and won a £10,000 prize offered by London's Daily Mail newspaper for the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic.
..... Click the link for more information. and Arthur Whitten Brown Sir Arthur Whitten Brown (1886-1948) was, as a Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force together with Captain John Alcock, the navigator of the first successful non-stop transatlantic flight, from St John's, Newfoundland to Clifden, Connemara, Ireland which took place on 14 June 1919 departing St Johns' at 1.45 p.m. local time, and landing in Derrygimla bog 16 hours and 12 minutes later after flying 1980 miles. The flight was made in a modified Vickers Vimy bomber, and won a £10,000 prize offered by London's Daily Mail newspaper for the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic.
..... Click the link for more information. make first non-stop transatlantic

The Atlantic Ocean is Earth's second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. The ocean's name, derived from Greek mythology, means the "Sea of Atlas".

This ocean occupies an elongated, S-shaped basin extending in a north-south direction and is divided into the North Atlantic and South Atlantic by equatorial counter currents at about 8° north latitude. Bounded
..... Click the link for more information.
crossing by air
* First use of tanks

A tank is a tracked and armoured combat vehicle (armoured fighting vehicle), designed primarily to destroy enemy ground forces by direct fire. A modern main battle tank (MBT), designed predominantly for combat, is the most powerful direct-fire land-based weapon. It is distinguished from other armoured fighting vehicles primarily by its heavy armour and armament. It can cross rough terrain and move relatively quickly in short bursts, but is power-, maintenance-, and ammunition-hungry and is not designed for sustained operations.
..... Click the link for more information.
in warfare

Science

* Einstein

Albert Einstein (March 14 1879 - April 18 1955) was a theoretical physicist, with considerable applied mathematical abilities, who is widely regarded as the greatest scientist of the 20th century. He proposed the theory of relativity and also made major contributions to the development of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and cosmology. He was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect and "for his services to Theoretical Physics".
..... Click the link for more information.
's theory of general relativity
* Max von Laue discovers the diffraction of x-rays by crystals
* Alfred Wegener puts forward his theory of continental drift

War, peace and politics

* Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary leads to World War I
* October Revolution in Russia leads to the first Communist government; assassination of Emperor Nicholas II and the royal family

Culture, religion

Others

* The ocean liner RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sinks on its maiden voyage

World leaders

* Emperor Franz Josef (Austria-Hungary)
* Emperor Karl (Austria-Hungary)
* Emperor Henry Pu Yi of the Qing Dynasty (China)
* Sun Yat-sen, President of the Republic of China
* Yuan Shikai, President of the Republic of China and briefly Emperor.
* Xu Shichang, President of the Republic of China
* Emperor Wilhelm II (Germany)
* Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg (Germany)
* King Victor Emmanuel III (Italy)
* Pope Pius X
* Emperor Nicholas II (Russia)
* Vladimir Lenin (Soviet Union)
* King George V (United Kingdom)
* Prime Minister Herbert Asquith (United Kingdom)
* Prime Minister David Lloyd George (United Kingdom)
* President William Howard Taft (United States)
* President Woodrow Wilson (United States)

How long does it take to learn how to play a musical instrument such as a piano to the level at which one can play popular songs well?

How long does it take to learn how to read sheet music so that one can sing a popular song well?

In the 1912 economy how long would it take you to work to afford a Victor record player and one record?

How much did needles cost in 1912?

What would happen if you dropped a cd? What would happen if you dropped a shellac 78 disk?

Popular Recordings

* "The Herd Girl's Dream" by George Stehl, Marshall P. Lufsky, & Paul Surth, Columbia
* "Everybody Two Step" by Billy Murray, Edison
* "Roamin' in the Gloamin'" by Harry Lauder, Victor
 

Works Published in the Year

James N. Weber:  The Talking Machine:  The Advertising History of the Berliner Gramophone and Victor Talking Machine 

A Big Book about Phonographs-. 244 pages, spiral binding,  Subtitle "Original Articles & Rare Talking Machine

Robert W. Baumbach:   Look for the Dog: The Victor Talking Machine Companion   Published by Mulholland Press, Los Angeles, California.

Popular American Recording Pioneers, 1895-1925.  Haworth Publishing, Inc.

Robert W. Baumbach: The Victor Data Book. Published by Mulholland Press, Los Angeles, California.

Eric L. Reiss:  The Compleat Talking Machine   Published by Sonoran Publishing, Chandler, Arizona.

Walter L. Welch and Leah Brodbeck Stenzel Burt:   From Tinfoil to Stereo  Published by the University Press of Florida (1994 edition).

Lots of great links
http://www.garlic.com/~tgracyk/

A wonderful resource
http://www.nipperhead.com/

Message board
http://www.besmark.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html

Vintage Victor Victrola Phonograph w/ Needles $255.0033Jul-16 20:44

Antique VICTOR VV-IV PHONOGRAPH-1924 (Not a Victrola) $152.5012Jul-25 18:45