The Victor-Victrola Page   

VV 1-70

RARITY: ¤¤   VALUE:  ¤ 

The VV 1-70 was an economy tabletop model introduced late in 1926.  This small Victrola used the non-Orthophonic No. 4 Soundbox and did not have an exponential horn; consequently the sound quality was not as good as with those models featuring more advanced acoustic designs. Regardless, these little machines can do a remarkable job of reproducing an electrical recording.  Approximately 38,000 were produced before the model was discontinued at the end of 1927; since more were produced than could be sold, overstocked machines continued to be shipped from the factory through 1928. Some late-production versions were likely exported to Latin America. The cabinet featured a blended mahogany veneer finish, although much of the cabinet trim is made of ash which was stained to match. The 1-70 had a small single-spring motor and nickel-plated hardware.
While these machines occasionally show-up at auctions and flea markets, their condition is typically poor. This is likely due to the fact that most were handed-down to children or simply considered to be junk when they became obsolete, combined with the fact that they were rather cheaply made. Current valuation for well-worn examples is minimal. Examples in exceptional original condition will maintain moderate collector interest today.
The original 1926 selling price of the 1-70 was $50.00, which equates to about $725.00 in today's money. The Victrola No. 4 was the only soundbox originally sold with this model, however since most of the No. 4 soundboxes were made from pot metal, they would commonly split or warp. Therefore, it is common to find surviving examples with retrofitted Orthophonic or Victrola No. 2 soundboxes. 

The current survival database shows the earliest existent VV 1-70 to be S/N 918 and the latest to be S/N 38319.    

Do you own a Victrola VV-1-70? Please take a moment and enter some basic information about your machine into the collector's database by clicking here. No personal information is required.