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VE 10-35 X

RARITY: ¤¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤ 

The VE 10-35 was an automatic record-changer console, featuring Orthophonic reproduction in an ultra-modern cabinet design. The VE 10-35 was a phonograph-only model, without radio. Introduced in the fall on 1928, the 10-35 offered Victor's "Second Generation" automatic record changer (right) in combination with non-electronic (acoustic) playback. The concept of a fully-automatic record changer was still relatively new in 1928; Victor had introduced their first design with the VE 10-50 a year earlier, but this pioneering changer system was too costly to produce and took-up a great deal of space, requiring a very large cabinet. The new (second-generation) changer was a lower-cost and more compact system, but did not meet with much success. The new design was prone to mechanical problems and was arguably much harder on records than the earlier version; completed discs were literally "flung" off the turntable and into a storage area when each side was completed. This same second-generation record changer was also used on the VE 10-69 and 9-56 models as well as a few others, but after experiencing slowing sales and ongoing reliability complaints, the new design was quietly discontinued from production by January 1929.
The 10-35's folded (re-entrant) exponential horn was made of stamped metal, rather than the traditional wood, which gave it a very "lively" sound and plenty of volume.
The 10-35 models were manufactured only during the final few months of 1928, but this product remained in the Victor catalog through 1929. Sales of this model (still in dealer stock) remained sluggish, and the 10-35 was still being sold by dealers well into the early 1930's at a significant discount from list price.

The original selling price of the VE 10-35 was $365.00, which equates to approximately $5,500.00 in today's money.  Factory production records show that just over 3,000 VE 10-35's were produced, but correlating serial numbers to production dates is very difficult on this model. A company-wide recall of the unreliable changer mechanisms was undertaken shortly after the product was introduced. When the changers were upgraded and returned to the owner or dealer, new data plates were issued for the machines, and serial numbers were re-started at s/n 8626. So if your machine has a serial number above 8626, it has the updated changer. If it is prior to 6900, your machine was never sent back to the plant for the necessary recall work. However, many serial numbers were skipped prior to 8626, so it is nearly impossible to confirm the total factory output of this model.

While collectors today prize these early automatic changer models, the complexity of repair and required ongoing maintenance of these machines limits the current market valuation.

The current survival database shows the earliest existent 10-35 to be S/N 821 and the latest to be S/N 11177.    

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