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VE 10-51 E

RARITY: ¤¤¤¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤ 

The VE 10-51 was Victor's first fully automatic record changer with electronic amplification, introduced in the summer of 1927. It allowed the user to play up to 12 records automatically without the need to manually intervene. This model was an upgrade of the popular VE 10-50, which utilized the same cabinet and changer mechanism; however, the 10-50 utilized a purely acoustic playback system. The 10-51 featured a Victor-designed magnetic pickup coupled to an RCA-built amplifier. The amplifier was connected to a small electromagnetic driver, which was mounted at the mouth of the large Orthophonic horn (the same horn used in the 10-50 and Credenza models). The addition of electronics allowed the user full control of sound volume and provided a better audio dynamic range that did the acoustic 10-50 model.
As with the 10-50, records were manually loaded onto a wood-handled spindle and then transferred to the support arm of automatic changer. From that point on, the 10-51 did all the work of changing records. While this may seen rather mundane today, in 1927 it was an absolute sensation. You no longer had to get up at the end of each record, find a new one, and put it on the turntable. Both the 10-50 and 10-51 allowed almost an hour of non-stop listening.  The 10-51 was available in both mahogany and walnut finishes.
While the 10-51 performed well, it was essentially obsolete by the time it was launched. The incredible advancements which were being made in radio and electronics at that time not only provided vastly improved performance, but also drove-down prices significantly. Paper-cone speakers were becoming much more affordable by the end of 1927, and they provided much better sound quality than the use of drivers and large horns.
The original 1927 selling price of the VE 10-51 was an eye-popping $1,050.00, which equates to almost $15,700.00 in today's money. As a comparison, a brand new 1927 Oldsmobile 'Series E' Coupe could be had for $875.00. Primary buyers of these machines included hotels, restaurants, clubs and very wealthy individuals.
While the 10-51 was a very exclusive machine when first introduced, its high price and rapid obsolescence limited sales. Machines with far better performance in a much smaller cabinet were offered by the end of 1927.
Less than 500 of these machines were built, making it one of the rarer Victor models of the late 1920's.
All 10-51's were built during the summer of 1927, although the model remained in the catalog through early 1928; it was likely being discounted by dealers at that time.
While collectors today prize these early automatic changer models, the complexity and cost in repairing these machines limits the current market valuation

Note: Replacement parts for cracked or swollen 'pot metal' components for this machine are available from Sound Investments. They can be reached at VictrolaParts@gmail.com

The current survival database shows the earliest existent 10-51 to be S/N 505 and the latest to be S/N 1045.

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