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VE 10-70 X

RARITY: ¤¤¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤ 

The VE 10-70 was a high-end automatic phonograph introduced in the fall of 1927, allowing the user to play up to 12 records without the need to manually intervene. It featured Victor's 'First Generation' automatic changer that was introduced earlier that year on the VE 10-50 model. However, the 10-70 used an electronic amplifier and a paper-cone speaker rather than an Orthophonic acoustic horn as was used on the 10-50. This allowed greater control over the playback sound volume, and provided an arguably superior sound quality. Records were manually loaded onto the support arm of automatic changer. and the 10-70 did all the work of changing records; it even shut-off the changer when the last record was played. 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. The 10-70 allowed almost an hour of non-stop listening. Some examples provided a clear window in the right front door so that the record-changing process could be viewed. 10-70's were available only in a walnut finish. A radio was not included in this model.

The original 1927 selling price of the VE 10-70 was a whopping $1,100.00, which equates to almost $16,500.00 in today's money. Primary buyers of these machines included hotels, restaurants, clubs and very wealthy individuals. An estimated total of 2,500 VE 10-70's were produced until production was discontinued. All 10-70's were built during the final months of 1927, although the model remained in the catalog through early 1928.

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 10-70 to be S/N 612 and the latest to be S/N 2340.    

Do you own a Victrola 10-70? 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.