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VV-125 / VE-125

RARITY: ¤¤¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤

The VV-125 was one of Victor's premium floor-model phonographs. It was introduced in the spring of 1923, at a time when the sales of phonographs was on the decline. The VV-125 was intended as a replacement for the discontinued VV-130, now offering a larger, more modern cabinet with hand-carved corner posts. The size of the horn opening was also increased with the intent of providing more sound volume for the listener. The VV-125 featured gold-plated hardware, a bombe' style cabinet, and Victor's most powerful 4-spring motor. It did not sell well (as was the case for many high-priced machines in the mid-1920's), and production was quietly discontinued in  early 1924.
The VV-125 was available with mahogany or walnut (picture at left) veneers, but oak finishes have also been reported. An 'air support' lid was added late in production.
Even though the VV-125 was no longer being made, it continued to be listed in the Victor catalog for the next 2 years. Due to the overproduction of these machines during 1923 and 1924, it is quite likely that many late-production VV-125 models were sold during Victor's well-advertised "half-price" sale during the summer of 1925. For more information on Victor's financial crisis of 1924-1925 and the overproduction of phonographs, please click here.
The original 1923 selling price of the VV-105 was $275.00, which equates to almost $4,200.00 in today's money. Walnut finishes (American or Circassian) added $50.00 to the price. An estimated total of approximately 2,200 VV-125 models came off the assembly line during 1923 and into the first few months of 1924.  A total of 120 VE-125 (electric motor) models were also produced in 1924.  The VE version sold for an extra $40.00.

The survival database currently shows the earliest existent VV-125 to be S/N 509 and the latest to be S/N 2652

Only two surviving VE-125 machines have been logged to date.   

Do you own a Victrola VV-125? 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.