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VE 9-16 E

RARITY: ¤¤¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤ 

The VE 9-16 was one of several premium radio/phono combination machines introduced in the summer of 1928. It featured an RCA-produced Radiola Model 18 radio and Victor's Electrola (electronically amplified) phonograph. It was a very strong performer at the time, priced in the "upper-middle" range of Victor's product lineup. The phonograph did not include a changer; each record had to be played one-at-a-time. The paper-cone speaker was located at the bottom of the cabinet; the lower-right front door had to remain open while listening to expose the speaker's grille cloth.
The 9-16 featured an elegant, highly detailed walnut and oak-trimmed 'tall-boy' cabinet which put the operational controls and phonograph mechanism at a convenient height for most users. Antique brass hardware was provided, and the 9-16's turntable would automatically shut itself off at the end of each record. 
The 9-16 sold new for $750.00, which equates to approximately $11,400.00 in today's money.  Due to the high price, not many of these machines were manufactured or sold.  While this model is not commonly found today, the cost of restoration of these early and complex radio/phono combination sets limits the interest of most collectors in the current market.
An estimated total of 2,100 VE 9-16's were produced; all were manufactured during the summer of 1928. The VE 9-18 was introduced a few months later, using the same cabinet and phonograph system as the 9-16, but with an improved radio.

The current survival database shows the earliest existent VE 9-16 to be S/N 564 and the latest to be S/N 2258.    

Do you own a Victrola 9-16? 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.