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VE 9-56 X

RARITY: ¤¤¤¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤¤ 

The VE 9-56 was the most expensive of Victor's 'super-premium' sets from the late 1920's, and was one of the last machines that was designed and manufactured by Victor prior to their being bought-out by RCA. Along with its 'sister' machine the VE 9-54, the 9-56 utilized Victor's new second-generation automatic record changer, along with RCA's latest Radiola 64 radio. While the radio provided exceptional performance, the new record changer was problematic, soon resulting in a company-wide recall and upgrade. Even after the recall campaign, these changers were deemed to be rather rough on records, and were expensive to maintain and repair. Consequently, customer acceptance was poor, and the second-generation changer was quietly discontinued within a few months.
When everything was operating correctly, these lavish sets performed magnificently. The imposing, ornate walnut cabinet in a modernistic Chinese style was a work of art in itself. The two large front doors open to reveal the radio and phonograph controls, along with a large record changer and space to store albums, as well as the speaker grille cloth.
The 9-56 sold new for $1,750.00, which equates to approximately $26,700.00 in today's money.  As a comparison, a brand new Chrysler 72 Sedan could be had for the same price in 1928. Obviously the 9-56 was intended to appeal to wealthy customers who wanted the most advanced sound system that was available at the time, along with a spectacular cabinet. Due to the extremely high price and the bad reputation of the record changer, many of these sets remained unsold through 1929, and were later offered at significant discount. 
An estimated total of only 250 VE 9-56 machines were produced and all were made during the last few months of 1928. 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 1977. So if your machine has a serial number above 1977, it has the updated changer. If it is prior to 1977, your machine was never sent back to the plant for the necessary recall work. However, many serial numbers were skipped prior to 1977, so it is nearly impossible to confirm the total factory output of this model.
After RCA bought the company in 1929, those unsold machines (and a small quantity of empty cabinets) which remained in inventory were fitted with new and less complicated components; the resulting 'new product' was renamed as the RE-156. Therefore, the production total stated above likely overstates the actual number of original 9-56 models which were delivered to customers.
Due to the extreme scaricity of this model, they are highly desired by collectors today.

The current survival database shows the earliest existent VE 9-56 to be S/N 588 and the latest to be S/N 1996.   

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