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VV 4-90 / VE 4-90 X/ Alvara

RARITY: ??   VALUE:  ¤¤ 

The Alvara was a small Orthophonic phonograph produced solely for the Canadian market. It was referred to as the VV 4-90 in most of the catalogs, but all dataplates use the Alvara designation. Unfortunately, there is very little surviving data on Canadian Orthophonic machines, as factory production records have not been found. The Alvara was manufactured and assembled by Victor's Montreal-based partner, The Victor Talking Machine Company of Canada. The Alvera was a basic floor model, with a 2-spring motor and choice of a mahogany or walnut finish. It sold new for $190.00 CDN with a spring wound motor. Electric powered (VE) versions sold for $35.00 CDN extra.
The Alvara was introduced in 1926 and was discontinued in 1928. As many components used on this phonograph are identical to those used in some of the smaller Orthophonic models produced in the USA (such as the VV 4-3), it is very likely that this machine was a "hybrid" design intended to share some mechanical and cabinet parts with its US cousins, while retaining a unique design appearance. This was a common practice in the 1920's, as it could save on tooling and other production costs to serve both the US and Canadian markets. Therefore, some components were probably US-built and shipped to the Montreal plant for assembly. A correlation of serial numbers with the date of manufacture for this model is not currently possible since no production records exist, but based on serial numbers of surviving examples, it is estimated that at least 30,000 were produced.

The current survival database shows the earliest existent Alvara to be s/n 662 and the latest is s/n 28250

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