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Victor Type A

RARITY: ¤¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤¤ 

The Victor A (or "Type A") was Victor's entry-level phonograph when the Victor Talking Machine Company was in its infancy. It was an update of one of the products that was previously sold by Emile Berliner, the inventor of the flat disc phonograph. When The Victor Talking Machine Company was formed in the fall of 1901, Eldridge Johnson (Victor's founder) made some enhancements to the older design, including the inclusion of a vastly improved soundbox. Production under the "Victor" name continued for about a year before it was discontinued.  It sold new for $12.00, which equates to about $375.00 in today's money. A simple stamped-steel horn was standard. The crank was placed in a vertical position, requiring that the record be removed before winding. Most were equipped to play only the very small 7-inch records, although later versions allowed playback with larger disc sizes. Exact production numbers are uncertain, but currently estimated at around 16,000 units, which was a significant amount of manufactured output from the newly-formed company. While a considerable number of Victor A's were sold, not many have survived; consequently, these very early models are highly desired by collectors today. When first introduced, disc phonographs were considered to be more of a novelty or conversation piece than an audio playback system for the serious music-lover. In addition, these basic machines became totally obsolete within just a few years, and many were likely trashed in favor of newer models, which by 1905 could provide much more volume and better fidelity. Note that several variations of the soundbox design were produced, and that there is quite a variance in the horn-support structure; early machines used a simple dowel, later versions had a bracket. All Victor "A" machines were produced between October 1901 and the summer of 1902.

The current survival database shows the earliest existent Victor A to be S/N 37 and the latest to be S/N 16868.    

Do you own a Victor A? 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.