The Victor-Victrola Page   

VV-XIV
Early Version (Queen Anne Legs):  RARITY: ¤¤    VALUE:   ¤¤¤
Other Enclosed Floor Models:    RARITY: ¤      VALUE:  ¤

The VV-XIV or "Victrola the Fourteenth" was a popular Victrola model priced in the 'upper-middle' range. Introduced in 1910, the XIV was positioned as a lower-priced alternative to the highly successful (but very expensive) VV-XVI series. This was at a time when a Victrola was considered to be a very prestigious item to own.  The XIV was intended to appeal to the managerial or professional customer who wanted an 'above average' Victrola in their music room.
Sales of the XIV took off after the cabinet was redesigned in 1912,  reaching a peak production level of over 50,000 units annually by 1920.  During its 11-year production run, it became Victor's #6 top-selling model of all time.  More than 260,000 VV-XIV phonographs were produced between 1910 and 1921, which is remarkable considering its rather steep price tag. At introduction, the XIV cost $150.00, which equates to over $4,100.00 in today's money!
Since there were three distinct variations of the VV-XIV model, they will be split into major chronological groupings. A detailed breakdown of serial number vs. year produced can be found at the bottom of the page.  

Iteration One: "Queen Anne" Cabinet (1910-1912)
The VV-XIV was introduced in the autumn of 1910, and initial sales of this machine were disappointing. The 'top-of-the-line' VV-XVI, costing $50.00 more, was much more popular with buyers. No information exists as to why this was the case, but many have speculated that the XIV simply had an awkward-looking design. The lid for these models was shared with the XVI (probably to save money); the result of pairing this large lid to a smaller, boxy cabinet gave the machine a somewhat 'top-heavy' and ungainly appearance. 
The XIV featured gold-plated hardware, a very strong three-spring motor (shared with the XVI), and numbered 'slots' installed in the record storage area. Buyers could choose a mahogany or oak finish. Numbered slots were provided for record storage in the bottom portion of the cabinet.
Production of this design was terminated in the summer of 1912. While these early versions are not considered to be rare, they do garner significantly more collector interest than the later designs. Based on the serial numbers of surviving examples, approximately 9,500 of these machines were made.

Iteration Two:  Enclosed Floor Model Version 1 (1912-1914)
The XIV was completely redesigned in early 1912, with a slightly smaller cabinet and far more proportioned appearance. Nickel plating was used in place of gold, the three-spring motor was retained, and the record storage slots were replaced with shelves for albums. Small 'crescent moon' designs were carved on top of the corner posts, similar to those found on the early VV-XI models. Production of this design was terminated in the autumn of 1914.
Buyers could now select their machine with a red or brown mahogany veneer, or a wide variety of oak finishes.
These Victrolas will have an ""B", "C", or "D" suffix letter after the serial number, indicating small iterative upgrades to the motor and/or mechanical components. Approximately 34,000 of these models were produced. 

Iteration Three: Enclosed Floor Model Version 2 (1914-1918)
The VV-XIV cabinet was modified again in 1914, and  now emphasized many of the 'Victrola family' design cues. Larger carvings appear toward the center of the flared corner columns, and the overall cabinet proportions became standardized with other models. This highly successful iteration was produced until 1918, and nearly 80,000 copies were produced. This series will typically have an "E" suffix letter after the serial number.

Iteration Four: Enclosed Floor Model Version 3 (1918-1921)
The final update of the VV-XIV appeared during the spring of 1918; the machine now had a more modern, streamlined appearance. The cabinet size was slightly reduced, as was the detail in the carvings on the corner posts.  Due to inflation, the sales price of the XIV had incrementally risen to $225.00 by 1920.
Production of this design ran until the spring of 1921, when the XIV was replaced by the VV-110. However, the new VV-110 turned out to be a virtual clone of its predecessor; therefore it could safely be stated that this cabinet design continued well into 1922 when the VV-110 was discontinued. Victor ultimately produced more of these models than could be sold that year. Due to this overproduction, it is quite likely that XX-XIV machines were being stocked and sold by dealers well into the mid-1920s.

The survival database currently shows the earliest existent VV-XIV to be S/N 509 and the latest to be S/N 276997.

Please note that several large blocks of serial numbers were likely skipped in production; therefore the total number produced and the highest serial number will not be correlated for this model!

Do you own a Victrola VV-XIV? 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.