Very Old Victor Records Catalog

[herbman1975]

Found this lying around the house today. From 1915. I believe it is the complete Victor library up to that year.








Are these fairly common?

[cheon57]

No clue but that's pretty cool all the same. Are there any advertisements in it for record players form that year? Maybe a picture of one of these is in there.

[herbman1975]

Originally Posted by cheon57

No clue but that's pretty cool all the same. Are there any advertisements in it for record players form that year? Maybe a picture of one of these is in there.

I can't find any ads. Once you open it up it starts on A and goes to Z. There is a supplement in the back for Victor's "Red Seal" Records, again, arranged from A-Z, printed on red paper instead of white, and featuring artists "who record exclusively for the victor". Finally, the back of the catalog is place to write down the records you plan on purchasing in the future.

I did find some pics of some players though. Here are some kids jammin' out at field day. I believe that player is a JVC "GhettoBlaster" Boombox. The tune is probably something from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.



Here is another player. In the print underneath the photo, this is described as a "wand drill".



I will keep looking, but this thing is very big. There are many pictures of strange people with lots of facial hair and old hats. This pic is "The Temple of the Grail". Interesting stuff in here...

[cheon57]

I found some info on the TT today. It was made in Canada in either 1946 or 1947. It is direct drive, lol, and the motor runs fine. The wires in the tonearn were dry rotted so I clipped them out so I could test the motor. I didn't order the schematic for it yet. It doesn't appear that anything is missing functionally other than a needle and a speaker to drive and some wiring replaced. I will post a couple pics after I go thru them later on today.

[DougMac]

Does the book only list Red Seal?

Back at the turn of the century, Victor and their British affiliate Gramophone were signing up the superstars of the day. The problem was, they were demanding a lot of money to be an "Exclusive Artist". If they charged their regular record price, they couln't make money. A "new" product was needed.

In czarist Russia, red was associated with the ruling family and everything of quality. Victor and Gramophone chose to use red labels on their premium releases to distinguish them.

Check some of the prices on those records. I have several three dollar Red Seals and I think I have a single sided disc that sold for seven dollars back when a steak dinner would run you a buck and a half.

I have a Victor catalog and also a "Victor Book of the Opera". It's great because it contains a synopsis of popular operas followed by all the recordings offered related to the opera.

Doug

[herbman1975]

Originally Posted by DougMac

Does the book only list Red Seal? Doug

No, only the back pages are the red seal. The rest is the regular catalog.

[NCPatsFan]

That's pretty cool. My father-in-law told me he has a Victrola up in the attic that he's going to give me when we're up in NY for Christmas. I'm curious as to what I'll be getting.