Victor II "Humpback" for sale

This is the earlier, most desirable version of the Victor II, most likely dating 1905-1909. Collectors have taken to calling it the Humpback Two because of the wooden hump at the rear of the machine which extended the reach of the tone arm. The cute little case with corner columns and the unique hump was dropped in later iterations of the Victor II in favor of a plain square case.

This machine remains very popular with present day collectors and record enthusiasts. It's a little scarce as are all Victor outside horn machines, but was produced in large enough quantities to still be available at a relatively modest price. It offers Victor sound and build quality, and a mainspring large enough to comfortably play through at least a single record.

This is a nice original machine with no reproduction parts.

Mechanically, we have rebuilt the motor, taken everything apart, cleaned, inspected, oiled and adjusted. We pulled the mainspring to regrease it, and when we did this we discovered that some prior owner had cut down the spring and extended the slot for the arbor by about eight inches. Although the spring was taking tension, needless to say it would have never worked right. We replaced the spring. And this again is just one difference between our machines and a pig-in-a-poke on a venue such as ebay. The motor is running smoothly and we have timed it to 78rpm. There is some typical rumble, not discernible under the record, that you always get from these early motors.

We also rebuilt the reproducer for maximum fidelity.

Cosmetically, the machine appears to be original finish. The golden oak isn't as age-darkened as some; it may be that someone gently cleaned the case, or it may be that the wood was not greatly exposed to the sun and elements and we are seeing just a little weathering -- I'm really not sure.

The nickel plating on the tone arm is very decent. So is the decal work on the back bracket, as you can see in the images. The nickel is also very decent on the original elbow. (The elbow does have some wear on the ridge that clips into the bracket, but the clip is holding it in securely.)

The black original Victor morning glory horn, approximately 22 inches long with a 19 inch bell, is an interesting story. It has original paint with a little washout on the original decals. Someone (with a much steadier hand than mine) did an incredibly good job reguilding the horn. We polished the horn so that the gloss matched the gold, and now you would have to look twice to determine that the horn wasn't mint.

You can listen to this machine play by clicking on the audio link (in case you're curious, the artist is Whispering Jack Smith). Or you can see and hear this Victor II play a different record on the youtube video embedded below.

A great choice if you want just one outside horn Victor, and something to reliably demonstrate your 78rpm records.

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Lynn Bilton
Box 435
Randolph,OH 44265
330 325-7866

We buy, sell, and repair antique phonographs and music boxes.

Pick-up and delivery possible in many parts of the midwest,south, and northeast.