In 1931 HMV and Columbia were taken over by EMI. Portable wind-up gramophones were still made although several of the models produced were rather similar and sometimes components from both companies could be found in the new models. The Columbia model 204, here and the HMV are very much alike but, oddly, the Columbia sound-box […]

Here is another nice example of the HMV Model 102, this time from about 1934. The gramophone is in a black case in very good condition, it has been fully serviced and plays very well using a No. 5B sound-box that is in excellent condition showing no signs of “pot-metal decay”.This version of the 102 […]

After WW1 and in the 1920s there was a great demand for gramophones as a source of entertainment and to satisfy the dance craze that was booming. Probably the most popular portable gramophone at that time was the HMV Model 101. This is a very good example from about 1926 and in a black case. […]

Here is a very nice example of the Gramophone Company’s (HMV) ” Junior Monarch” gramophone from 1911-1913. It has a steel “Morning Glory” horn, 10″ turntable and single spring motor. The sound-box is the “Exhibition” box made in the USA. There is the “Dennison” speed regulator and cannon brake. The raised plates on front and […]

Here is one of the more unusual and experimental gramophones made by the Vickers-Armstrong Company in 1929. The Vickers Company started in Sheffield in 1819 and was involved in the manufacture of armaments ( especially known for the Maxim machine gun) but also cars, ships torpedoes and aircraft. In 1927 Vickers became Vickers- Armstrong and […]

The “Excelda” was a miniature gramophone produced by the Swiss Thorens Company in about 1931. Later versions like this one has a closed in sound-box with aluminium diaphragm, but earlier models had a mica diaphragm with the Excelda name visible behind. The Excelda is one of the class of small gramophones referred to as a […]

In about 1910 the Gramophone Company (HMV) produced a series of “Hornless” gramophones. Gramophone enthusiasts, it was thought, were getting tired of large horned machines and wanted something neater. The first hornless gramophones had internal wooden horns and two doors at the front allowed for some degree of volume control. The design was never very […]

Two of the very best table gramophones that were available in the 1930s were the HMV model 130 and HMV model 104. The 130 had the advantage of having a really good double spring No.32 motor while the 104 has a single spring motor, this made for a lighter gramophone. Both machines were supplied with […]

Increasingly HMV gramophones from the 1930s are turning up with 5A or 5B sound-boxes that have suffered damage due to the alloys used in their construction. These alloys , known as “Mazac” or “Potmetal” tend to swell with age and damage occurs, especially around the locating pin where the sound-box is attached to the tone-arm. […]