Furniture Restoration

Early 20th C. Victrola - phonograph

Many beautifully designed wooden mechanical music boxes lost their glory and status once analog music technology appeared. Many of these pieces found their way to storage or were converted into display cabinets or small libraries. The phonograph displayed here was stored for many years with no TLC (tender loving care), resulting in deterioration of the finish, construction and condition of the mahogany veneer.

In my shop the construction was reinforced, veneer was stabilized and the whole piece refinished. Good wood, beautiful wood, and interesting construction - all these radiate now that the restoration job has been completed. In this case I had the added pleasure of hearing the quality of a physical sound system. Several pieces of the phonograph itself were lost over the years. I retrieved them and learned how this technology rocked folks in the first half of the 20th century. It was exciting!

Paul C. Edie is a collector, restorer and expert on the phonographs produced by the Victor Talking Machine Company. Visit his Victor-Victrola website for an excellent overview of phonographs produced by this company from 1901 through 1929. In particular see Mr. Edie’s page dealing with the VV 8-12 model which I restored and which is featured on this page. According to its serial number, Mr. Edie reports it would have been produced in 1927-1928.