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VV-230 / VE-230

RARITY: ¤¤¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤ 

The VV-230 was Victor's premium flat-top console phonograph, and was one of the most expensive non-custom models that the company produced in the early 1920s. Its introduction in fall of 1922 was concurrent with the reorganizing of the entire Victrola product line. These new models used conventional number designations rather than the previous Roman numerals, but they were essentially the same products that had been offered for more than 10 years prior, many with newly-designed cabinets. The resounding success of console-style models which were being produced by other phonograph manufacturers motivated Victor to produce its own line of machines in that style, including the VV-210, VV-215, and VV-220 models. The VV-230 was the 'top-of-the-line' machine in that series.
The 230 was a beautiful product. It featured gold-plated hardware and a large and intricate bombe' style cabinet with hand-carved trim on the corner posts; it also provided Victor's largest 4-spring motor. VV-230 models were produced in a choice of a mahogany or walnut veneer.  The original 1922 selling price of the VV-230 was $375.00, which equates to over $5,800.00 in today's money. Deluxe walnut finishes added $50.00 to the base price (picture at left in American Walnut). A total of approximately 3,800 Victrola 230 machines were produced.
Unlike the VV-210 and 215, the VV-230 did not sell particularly well. By the early 1920s, the novelty of phonographs was fading. The buying public now viewed these machines as basic commodities, and interest in elegant higher-priced models had fallen significantly. In addition, many competitive brands were now selling very nice phonographs at prices far below what Victor could offer; consequently, the company ultimately produced more of these models than could be sold at the list price. Due to this overproduction, it is quite likely that many VV-230 models were sold during Victor's well-advertised "half-price" sale during the summer of 1925. Production of the VV-230 was terminated in in early 1923; however, since so many remained in storage, it continued to be listed in both the 1924 and 1925 Victrola catalogs. For more information on Victor's financial crisis of 1924-1925 and the overproduction of phonographs, please click here.
Electric versions (VE) of the 230 were produced in 1922 and early 1923; about 900 of these versions were produced. The electric motor added $40.00 to the list price; therefore the VE-230 model in a deluxe walnut finish would retail for $375.00 + $65.00 (for walnut) + $40.00 (for the electric motor) = $480.00, or almost $7,500.00 in today's money!
In general, collector interest in flat-top console Victrola models is very weak today; however, due to the relative rarity and fine craftsmanship of the VV-230 cabinet, they are considered to be desirable by many collectors 

The survival database currently shows the earliest existent VV-230 to be S/N 550 and the latest to be S/N 4175
The earliest logged VE-230 survivor is S/N 530 and the latest is S/N 1463

Do you own a Victrola VV-230? 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.