The Victor-Victrola Page 
VV 4-3 / Consolette / Consolette X / VE 4-3 X
RARITY: Y VALUE Y
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The Consolette was one of
the first four Orthophonic Victrola models introduced in late 1925. It
was a low-cost, small console-style machine that was quite popular with
middle-class Americans. This model remained in production into early 1929,
indicating that it remained a strong seller. The Consolette was available only with a mahogany finish,
and included an Orthophonic Reproducer, exponential horn, and nickel plated hardware (an antique bronze
finish was used at the end of the production run). Early production versions
(left) had
no grille cloth covering the horn opening and used a simple single spring motor,
with a small 10" turntable. In December 1925, the turntable was enlarged to 12"
and a double spring motor and grille cloth was added. In mid-1926, the auto brake
feature was added. In
mid-1927, the cabinet design was modernized (right), with a more squared-off
appearance.
The original 1925 selling price of the 4-3 was $85.00. The price was later raised to $95.00. An estimated total of 234,323 hand-wound Victrola 4-3's were produced, making it the most popular of the full size (non-portable) Orthophonic phonographs.
The 4-3 was also available with an electric motor option (VE 4-3) for $35.00 extra, and a total of 7,428 of these machines were produced.
NOTE: The production numbers below are estimates, as factory records are inaccurate on this model.
The current collector database shows the earliest existent VV-4-3 to be S/N 3343 and the latest to be S/N 230296.
| Manufacture Date | Serial Number Range | Feature Notes |
| 1925 | 501-10500 | No grille cloth over horn. Name changed to VV 4-3 in Dec 1925. |
| 1926 | 10500-65500 | Auto brake added at s/n 39501. |
| 1927 | 65500-156500 | Cabinet design modernized at s/n 91000 |
| 1928 | 156500-223000 | |
| 1929 | 223000-234824 | |
| VE 4-3 Electric: | ||
| 1925 | None | |
| 1926 | 501-4300 | All VE 4-3's have a horn cover cloth |
| 1927 | 4300-6600 | Cabinet design modernized at s/n 6401 |
| 1928 | 6600-7750 | |
| 1929 | 7750-7929 |
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