Section One: Victor Products
Victor, Victrola,
Electrola and Orthophonic, are the brand names for phonographs made
by the Victor Talking Machine of Camden, New Jersey during the period
1901
through 1929. Victor was an independent company during that time, and was
not affiliated with RCA. The RCA Corporation bought Victor in late 1929,
and they continued to use the Victor and Victrola names and logos on their products for
many years after the purchase (e.g. RCA Victor). Thus, you can find "Victrola" products that were made by RCA all the
way into the 1970's. RCA products are not covered on this
website. Please don't email me asking about your 1936 (or 1958)
Radio-Phono
Combination "Victrola", because I have no data on any RCA-Victor
products.
If your phonograph says "Edison", "Sonora", "Columbia" "RCA" or anything except Victor Talking Machine Co. on the label or decal, it is NOT a Victor Phonograph. It should also have the Victor dog logo someplace (top right). There were literally hundreds of different phonograph brands during the early part of this century, and some people incorrectly call them all Victrolas. Just like they incorrectly call all copy machines "Xerox Machines". The other brands are not Victrolas, they are Edison or Sonora or Columbia (or whatever) phonographs.
If your phonograph is a Victor Talking Machine Co. product, it will say "Victor Talking Machine Company" somewhere...and it won't say RCA Victor anywhere!
If you want information on other brands, I suggest that you search the links on the Websites of The Michigan Antique Phonograph Society (MAPS) or the The Canadian Antique Phonograph Society (CAPS). These organizations have many outstanding collectors who specialize in different brands of phonographs.
THESE ARE NOT VICTOR PHONOGRAPHS!!
The unit on the left is an Edison Wind-Up Phonograph. In the center is a 1940's RCA Victor "Victrola" Radio/Phono set. On the right is one of many versions of cheap reproduction external horn phonographs made in India. The Edison wasn't made by Victor and thus is not covered on this website. RCA bought Victor in 1929, and continued the Victrola name. RCA products are not covered here. The reproduction phono uses cheap hardware and a thin stained pinewood case. Note the fake "Victor" plate and logo on the front. These fakes are rampant on Ebay and elsewhere, and the intent is usually to fool the buyer into thinking it's a real Victor.
This site covers only phonographs made by the Victor Talking Machine Co. I have NO info on non-Victor brands or on post 1929 RCA products.
Nipper on Steroids: A Chinese "Rip-Off" Victor Dataplate from a Fake Victor (left). A real one is on the right. The dog on the Chinese version has apparently been undergoing illegal steroid treatments causing his muscles to bulge and his head to shrink.
Does your phonograph have this exact kind of decal?? (note the "Gramophone Company LTD" at the very bottom):
If so, you have an "HMV" product, made in Great Britain by The Gramophone Company, which licensed the trademark dog and phonograph logo for use in Europe. This company was not directly associated with the Victor Talking Machine Company, although they did share some similar products. HMV phonographs are not covered on this webpage, and I have no information on these machines.
THESE
ARE VICTOR PHONOGRAPHS!! 
EXTERNAL HORN VICTOR. If your Victor-labeled phonograph has an outside horn like the one below, it is called an "External Horn Victor" (or just "Victor"). These external horn machines are desirable collector items, and usually date from around 1900 up to the early 1920's. There were many other makers of external horn phonographs (Columbia, Edison, etc.), and I have no information on any other brands. Note that, in many cases, you may come across an old external horn phonograph with a missing horn that looks like a simple tabletop phonograph. These are easy to identify, as they have no doors or openings on the front of the cabinet for the sound to exit. Note that this is not a "Victrola" (which has the horn concealed inside), but is correctly termed a "Victor".
WARNING!! With the advent of Ebay and other online auction sites, there has been a flood of fake external horn phonographs on the market. These are typically made in India or the Far East, and often use the data plate or sticker from an old phonograph to make them look authentic. The typical cheesy quality of the metal parts and glassy smooth pine wood cabinets are dead giveaways. These replicas have no collector value whatsoever.
INTERNAL HORN VICTROLA. If your Victor-brand phonograph has the horn inside the cabinet, typically with small doors that open and close in front of the horn opening (as shown below), you have a Victrola, which was the exclusive name the Victor gave to this particular design of phonograph. These were made in all shapes and sizes, including very small table models. Victrolas that were powered by electric motors instead of wind-up springs, were called Electrolas.
ORTHOPHONIC or ELECTROLA. By the mid-1920's, Victor updated its product line, which now included electronic amplification, radios, automatic record changers, etc., as well as an advanced line of acoustic wind-up models. Some of these phonographs were installed in very large decorative cabinets, and were quite expensive at the time. These were typically called Orthophonic Victrolas, while the electric versions were called Electrolas.
Just as a reminder, before we go forward....
