The Victor-Victrola Page
Value
Of course, everyone wants to know how much their Victor phonograph is worth. I get 80+ emails every day; most of these ask me for a free appraisal in some shape or form. One simple rule applies here:
I don't provide free phonograph appraisals.
In other words, I won't
answer email requests for free value estimates. Not even for "rough guesses".
Not for dying relatives, impoverished friends or needy charities (yes, I've
heard every possible request for "special" exceptions). I'm not being rude or
arrogant. It just isn't possible to respond to literally hundreds of appraisal
requests every week. Also, when value is involved, exact condition/correctness
of the veneer, components and finish are critical. It would be easy for me to
sit in my leather chair sipping
Merlot, and look at subjective Victrola descriptions on my computer screen and
take random pot-shots at a value figure. The problem is that my 2-second guess won't
mean one wit to a well-informed potential buyer when he or she spots something incorrect on the machine
or when it has a particularly unique figuring in the veneer. The
devil is always in the details when buying/selling antiques. Another
reason (being totally honest) is that I would spend my entire evenings making
freebie price
guesstimates if I tried to answer all the "how much is it worth" questions. 
The market for antique phonographs has been significantly depressed since 2007. Prices have dropped due to changes in the economy, and as a correction for the steep rise in prices during the 1990's. The good news is that selling prices for most original antique furniture pieces, including old phonographs, are destined to increase in value over time, even considering the short term dips and peaks in valuation. The bad news is that these old phonographs were produced by the millions, and many models are still quite common with the average selling price for a typical machine in the $100 to $400 range. Competitive online auctions like Ebay have, in some cases, "flooded" the market with common phonographs, which has driven down values of high-volume models. Of course, there are rare ones that still sell for upwards of $20,000, but those are very few and far between. To give you an idea, out of 67,000+ inquiries I've gotten from this website since 1998, I estimate that only 2500 phonographs were rare enough to be valued at over $2,000, and only 29 have had an estimated value exceeding $10,000. As you might imagine, those 29 people were quite pleased to learn what they had, but they are by far the minority.
If you want to know how rare your Victrola is, and get a rough idea of what it might be worth, finish reading these introductory pages, and then click on the "Products" link (this can also be accessed from the home page). Just follow the instructions. It will give you an indication of how common (or uncommon) it is, and also will help in establishing a rough price range. I have attempted to provide as much general information as I can on this site. That's the best I can do unless you contact me and make arrangements for an individual paid appraisal.
For those persons interested in making arrangements for a professional appraisal or restoration, please follow the "services" links listed below.....otherwise continue along this section by clicking on "Other Information"
Finally....
Continue to Section 5 -> Other Information...
Services