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Victor Type B

RARITY: ¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤¤ 

The Victor B (or "Type B") was Eldridge Johnson's first talking machine. The Type B was actually produced several years before The Victor Talking Machine Company was founded. Emile Berliner, the inventor of the flat phonograph disc, designed and marketed an early version of this model as early as 1896. Johnson had been contracted by Berliner to manufacture some components for Berliner's phonographs, and they briefly partnered under the name "Consolidated Talking Machine Company". Berliner eventually sold the business to Johnson in the fall of 1901, and he named his new enterprise "The Victor Talking Machine Company". Johnson made some improvements to the design, and continued to produce much of Berliner's product line.
The Type B is called the Trademark Phonograph because it was the model used in the famous Victor logo with Nipper staring down the horn. The Type B sold new for $18.00, which equates to about $600.00 in today's money.  A stamped steel horn was standard along with a single spring motor and "Standard" Soundbox. The crank was placed in a vertical position and a 7 inch turntable was used.  Exact production numbers are not known, but based on the serial numbers of surviving examples, at least 70,000 were produced, which includes some of the production prior to the founding of Victor. So this machine was quite a popular item. The earliest examples will not have the "Nipper" logo on the dataplate and may have different cabinet designs.
When first introduced, disc phonographs were considered to be more of a novelty or conversation piece than an audio playback system for the serious music-lover. In addition, these machines became totally obsolete within just a few years, and many were likely trashed in favor of newer models, which by 1905 could provide much more volume and improved fidelity. The Victor B was discontinued in mid-1902. Even though quite a few were produced, these early Victors are highly prized by collectors today.

The current survival database shows the earliest existent Victor B to be S/N 879 and the latest to be S/N 69382.    

Do you own a Victor B? 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.