Questions on Ear Trumpets for the BBC at EarTrumpets.net
| PROVENANCE | |
| skewing the description to raise price | |
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Walking stick with whistle horn - £150 ? OR Walking stick with ear trumpet - £2500 ? |
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Vtg Antique Victorian Ear Trumpet Directional Hearing Aid - $76 oh no it isn't ! It is a mouthpiece from a 1930's telephone operators headset ! ($2) |
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Sold with a note saying 'used by George IV' who died 1830. Silver gilt trumpet marked: 'Rein 30 Charing Cross Road' They moved there in 1916 ! |
| blatant intent to deceive | |
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Home made item offered as an ear trumpet cost <£5 offer price £60. Image on EBay was blurred - should have been a warning ! |
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Recent marriage of unrelated parts offered as an ear trumpet - offer price > £300 ! The brass horn was bought for £10 a week before this appeared ! Offered on EBay # 182872876154 at 17 Nov 2018 as Rare Parisian French hearing aid device trumpet horn 'Le Petit Parisien' |
| ignorant seller gives incorrect definition | |
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Glass friggar (£20) offered as an ear trumpet (£150). Negotiated it down 50% as it is a popular misconception and I thought the collection needed one. Omitted from Guinness World Record count. |
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ANTIQUE 19TH CENTURY SILVER PLATE EAR TRUMPET Oh no it isn't This is a wine funnel, the last thing a trumpet needs is a baffle ! |
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ANTIQUE CASED FOUR PART SILVER PLATED EAR TRUMPET Oh no it isn't It is an Auriscope. |
| DATING | |
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Conversation tube from 1880 - £200 ? |
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Hawksley auricle marked 351 Oxford Street sold as Victorian but Hawksley only opened that shop in 1926 ! |
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Aylsworth diaphragm ear trumpet sold as early Victorian. He only patented it in 1905 ! |
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Banjo ear trumpet marked OL331. Early Victorian £250? OR WW1 market price £50-125 ? OR post WW2 at £35 ? Marking says it must be an NHS trumpet so 1948-76. Politzer patented the banjo in 1883. |
| QUACK DEVICES | |
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Two magnetic ear clips and a compass to prove they were magnetic. Totally useless. Current market price £400. |
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Noise maker ran on a 4.5v 'flat' torch battery. Was supposed to improve hearing by buzzing in the ear. Often sold with an ear trumpet in a presentation box. |
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Gold plated ear tubes, with many variations in silver. Could only open up a blocked ear tube, otherwise useless ! |
| FINDING EAR TRUMPETS to BUY | |
| Auction houses | I follow 2-300 auctions each week worldwide I receive about 10 emails per day with alerts from UK auction houses |
| EBay | I have daily alerts from EBay for 44 different search masks |
| WHAT PRICE SHOULD ONE PAY ? | |
| Depends ! | I maintain a list of current ear trumpet sales on my website Currently it has over 950 items sold since Feb 2014 |
