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Last Updated: Friday, 5 September, 2003, 10:36 GMT 11:36 UK
Experts trumpet hearing aid
Victorian ear trumpets
The Victorian ear trumpets are held together with a metal band
An unusual pair of Victorian ear trumpets made out of papier mache has intrigued experts at an Edinburgh auction house.

The antique hearing aid is held on either side of the wearer's head by a flexible metal band allowing it to fit inside both ears.

Lyon and Turnbull auctioneers believe the instrument was custom made but they say they are at a loss to explain who might have used them.

Sebastian Pryke, a fine antiques specialist, said it was impossible to find an exact date or location for the trumpets, which gives the user amplified stereo sound.

They were discovered as part of a property clearance and are expected to be sold at auction on 24 September.

Mr Pryke said: "These trumpets are a highly unusual if not unique novelty. You just pop them on your head like a pair of headphones.

Used at sea

"I suspect they were specifically made for someone who had a very keen idea of what they wanted. Someone who was lacking in vanity as well as hard of hearing.

"Many of these devices were quite ornate and could be adorned to represent the owners' preferences.

"These have little decoration but I've never seen any two trumpets attached like this before."

The amplifier, made of papier maché, has been valued at about £300.

Ear trumpets were first used by sailors to communicate over long distances.

Their earliest use is not known although a description of how the device amplified sound was first given by mathematician Jean Leurechon in 1642.

Mass-produced instruments did not become available until the start of the 19th century and were made from materials such as tin, rubber and brass.




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