Hi Bruce, The Crane Brothers of Westfield, Massachusetts are indeed the manufacturer. I have a "Linenoid" horn that is very dark blue (inside and out) with three gold bands that run around circumference. (I think Tim Fabrizio may have seen mine when he was here in the spring. Uncle Tim?) There is one example of a "Linenoid" horn pictured on page 20 of "Antique Phonographs ~ Gadgets, Gizmos, and Gimmicks" by Uncle Tim (Fabrizio) and Uncle George (Paul). The horn that I have is not shaped exactly like the one in the book. Mine is a bit shorter but has a somewhat truer exponential shape which makes the bell significantly larger in diameter for its length when compared to the more traditional horns. The horns are supposedly made of pure linen. Mine has a few nicks like the one in the Gizmos book and I can substantiate that it is indeed linen. Linen is derived from flax (also called linseed) and it is easy to weave into a fabric or it can be made into a pulp from which (typically) fine papers and fiber board can be made. I don't think that the term "cardboard" is at all inappropriate although it is really more of a "fancy" or "super cardboard" <grin>. I do not know how common these are. Perhaps Tim or George might have some additional statistical data than the book shows. I suspect that they are probably not classified as scarce or rare, but because they are made of an organic vegetable fiber, I would think that a very low percentage of the originals are still in existence. I know I will probably hang on to mine. Gizmo's suggests that the value is in the $100 to $150 range. I cannot affirm or deny that value since mine was sort of free. BTW, I searched the US Patent database but did not see any applications filed by "Crane Brothers" of Westfield, Massachusetts. It seems that similar horns were made by a multitude of companies. Walt -----Original Message----- From: phono-l-bounces at oldcrank.org [mailto:phono-l-bounces at oldcrank.org] On Behalf Of bruce78rpm at comcast.net Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 7:39 PM To: PHONO-L at Oldcrank.org Subject: [Phono-L] Linenoid horn This afternoon I visited a gentlemans house in another town to pick up a victor horn that I purchased. While there I spotted an unusual But very impressive horn that I had never seen before. The gentleman said that he purchased it with an Edison triumph machine years ago. It was large and black on the outside and light red on the inside and made from a material which was kind of a cross between light wood and heavy cardboard, but extremely resilient. The little logo on the horn said "Linenoid Horn". it was not shaped like any horn I had ever seen before either and its bell was slightly conical rather then bell like. THIS HORN COULD OBVIOUSLY EITHER HANG FROM A FLOOR CRANE OR FROM A CRANE ATTACHED TO THE TRIUMPH. HAS ANYONE EVER SEEN OR HEARD OF ONE OF THESE BEFORE. I GOOGLED LINENOID, AND THE ONLY THING I COULD FIND IS THAT A COMPANY CALLED CRANE BROTHERS, WHO MADE PAPER PRODUCTS IN THE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY AND LOCATED IN DALTON, MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WESTERN PART OF TH E ST ATE, USED A PROCESS TO MAKE LINEN WASTE INTO A PRODUCT CALLED LINENOID, FROM WHICH they MADE MANY PRACTICAL ITEMS, AND I ASSUME THAT PHONOGRAPH HORNS Were AMONG THEM. VERY FASCINATING. IF ANYONE CAN ADD TO THIS, AND HAS EVER SEEN ONE OF THESE HORNS PLEASE REPLY. I WILL TRY TO GET BACK TO THIS FELLOWS HOUSE SOON AND TAKE A DIGITAL OF THIS HORN FOR ALL TO SEE. IF IT IS RARE, MAYBE I CAN MAKE A TRADE BRUCE __._,_.___ _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.17/951 - Release Date: 8/13/2007 10:15 AM