A century ago, brass horns were given a coat of lacquer to prevent them from tarnishing (lacquer has been around for centuries). This was brushed on, and when found today with original lacquer still intact, the brush strokes are often apparent. Like others who responded to this thread, I have never seen a century-old brass horn retaining its original lacquer and still shining like new. The lacquer wears with handling and cleaning over the years, and the brass begins to oxidize. 20 or 30 years ago, there was a collecting contingent who claimed that "patina" (tarnished original finishes) on brass phonograph horns should be preserved at all costs. This struck me at the time as tantamount to preserving rust -- and neither rust nor tarnish were original equipment on phonographs! I've been happy in observing that virtually all the advanced collections I've seen in the past decade have featured newly polished and lacquered brass horns, preserving them for another 100 years. George Paul ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.