The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

It was bound to happen sooner or later , a crapophone came my way..I got it in a selection of parts , Victor and Columbia motors and tone arms and other stuff...the crapo was thrown in at no cost...it must have been an early attempt as it's showing it's age...my question concerns the horn....it is brass , and big...it's 11 panel , 22in across the bell mouth , 24 in deep...the mount for the elbow appears very Victor , though the elbow itself is sweatshop made...I have been told that crapophone horns in brass are generally paper thin , yet this one is quite robust , easily as thick as period horns....it was painted green on the external surfaces...so , is this a vintage horn reused , or an Indian reproduction ?

Don't know about the horn, but that's a most interesting and unique turntable it's resting on!

It's a G scale garden railroad.in its infantsy...I had to tear down the HO layout to make room for gramophones , so outdoors was the only room for trains left...This set of rolling stock was a cheap christmas set in gaudy red and green that played jingle bells as it went...proper paint works wonders

Are there any markings on the horn's collar?

George P.

My take is that it is a vintage horn. The modern Indian horns I have seen do not try to imitate Victors or HMVs. One detail that may help in the identification is the quality of the interleaf soldering. Modern ones are hand-made and show irregularities in the soldering pattern.

Sure looks like a Victor No.24-B to me!

JohnM wrote:Sure looks like a Victor No.24-B to me!

But no embossed ribs...

George P.

JohnM wrote:Sure looks like a Victor No.24-B to me!

I thought that as well. However, as George wrote.....no three ribs in each petal. It also looks smaller than 24". I'm leaning toward a early repro. I have seen horns like this in Mexico.

Mystery solved...in searching for embossed marks on the neck , I found a "made in India" sticker inside the neck...it's a curious collection of parts..it seems that they tried to make a real copy...the case is passable , the back bracket , tone arm , elbow , motor are junk..but the horn is splendid , and looks as if it will fit on my Victor-III...now , what to do?

whoopinola wrote:...now , what to do?

...clean it up and use it. It's a much better reproduction than usually found on a crapper.