The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Jerry B.'s post about staining a cygnet horn got me thinking about something I have wanted to post here for awhile -- who has original painted horns from Edison that are blue, or green, or ? It would be great to get sample photos here. I know it takes an effort to post a photo as part of a discussion but how busy are you -- really? I visited a collector who had maroon Gems but also green and blue (original) horns. They all looked very nice.

And from the very collector himself who sent this to me to post.

I'm having a hard time believing the green and blue ones, but maybe there is factory catalog information that supports their availability (and that I am too lazy to look up right now). Perhaps you can get your buddy to give some background on them. Do they have decals?

I have seen factory blue Edison Standard morning glory horns, however.

Was the photo taken in Australia?

Garret

I remember reading somewhere that Cygnet horns in blue were available in Australia and possibly New Zealand.

We showed a blue Cygnet, and a blue one-piece Gem horn on pages 50-51 of Antique Phonograph Accessories & Contraptions. (There's even a black one-piece Gem horn on page 50 with a Triumph decal!) I thought we had showed a green Gem horn in one of our books, but I can't seem to find it. My understanding is that the colored Edison horns were later-production (ca.1910-1914) items offered in Australia.

George P.

Recently somebody posted some U.S. show pics with a blue cygnet bell. Probably Facebook.

Many years ago I was walking around one of the fields at the Brimfield, MA antique shows and I stepped into one of the many dealer tents and saw an original blue Fireside horn on a table with the large end down. I immediately asked the dealer how much for the horn and he said, "It goes with that player over there {pointing at an Edison Fireside)." I looked at the price hanging on the crank and it was crazy high so I moved on. Haven't seen one of those blue Edison Fireside horns since.

Doug

Years ago, a collector friend of mine in Michigan picked up a Fireside with a two-piece horn. The large end was the normal transparent red and the small end was transparent blue. The Australian horns that are seen occasionally all seem to be painted with an opaque colored paint as opposed to a transparent color as found in the American versions.

Here are some detailed pics that indicate the green and blue horns are original. Owner says they are from Australia.