Antique Listening Tube Head Set for Edison Horn Phonograph or Coin-Op Machine

Description

THIS IS A REMARKABLE ITEM! It looks very unassuming and in my 40 years of buying and selling Antique Wind-up Phonographs, I never heard one of these play until just recently. I've sold more than 3,000 Antique Wind-up Phonographs/Victrolas, Etc. during that time, but either never had one of these before this year or never paid any attention to what it could do. This is an Antique Listening Tube Head Set for listening to Cylinder Records being played on an Edison Cylinder Phonograph (it may also work on some Columbia Cylinder Machines). They used something like this more than 100 years ago to listen to Cylinder Records on Coin-Operated Wind Up Phonographs and in Archades, where you would pay to listen to a popular record for Entertainment. I have also seen pictures of people using them to listen to Cylinder Records in Record Stores way back then (even pre-1900), to decide whether or not to buy a record title.
If you want a more contemporary application, it would be a way to listen to your cylinder records without your wife telling you how annoying some of the records sound to her! Lol! One thing I will say: I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY HOW LOUD THIS THING PLAYS when you put the small end over the reproducer of your Edison Phonograph and the ear cups over your ears! It's louder than the largest outside horn machine that I have ever heard! Amazing, is all I can say! I would be shocked if you weren't as impress with how well this thing works as I was! One of the ear cups does have a partial hairline crack (see the pictures), but it is still good and solid to use. Anyway, these head sets aren't easy to find and this is a good, old, authentic one that's probably close to 100 years old. Buy it if you like Antique Audio Gadgets, because this one REALLY WORKS WELL! It even has a VOLUME CONTROL KNOB since it might even be too loud for some without it!
Here's another thought: If you or one of your loved ones likes to listen to the Old Cylinder Records, but is "hard of hearing", There's no doubt that this solution would MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!. It would definitely not be a typical gift if you have someone like that on your Christmas Gift List! Order It Soon if you want to make sure that it arrives before Christmas. The pictures that I have included that show how it goes onto an Edison reproducer are for demonstration purposes only. There is No Edison Machine Included With This Listing. Thanks for looking and be sure to check out the many other Antique Phonograph Related Items that I also have for sale on eBay at this time and will be adding to almost daily. Happy Holidays to All!