Tale of Two Cities

As far as we can tell, Peter Jensen and Edwin Pridham, who founded Magnavox, never came to Philly.  And Beulah and Edward Jay, who founded Plays and Players Theater, never went to Oakland.  But they were contemporaries, so it’s entirely possible they met in the early 1900’s.  Either way, we’re bringing them together in this horn, the perfect marriage of the two cities. 

This gorgeous goose neck R3 Magnavox Radio Speaker Horn was originally manufactured in Oakland, CA in the 1920’s. It has a 14.25” bell and stands 23” tall with its original decal & crackle finish. (This particular horn does have some soldering that has separated slightly. Please see the photos for details.) The base is made from a floor joist from Plays & Players Theater on Delancey St. in Philadelphia, PA. The joist was removed during a renovation to create the trap door on the stage in the early 90’s. This wood has a lot of character with its all its original cracks, knots, and nail holes. The base is finished with Betty’s Board Butter (beeswax & mineral oil). You may want to re-oil the base occasionally. The entire piece is 14.25” wide x 26” tall and 14” deep.

If your phone has stereo options you may want to play around with mono and stereo settings to see which you prefer.