Calura Jazzophon

Source: realpeace2u on eBay.com

This curious little instrument appeared on eBay described as a Calura tin Jazzophon saxophone. The seller said the following about this toy instrument:

I’m not sure of its age. It is complete, and not bent or beat up. Silver color and some surface rust. I did not do any cleaning to this item as not to remove any of the original color and aged patina.

 Source: eBay.com

This instrument bears a resemblance to both the Sirenephone and the Luxophone. The D.R.G.M. underneath the name Calura, indicates the German origins of this little toy horn.

Finally, it took four years, but another Calura Jazzophon appeared for sale on eBay. Thankfully the photos of this horn are larger, so we can make out some its details. Unfortunately this little guy has lost his mouthpiece.

Source: realpeace2u on eBay.com

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Note:

The acronym D.R.G.M. stands for Deutsches Reichsgebrauchsmuster. I have seen it spelled a number of other ways including: Deutsches Reich Gebrauchsmuster, Deutsches Reichs Gebrauchs Muster, Deutsches Reichs-Gebrauchsmuster, etc. Despite all the research I’ve done on both German and English sites, there is no clear consensus on how it is spelled. However, more sites spell it Deutsches Reichsgebrauchsmuster than any other, so for now that’s what I’ll go with as well.

D.R.G.M., or sometimes DRGM, is not a German patent. It was instead a way for inventors to register a product’s design or function in all of Germany. From 1891 to 1952, products manufactured in Germany might have been stamped with this D.R.G.M. designation, if the manufacturer opted not to pay the outrageous patent fees that Germany was charging, but instead chose to copyright their product’s intended way of use, or design. This copyright was initially for a period of 3 years, with an option to extend it for another 3. This gave the copyright owner a maximum of 6 years protection.¹

¹ Source: assistedknife.com