Military Signal Corps megaphone

An ignored part of military and civilian communication is the (hand) megaphone. Few vintage megaphones have been saved, because it was such a simple thing, bulky and fragile. Today you can buy modern megaphones by looking up "cheerleader megaphones" online. One would be a useful addition to most "living history" sites.

June 2018 A Navy megaphone like mine, but no label, sells for $60. Only one bidder.

Aug 2018  A M-64 in good condition, no strap, sells for $150. One bidder.

Aug 2018  A M-64 in good condition, bad paint job, no strap, sells for $63. Four bidders.

Sept 2018  A M-64 in rough shape, sells for $125 apparently. Hard to be sure with "Buy it now" items.

Nov 2018  A Navy megaphone sells for $10. Excellent condition, with label, but no date.

Apr 2019  A M-64 not damaged, but serious finish issues, no strap, sells for $52.

Sep 2019  A M-64 small crack and paint issue, no strap, but otherwise in great condition, sells for $200.

Jan 2020  A M-64 in good condition, no strap, sells for $125 after a couple months on ebay.

Feb 2020  A M-64 in fair condition, sells for $103.

Feb 2020 A M-64 in good condition, no strap, sells for $61.

Nov 2020 A M-64 in good shape, no strap, sells for $78.

Jan 2021 A beat up M-64 sells for $185???

Jan 2021 A Navy type megaphone, falsely listed as a WWI megaphone, sells for $35. No label.

Jan 2021 A Navy type megaphone, missing the mouthpiece, sells for $30.

Jan 2022 A M-64 in very good condition, no strap,  sells for $208.

July 2022 A M-64, in fair condition, odd paint job, no strap, sells for $40.

Sep 2022 A M-64 in good condition, but bent mouthpiece, sells $168. Many bidders.

Oct 2022 A M-64 in good condition, sells for $300.

Jan 2023 A M-64 in fair condition, painted blue, sells for $32.

Feb 2023 A M-64 in good condition, with strap, needs painting, sells for $144.

Mar 2023 - A M-64 in good condition sells for $140.

Mine is a 1963 Navy megaphone. The mouthpiece is 2 1/8 inches in diameter, the other end is 9 inches in diameter, and it is 18 inches long. No batteries required. I bought mine on ebay for $20, with no other bidder. It had been listed on ebay for quite some time. The seller claimed it came from the USS Shangri-La, commissioned: Sept 1944, final decommission July 1971. I saw an identical model in the 1955 movie "Mr. Roberts", with Henry Fonda and James Cagney.

The WWII Army model was a M-64, and had a strap instead of a handle. It is labeled as "Signal Corps US Army", with no label identifying as a M-64.  Note: The M-64 megaphone is listed in a 1920 Signal Corps catalogue, with an additional nomenclature of "voice amplifier". The M-64 possibly dates back to WWI?

Sept 2017 - I bought a copy of a 1916 Signal Corps equipment manual, and there is a short description of "field megaphone made of fiber, with aluminum mouthpiece and leather handle."

Dec 2019 There is a megaphone like mine on ebay, same construction, but 39 inches long! It doesn't have any ID label to identify it. At $70 and local pickup only, it has been for sale for months.

My megaphone below:

Henry Fonda hands over his megaphone to James Cagney in "Mr. Roberts". A 1955 movie. The movie also starred William Powell and Jack Lemmon.

Below: an M-64 megaphone without a strap. Note the "Signal Corps U.S. Army" on it.

Must be a politician below: