PREMIUM --

Polly Roberts, a member of the staff at auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh, tries a pair of ear trumpets made from papier mache which are expected to realise more than 300 when they are sold later this month. Ear trumpets were first used by sailors in order to communicate over long distances, but experts are at a loss to explain who would have used this 19th century rarity, which came into their possession through a clear-out.