Silvertone

The Silvertone iHORN is a Sears Silvertone 6290 aftermarket car radio made in approximately 1947.  The “Silvertone” brand name used by Sears, Roebuck and Co for a line of sound equipment from 1915 to 1972.   The horn is an vintage air horn.  The concept for Sears, Roebuck & Company began in 1886 by 23 year old Richard Sears, who liked the idea that products that were manufactured in one part of the country could be sold to folks in another part of the country. In effect, the Sears catalogue was a paper internet.  In 1887, Sears hired watch repairman Alvah Roebuck to handle many of the returns that needed repaired. Roebuck was not only Sears's first employee, but he later became co-founder of Sears, Roebuck & Company. Roebuck's contribution to the corporation was short-lived, however, and due to personal considerations he sold his share of the company to Sears in 1895 for $25,000. Sears himself clashed with new business partner, Julius Rosenwald, and quit the business in 1908. He later sold his portion of Sears stock in 1913 and died that same year. To this day, Sears's advertising and promotional skills remain legendary, and today's most sophisticated marketers continue to employ the tried and true concepts that Sears made famous.  The Silvertone iHORN is a single example of both ingenuity and marketing genius.