Goat Horn Ear Trumpet: W. P. Zubar with eartrumpet (c. 1900) - Credit: Library of Congress / Ear trumpets were early hearing aids. They were typically made from sheet iron, silver, wood, animal horns, &amp; even snail shell. In 1963, the ear trumpet producer F. C. Rein &amp; Son in London ended activity as the last company of its kind.