Handheld Bakelite No. 7 Microphone

Black Bakelite handle with a large button on its side; product information engraved in white on front of handle; circular grated area has a raised enclosure; four copper wires coated in brown synthetic fiber emanate from the handle bottom.

Bakelite was invented in 1907 by Belgian chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944). It is formed by mixing carbolic acid with formaldehyde and is considered the first synthetic plastic. In 1993 it was designated as a National Historical Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society.