Here is a little Lustrette LD/61 – a charming little egg-shaped desk microphone by Lustraphone.

I picked this one up with a couple of crystal microphones, and for a long time I had wrongly assumed this to be a crystal too. But when I opened it up I found a dynamic capsule and step-up transformer. I should have guessed from the model number – ‘D’ usually means dynamic.  In fact it features in a Lustraphone product catalogue that I posted earlier – so I have no excuses!

Lustraphone LD/61 inside

The mic comes in a stylish box, with a picture of the mic, so you know what you’re getting.

The dynamic element looks similar to the one found in the more common C51 model, and it is possibly the same mic in a different package.