Gun Collectors Dream Auction 63 Day Two
Lot 1577:
LAKE ERIE Chemical Riot Gas Mask For respiratory protection in atomspheres containing all types of tear and sickening gas including cs, used in police work. A division of Smith & Wesson Inc. The markings on the mask suggest it was made in 1971 The rubber is soft and not brittle or fragile . The Lake Erie Chemical Company was founded just after World War I by a former commander in the Army’s chemical weapons unit. While the world was moving towards banning the use of any chemical weapons, many in the military saw a use for less toxic chemical weapons and worked to create mild weapons like tear gas. They then marketed these chemicals to police departments and often showed up at high profile protests to ‘demonstrate’ how effective their products were in breaking up the protests. And of course if you sell tear gas, then you have to sell gas masks too! This mask is from a time period when the company was owned by Smith and Wesson, the well known gun manufacturer and is a unique item for Smith and Wesson collectors. They later sold the company to MSA (Mine Safety Appliances) who today is one of the leaders in respiratory protection. It’s also a really cool costume piece for those who collect gas masks. This is sold strictly as a collectible item as there is no way to know if the filters are good (or have become toxic) after 50 plus years There are two filters, a prefilter for particulates then a chemical filter cartridge. Attached are detailed photos that can be zoomed in on, Please see photos for better Detail of the condition of this listing.
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