Crust codpiece
This was a present from my father, who is an antique dealer.
It is a MSA Chemox Oxygen Breathing Apparatus. It was designed in 1947 and used primarily in mine rescue operations, though was also used by the military. They were used beginning in 1960. (More information here.) This model was used by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, which was founded in 1910 and closed into 1995. This particular apparatus was in use as recently as 1975- there is a card inside of the trunk which documents dates and personnel who maintained it through the years, ending in 1975.
