Firefighting Antiques

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Firefighters save lives with the help of countless tools—fire extinguishers, helmets, fire trucks, and hoses, to name but a few. Many of these objects, especially those from the 19th century, have become highly collectible. One of the...
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Firefighters save lives with the help of countless tools—fire extinguishers, helmets, fire trucks, and hoses, to name but a few. Many of these objects, especially those from the 19th century, have become highly collectible. One of the firefighter’s most basic tools is the fire extinguisher, which did not always resemble the familiar items that pervade schools and commercial buildings today. From about 1868 onward, fire extinguishers were basically pint- and quart-size glass grenades containing simple chemicals like saltwater, muriate of ammonia, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Sealed with cement, they were hurled into fires where they would shatter upon impact, releasing the chemicals inside. The grenades fell out of favor around 1903 and were eventually replaced by the more familiar pump-type brass and copper extinguishers made by companies like Elkhart. For obvious reasons, only unused grenades can be collected. Badges are another class of firefighter memorabilia. The New York legislature essentially invented the badge in 1855 as a way of solving a common difficulty that firefighters faced—non-firefighters attempting to join the fire lines, often with chaotic results. The legislature asked the Common Council to design a badge in order to identify firefighters conspicuously. Other cities adopted the practice once it proved successful. Although the badge began as a single design, other shapes and types appeared around 1860: a badge for a fire engine company, a badge for a fire hose company, and so on. These badges had numbers to designate both the company and the individual wearer. While fire departments still use firemen’s badges today, these other varieties are very rare and collectible today. Also collectible are so-called presentation badges, which were given to a fireman as a mark of distinction—for promotion or retirement, for example. These badges were often engraved and made from gold or silver. Badges weren’t the only firefighter...
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