Vintage circa 1910s to 1940s macgregor goldsmith mask

The importance of this item highlights the co-evolution of hockey goalie protective and baseball protective equipment. This mask was made by the MacGregor Goldsmith company, which was most well known for producing baseball equipment and less so, equipment for other sports such as football. This mask style was originally designed to be worn as a safety for athletes with glasses and particularly marketed towards goalies in hockey. This mask has elements consistent with early baseball equipment as well. The cage is an interesting pre-cursor to a somewhat contemporary cat-eye cage design (not exactly the same, but reminiscent) which does not allow pucks to travel through it while maximizing visibility. Of course the protection value is minimal at best and dangerous at worst, but it is still a cool piece from the evolution of facial protection in sport.