by Number9 » February 5th, 2011, 6:26 pm
Thanks guys. Once I had it in hand and could see the placement, which is low on the face, it was clear that there's a helmet component that is missing, so lacrosse came to mind. However, I've had little luck finding an image of any product, for any sport. That in itself is puzzling because something should be out there. The only image that I've tracked down is basically useless because this mask was used in an art installation. All of the masks were attributed to baseball with no further information. I'm wondering if it might be a prototype or short run for something that eventually evolved into a modern catcher/goalie/lacrosse type of mask. The field of view is actually really good, it's the bizarre looks that probably killed it. What's really strange is that it seems to have had padded edges at one point because there are no abrasions to the perimeter. On a hockey helmet, or similar, there will be a pivot point at the top center so you can swing the mask out to put it on your head. This doesn't have that, and the chin is too tight so you probably wouldn't be able to slide it on like a football helmet.
If anyone has any tips on how to search out the patent info, that would be great. I've stumbled through the patent office website with negative results.
Huntington Base Ball Co.
www.HuntingtonBaseBallCo.com