Firefighting Extinguisher

Q:I own a heavy 1-gallon copper-clad and brass fire extinguisher. There’s a pressure gauge, T-shape handle and short hose at the top of the cylindrical container. It’s marked “Phister No. 1 carbon tetrachloride fire extinguisher.” Patent numbers on its metal label range from 1,467,980 to 1,794,982. It was made in Cincinnati. When was it made and what’s the best way to sell it?

A:If there’s still carbon tetrachloride in your extinguisher, take the extinguisher (carefully) to your fire department so experts can safely dispose of the chemical. It’s poisonous. The patent numbers on your extinguisher range in date from 1923 to 1931. The patents were granted to Albert B. Phister, who assigned them to the Phister Manufacturing Co. of Cincinnati. From the 1920s through the ’40s, many fire extinguishers were filled with carbon tetrachloride. It can quickly put out a liquid or electrical fire, but by the 1950s scientists figured out that the chemical’s fumes can be fatal if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. So this type of extinguisher was no longer made. Empty extinguishers sell best at auctions or shows featuring firefighting memorabilia. Yours could sell for $50 to $75.