Original Item. Only One Available. This is an incredibly scarce canvas case for the Model 1921 Thompson, the first major production model of the Thompson. The Thompson was first used in combat on June 13th, 1921, when West Virginia state troopers fired on the mountainside near Lick Creek, where striking miners were firing at passing cars. By the time of the Battle of Blair Mountain, 37 had been acquired by the West Virginia state police and 56 were in the hands of coal companies and local law enforcement. The guns were also shipped to various hardware stores in the region.

This is the earliest canvas case designed for the Thompson, with it bearing the MILLS logo under the flap, with a date of FEB 1921, for February 1921. This variant has the early Thompson magazine pouch, with four slots for magazines, and doesn’t have the later added pouch. This is a true original that was never converted, and absolutely saw service considering its salty condition.

The case retains its original carrying strap, and the canvas is in good condition overall without any rips or tears. There are some small nicks in the canvas on the top flap and on the back, but none of these are serious.

This is one of the scarcest pieces of field gear we have ever offered. If you have a 1921 Thompson, don’t miss out on this scarce opportunity to find an original period correct case for it! Comes ready for further research and display.

The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy Gun", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", or "Trench Broom") is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by the United States Army Brigadier general John T. Thompson in 1918. It was originally designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare of World War I, but was not finished until after the war ended.

The Thompson saw early use by the United States Marine Corps during the Banana Wars, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Irish Republican Army, the Republic of China, and the FBI (following the Kansas City Massacre).

The Thompson became notorious during the Prohibition era, used as a signature weapon of various organized crime syndicates in the United States in the 1920s. It was a common sight in the media at the time, and was used by both law enforcement officers and criminals.

The Thompson was widely adopted by the U.S. military during World War II, and was used extensively by the Allied troops during the war. It was designated as the M1928A1, M1 and M1A1 during this time. More than 1.5 million military Thompson submachine guns were produced during World War II. It is the first weapon to be labeled and marketed as a "submachine gun".

The original fully automatic Thompsons are no longer produced. Numerous semi-automatic civilian versions are still being produced by the manufacturer Auto-Ordnance. These models retain a similar appearance to the original, but have various modifications in order to comply with US firearm laws.