Interested in Collecting Locks?

Advice for the Beginning Lock Collector

If you’re just going to buy a couple of locks or keys because they look nice then there’s nothing more for me to say. Stop reading and continue about your business.

But if you want to start any kind of lock collection here’s one piece of advice. Learn about what you want to collect.

Sources:      Learn through books, lock collecting associations, antique lock shows, lock museums, other lock collectors, including their personal internet sites. A more recent resource is the Padlock Collectors group on Facebook.

Books:       The two most recent price guides today are The Padlock Collector, 284 pages, 6^th edition, 1996, Franklin Arnall, and Poorman’s Story & Ornamental Padlocks, 160 pages, 3rd edition, 1992, Don Stewart. Both books are long out of print, but can still be found through various sources.

The Padlock Collector is the most comprehensive, featuring twenty-five different categories of padlocks. It is illustrated with black-and-white photographs, with price listings on separate pages. This is the reference book of choice for the serious collector.

The Poorman’s guide covers the more common types of padlocks, and categorizes them alphabetically by the name or image on the lock. It is illustrated with line drawings of the locks with prices next to the drawings.

Organizations:       Join a lock collecting organization. Two organizations in the United States are the West Coast Lock Collectors Association (WCLCA) and the American Lock Collectors Association (ACLA). Don’t let the geographic location hold you back. Both associations publish journals at least quarterly, with in-depth articles about collectible locks and keys.

Lock Shows:       Currently there are four different lock shows held annually in the United States where collectors from across the country meet to buy and sell locks as well as to showcase locks from their collections. In February the WCLCA sponsors a show in the Los Angeles area. April features a lock show in Indianapolis, and in July a show is held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Lock Museum of Terryville, Connecticut hosts a show in Terryville every year in October.

Try to fit one of the lock shows into your vacation plans. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy hunting.

A Different Ford Key Board

The other day there appeared on ebay a Ford key board for Model T keys which was noticeably different than others I have seen. Rather than the plain black painted board of the era or the paper covered wooden board, this one was made of sheet metal with the design cut out in the form of a stencil.

Model T Ford key display board photo from ebay.

The description given by the seller notes in part,

"A Model T Ford Key Board.  Surface rust, but no rust out. No paint            showing on either front or back, just surface rust. ... The top with Wings           is flat and the 3 rectangular sides are bevelled on the edges."

The bidding on the key board began at 99 cents and it eventually sold for $267, somewhat less than the $300 which the standard black painted Model T Ford key board normally goes for.

Although I am an avid collector of early automobile locks, keys and related items, I did not bid on this key board. 

I found it unusual that the entire piece was covered with rust, with no paint evident at all. I have several different automobile key boards from the era. Some are beat up and all of them have some rust, but every one of them is painted.

Photo of reverse from ebay.

Two things from the reverse side caught my attention. The spot welds for the key hooks look sloppy, and it appears that someone had actually tried to use the upper portion as a stencil.

I had also questioned the use of the Ford logo with the wings and "The Universal Car." As popular as it may be among collectors today, it is my understanding that this particular logo was used for only a very few years because of a falling out with the person who designed it. My further recollection is that it was used prior to the use of electric starters in 1919 which is when these types of keys first appeared.

Additionally there is no obvious provision for mounting this to a wall. Although the stencil cutouts could provide an area for this, it would certainly detract from the visual effect and might be considered unprofessional. How much extra effort would it have taken to punch a hole or two for mounting while punching out the stencil design?

But even if we have a hole to hang it up, it might not hang properly. Remember, the seller noted that the three rectangular edges were bevelled, curved as it were. So the board would not lay flat against the wall. That does not seem logical to me.

Does all this mean it's not real? 

What it suggests to me is that it was not designed nor manufactured during the era for this purpose. 

It is no secret that the usual black Model T Ford key board has been duplicated and manufactured within the past decade or so. These have been identified as reproduced items and sold for much less than the original items would have sold for. 

But, I am not suggesting that this is a reproduction. A reproduction must necessarily begin with an original piece. Rather than being a copy of of something, there is the possibility that this is a fantasy piece, a recent model of something that never existed, but looks like it might have. It happens all the time with some collectibles. 

Is this the case with this item? I don't know, but it did present me with enough doubt that I did not bid on it. Perhaps I should have.

About the Blog

The Subject

The main subject of the blog is automobile locks and keys. Not just any automobiles, but generally those before 1935. 

Why that date? Locks for early automobiles had been evolving fairly rapidly for the first few decades of the century. By 1935 the three major automobile lock manufacturers, Briggs & Stratton, Yale, and Hurd, had more or less settled in with a decent amount of security with minimum inconvenience to the operator and had staked claims on the major automobile manufacturers. For the next thirty years their basic locking principles remained pretty much the same.

The Author

My interest is locks and keys, primarily automobile locks and keys, although, having been a locksmith for a few years, I do have a little knowledge of locks in general. Over the past few years my interest has expanded into the early development of automobile locks and the history of the lock companies involved. Most recently I have developed an interest in old locksmith equipment.

Be cautioned that I do not know a lot about the automobiles themselves. Nor am I necessarily knowledgeable about specific lock applications for various automobiles. 

My writing experience includes several published articles for Lock Collector organizations and a website devoted to automobile locks and keys.