Old Lock....really old....but how old & from WHERE ?????

it's 3 x 1/2 x 3 1/4 to the top band. ( w/o the key)
The one remaining panel seems affixed rather than glued on.
The key twists and there is a spring sound which opens the mechanism . So, spring loaded ??
It's heavy, but hollow.
No marks anywhere that I've found.

Any ideas??

 

Here's a website with several screw key locks very similar or identical to this one. There are 2 pages of them. The one in the 2nd row, 3rd from the left, looks identical.
http://www.aschkenes.com/18th Century Screw Key Locks 1.htm

I just looked more at these locks and it appears there is only a little info about them.

The following page is also of screw key locks. Probably the 2nd down is the most similar to yours?
http://www.antique-padlocks.com/screw_a-z.htm

--- Susan

 

The following website is an article on historical locks. It yas a little on screw key padlocks under era "The Enlightenment, 1700 -." "Padlocks with screw mechanisms"
http://www.historicallocks.com/en/site/h/padlocks/the-history-of-padlocks/the-enlightenment-1700/

Here's a little on them in wikipe... Scroll down to the 4th paragraph under the "History" section to the paragraph that starts with "Smokehouse locks..."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padlock#History

--- Susan

 

Thank you Lady !!

 

Nice lock, definitely has age, matches the one Susan found for sure. Somewhere I read that screw key locks were often used on chastity belts, resulting in some confusion regarding the true origin of the term "screw key."

 

Most of these in the marketplace are reproductions. Very convincing but mostly made in Mexico and Indo-Asia. This one is virtually identical to yours but failed to sell. I think if it were truly old, it would have been a bargain price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1875s-Antiq...Key-Padlock-/301731754344?hash=item46409d3168

A quick search shows many others similar.

 

Brad's...



VS . Lady's....




Let's take a straw poll.....

Who thinks my lock looks more like Brad's, & who thinks it looks more like Lady's ???????

 

Very interesting discussion. I'm not sure I have an opinion yet.

 

Notice the ebay one comes from Rajastan in India, where they do lots of 'antique' metalwork. My assumption would be that all these locks are repros until somehow proved otherwise.

 

Since when have any of us started taking eBay's word for anything !

 

That's lovely. !! ..did you also notice that Lady's link seems to be a pretty concise site devoted to early locks....and not just some shmuck hoping to sell something ....who used the word RARE 5 times....and VERY RARE once !!!


Ohhhhhhh.......so very rare !!!!!

Jesus Christ.......everyone here says when they see that..........they run like hell in the opposite direction !!!

Funny , you don't seem to mind that !

I'm not saying my lock is anything , but it looks like Lady's more than it looks like that rusty piece of crap being sold on ebay !!

 

PS.....would you all like fries with that !

 

I don't see anyone taking 'ebay's word' for anything. My experience is that producing 'antique' metalwares is a thriving business in India because the lack of modern machine tools and the availabilty of hand craftsmen who are cheap as chips to employ mean that stuff can be churned out cheaply and quite convincingly aged looking.

There must presumably be some original somewhere that was copied but I lay long odds that anything without cast iron provenance is a repro, and it does not have to be recent, these things in one form or another have been finding their way from India to the Britiah antiques market for decades.

30 years ago I used to make a point of going to see all the repro wholesalers at the Newark Fair, just to learn what to look out for. When you can examine a big box full of 'rare' items it is a first class opportunity to learn what details to look out for.

 

I certainly am no authority on antique locks so can't add anything to whether authentic or repro. I did find another page with another of this same exterior design padlock. The head/bow of the key is like Komo's but not the tread part. Anyways, thought I'd throw it into the pile. The top of the page says "Ancient Style Padlocks." Note the use of the word style. Sooooo I suspect the locks on this page are repros? Scroll about 1/4th of the way down the page to "Screw Key Padlocks."
http://www.historyoflocks.com/padl002.html

--- Susan

 

I looked at the many nearly identical locks similar to OP's on E-boo. All fakes no doubt, from various seller names in a couple of different locations in India. Read some of their ads for a chuckle. For example. "If You Have Any Boggle About Item, Please Send Your Message Or Question for Inquires.".

 

Gee, I didn't realize there was a multitude of very similar exterior design locks on eBay! There are at least 9 on the following eBay page:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...ss+fitted+screw+locking+Iron+padlock&_sacat=0

--- Susan

 

I just singled out the one for illustration. I should have mentioned that there are quite a few others. ....... or did I?

Just because it is not exactly like yours, doesn't mean yours is not a reproduction. I am sure there are various differences in all of them and I am also sure that some are intentionally made to look older to deceive.

I might add that I collected padlocks for years and have some knowledge of the field. Most collectors have such locks in their collection but savy collectors know that the likelihood of them being antique is slim.

 

Sound as you Boggle then have.

 

Sure it could be a repro......& I thank ALL who've voiced an opinion here......but I was just asking if it looked more like the one from a lock website....or the one pictured from ebay.

Lady says it looks identical......& that's a good start !