stephane wrotehi guys. came back from England with a beautiful (of course not in this condition) john tann, and very surprised by the weight of this one : very heavy for a compact size. no key with so need to cut one, work done today with some difficult, first because i am not familiar with this job and secondly because a part in the lock make me cut the key in a perpendicular way. this is my first type of lock.
no idea of the period for this safe but heavy weight and when i knock on this is not the habitual hollow sound. i doubt this is fire proof material. sound like concrete but not matching with the construction.
very interesting by details and original paint job for this model.
thanks in advance
Hello Stephane, this is a List 2a known in the factory as the ‘MM’ quality as it was Machine Made. It had a very extended production run from 1869 until 1900 and was probably the first British safe in which the body was bent from a single piece of wrought iron on each corner and then capped under an angle frame (as drawing).
This is not the original lock as you can see from the photograph but is of equivalent quality, if not even better by having false notches. The original lock was patented in 1854 as the Reliance Patent and is still held in respect as being unpickable due to the guarded lever which gave you a little problem when cutting a key.
The fireproofing will be the normal sawdust and salts mixture. The body plates are probably ¼'' thick which accounts for the weight.
The serial number, if you want the actual date of manufacture, will be stamped into one of the moving bolts.
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