Chubb Ratner Hobbs Price safe locks

Daniel John

Here are a range of safe locks from my collection.

I’m interested to hear what the community knows of them.

What is the quality of them?

Are they rare?

What would each be worth?

Thank you.

Gary Stephenson

very nice assortment, do you have internal pictures of the first pair of detent locks, and the tann locks?
the brass detent lock Is interesting, have not seen that one before

Daniel John

Thanks. I’m told the two Chubb Detent are from a Vault door.

Yes, the big brass Chubb dteent is a lovely lock. And other safe guys are also telling me its an oddity. Has its original keys too.

Have pulled them apart to get a few photos to show you.

Must’ve had a senior moment re ‘Tann.’ They’re not Tann, they’re Hobbs Protector!

Any info regarding rarity, and value would be appreciated from the Forum’s safe people.

Cheers.

Gary Stephenson

I thought from your first pictures the they looked like Hobbs locks, the non curtained one is unusual, no curtain and an unusually shaped iron block, one of the detents has been removed from the Chubb lock, this was quite common, and there looks to be some damage to the notches on the levers

Huw Eastwood

I’m still trying to get my head around the George Price. It’s got some features of the Ne Plus Ultra powderproof but have never seen a variant anything like that!

Brian Morland MLA Hon

is it the one that fits into the frame rather than the door? Slam latch action?

Huw Eastwood

Aha, I’d totally forgotten about those! That would certainly explain it. I should’ve remembered-I’ve got an old photo somewhere my father took of one he worked on in the early 70s, so just before my time.
I never got to see it, and never encountered one out on site in all the years after.
Wonder if they offered that frame mounted set-up on book-room doors and low level SRD’s or whether it was just that single oddball freestanding safe.

Daniel John

Hi Brian, Gary and HUW

Regarding the Chubb detent, yes the detent has been removed from one of the pair. The anti-pick serrations on the top lever are slightly damaged, the other levers are fine.

Regarding the Hobbs Protector that has no curtain, I’m told it is significantly older than the curtained one.

Regarding the George Price, yes, it is the slam action type. Safe collectors I’ve spoken to say they’ve vary rarely seen this kind. HUW, would you mind sharing the photo you have of such a lock.

Am I right in thinking that these safe locks in my collection are very high quality, rare, and thus valuable (I’m happy to be corrected!). They all came from London, from the stock of a long-passed locksmith. They’d been in storage 40 years or more!

Dan

Gary Stephenson

The George Price

Daniel John

Thanks for that Gary.

Given the lack of comments on the lock, and bearing in mind that the few comments that have been made are to the effect that hardly any have ever been seen (and that from very experienced safe men), it would certainly appear that the George Price lock is very rare indeed.

Gary Stephenson

I know of a few that have come across them, but I have never seen one in real life

Huw Eastwood

This was the one my father saw c. 1960s hence b&w photo. I’d even forgotten they were called the 20th Century- the joys of middle age!
Ididn’t pick up the tools til the early 80s so never saw that one or any others of that type.

They were discussed in this thread too
https://www.antique-locks.com/showthread.php/3809-George-Price-doors?highlight=Price+lock+frame

Daniel John

Thanks for the photos and thoughts guys.

And great thread you directed me to, HUW. My lock is referred to there, during discussions of the other variant. But, again, everyone speaks of it, and describes its operation, but says they’ve not seen one (and so have no photos!).

I have managed to find a single image, online, that shows my exact lock. And I am in the process of tracking down its owner, as would love more information on mine, especially time period and quality (for its time). Fortunately, that one includes its original key. Would love to have had an original key for mine. Nonetheless, the keys I have work perfectly, and I’ve got an assortment of really old Arthur Hough malleable blanks, some with rather decorative ‘Best Quality’ shanks. So will cut one of those when time permits. I was surprised at how thin the levers (eight of them) are in this lock. Very fine cuts to be made, indeed.

Suffice to say, it is a very rare lock.

safeman

Gary Stephenson wrote
The George Price

Some Price stuff for you anybody.

[unknown]

Gary Stephenson

fantastic.

safeman

Gary Stephenson wrote
fantastic.

I had one of these in the Safe Museum. The door was left open as the chamber had a very dramatic painted Victorian picture of masked burglars with their ‘dark lamps’ hovering around a Price safe with empty Swag Bags.

[unknown]

Huw Eastwood

Great info again John, I looked back at the NePlus Ultra threads and found this which Daniel and others may also find of interest- safeman’s post #20.
Again we are indebted to John (safeman) for making such incredible info available to all.

https://www.antique-locks.com/showthread.php/2021-George-Price-s-Ne-Plus-Ultra-Safe-Lock/page2?highlight=George+Price+20th+Century

Richard Phillips

I have an idea this appeared at the end of George Price’s life, when his Manager was not such a successful business as a factory manager. Price was then taken over by Gibbons at the beginning of the 20C becoming Gibbons’ safe division. I have seen an early 20C advert for this safe badged as Gibbons’ ‘20th centuy safe’.

Richard Phillips

Daniel John wrote
Thanks for the photos and thoughts guys.

everyone speaks of it, and describes its operation, but says they’ve not seen one (and so have no photos!).
Suffice to say, it is a very rare lock.

I visited a now-deceased collector and mentioned having seen a Gibbons advert for this safe, with a Price lock. Without a word, he just pulled open a drawer in a large metal plan cabinet (to take the weight of the locks in it!) and showed me several of them. I was overwhelmed with all that he showed me that day and cannot remember in detail everything I saw. Afaik, his collection has been dispersed, I know not where.

[unknown]

Daniel John

safeman wrote
I had one of these in the Safe Museum. The door was left open as the chamber had a very dramatic painted Victorian picture of masked burglars with their ‘dark lamps’ hovering around a Price safe with empty Swag Bags.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, amidst my ongoing research regarding my Price safe lock, I have happened upon this: An original, beautiful condition George Price 20th Century safe, for sale.

If I were in the UK i’d be buying this in a heartbeat. I’m sure it is worth every penny of the GBP400 being asked - the lock and keys alone would be! However, I’m not in the UK!

I recall that several of you have expressed disappointment at having never seen one, so here you go… It’d be great to see someone buy this very rare example of quality English engineering, from a bygone era. Judging from the years you have spent in the industry, it is people such as yourselves that deserve the privilege of owning such a piece.

Link to eBay listing (will need to be copied and pasted into your browser’s search bar):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386792668963?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338722076&customid=&toolid=10050

All the advice thus far has been most appreciated. Coincidentally, I have also managed to track down the owner of another Price lock identical to mine. With the exception of a non-original spring and key (mine), our locks are the same - Mr Palmer’s being number 1, mine no 11. His also has its original key, showing that these are, indeed, Price locks (there had been a suggestion to the contrary).

Credit to James T. Palmer for taking photos of his lovely lock for me, and for providing permission for them to be published here.

[unknown]