New here and have an excavated lock

JakePhelps

Hi! im new to this forum and i have a lock that i could use some help IDing and Pricing. I am not planning on selling it, as i keep all my metal detecting finds 😃 Just wanted to know the history behind it and how much its worth out of curiosity, also how old it is…I have heard it called a story lock and i think the National Hardware Company made it as the monogram suggests. someone also mentioned a small and large variety, which one could mine be? Any help would be aprreciated 😃 -Jake

JakePhelps

Sorry, heres the picks of it after i restored it 😃

Makinbakin

You are right it is a National Hardware Co.lock. It is called a push lock. that is what the slot on the bottom is for, a flat key. I posted a quarrie on here recently and ask the same questions and never received answers to the age or value either.
I was able to pick mine and open it and made a key for it in about an hour. I used it on a replica of a early American Strong box I made for my Grandson. Someone told me it is quite old and was made before they invented the tumbler lock system. I don’t know if that is true or not.