The Cleveland 4-Way lock is a lever tumbler lock with levers that have a design quite different from what we normally think of as a lever tumbler. Their tumblers are triangular/wedge shaped plates with a rod through them that acts as the pivot. The bottom edge of the triangle contacts the key and positions the opposite edge so that it is flush with the plug OD. When all 8 tumblers have been aligned that way the plug can turn. Keys and keyways were availble with a cross shape and an X shape, with the X shape being considered restricted.
Generally used in commercial applications, they were very popular for locking fare boxes on busses and trolley cars. Padlocks weren’t the only product as the cylinder was also fitted to many cabinet type locks on many different styles of fare boxes.
Originally produced in Cleveland Ohio, the comapny eventually moved to Chicago, Illinois and finally closed the doors and stopped production in the late 1980’s-early 1990’s. Padlocks were usually oval in shape when viewed from the bottom and had a selling price of $450 US to the end user. Keys were typically $75 US to the end user. They may be found at collector shows in the US for around $25-$50 without a key and $50-$75 with an operating key.
BBE.
