Fake Scroll Story Lock?

granite state

I just got a scroll padlock, that I think is a reproduction, now that I have it in hand. The lock is 4 ½ inches, which is too tall. Franklin Arnell lists this lock as 3 ¾, #9 in story locks. The lock has been varnished at some time and that is chipping off, mostly gone on the front, there is a small bit of surface rust, a magnet sticks to it and the hasp, but the hasp has a recent looking rub/machining off to the side which worries me, with the varnish over it, that I swore was brass. However, the magnet sticks to it. Maybe the varnish is yellow?

Has this padlock ever been reproduced? I am thinking about returning it. It just doesn’t look right.

Thanks for any help!

Paul Prescott

I would tend to agree with you. It’s too clean and crisp & the key in particular does’nt look right. Plus the colour as you say is not natural patination of the metal but an applied finish.

amazing01

If it is a repro, it is a darn good one. In regards to the key, true it doesn’t look like an original but I like it! I wouldn’t mind a good lookin’ lock like that hanging on my wall.

Cheers, Mike D_C/

Angusbuddy

Don’t give up the ship yet! I think what you have is real and just not seen before to to many collectors. When Frank measured the locks for his guides he did not include the clevis which might account for the discrepancy you mention. As for the key it’s a fancy lock and Trenton probably figured a fancy key would be nice to go with it. I have a original key for a Sunflower in mint condition that is very similiar but just not as fancy.

Then look at the lock # 25 the Werewolf and note that the same body shape and rivet patterns are identical. If it were a repo I would think the person would have made more then one to sell. If we start seeing the market flooded in the near future the repo idea would hold more water. I would consult some of the more knowledgeable Story lock collectors to get their input before sending it back. I think you have a little bit of a real treasure there. Good Luck, John;-)

granite state

The inside, which is tricky to see, is also suspicious. You can shine a light at the keyhole and see all of the way up to the hasp opening, there isn’t much there and none of my truly old locks are built like this. The lock works; nice (maybe too nice) snap when you open it. At the opening of the hasp, it is held in place by a shiny metal pin, which looked too shiny as well as the interior walls with small sections of fresh rust. You shouldn’t be able to see all of the way through the inside of a lock like this, should you? I generally have smokehouse locks and they are quite substantial, with the hasp held down by something bigger than a pin and no way you can see right through or very far into the works at all. The owner says they’ll take it back, but insisted it was in her family 70 years. I doubt it.

Thanks for weighing in!

oldbiscuit

Looks like a fantasy to me also. The case rivets look like they have a pin in the center of them and the grinding marks on the bail wouldn’t be there on such an ornate lock from the period. The fact that there is shiny metal inside the lock should be evidence enough as I’m sure that unless the lock had been stored in a airtight container all these years there would have been surface rust even on the inside.Even the best and knowledgable collectors get caught now and then,I’de get my money back but thats just my opinion. Good luck, Mark

amazing01

I don’t want to be out of line here but may I ask how much you paid for this lock???

I have come accross a few repro locks and lock related items that suprised me when I found out that they were repros. For me, it is a matter of how nice it is vs how much money it costs. If the price is right on the item, I consider it a good buy, repro or not. I will give you an example……

I knew full well that there were a lot of Keen Kutter repros floating around and knew how to tell them from the real thing, or so I thought! I knabbed one online for a real good price and it didn’t have any of the tell-tale signs of being a repro but when I got it, I put it side by side to a genuine one and noticed some differences. There was no patend dates on it and the shackle was a little too rough casted. After a little investigation, I discovered that it was a fake. The lock is very nice looking, it works perfectly, and I really like it. I paid less than $40. for it and I am good with that. The education I got was worth the cost of the lock. =)

Cheers, Mike D_C/

granite state

$416, way too much to keep it as a lesson-learned/curiosity. This would have been my only scroll lock, so I’ll keep locking for an original as funds allow. I have already sent this one back, took some closer photos. Hopefully the seller, who promised a refund, is straight with me.
Thanks for all of your help!

Paul Prescott

Hope you get your refund promptly. Thanks for posting the lock and images here, hopefully it may help someone else avoid a costly error in the future.

amazing01

Yeah, that’s way too much for even a good repro. I hope they do you right and give your money back without a problem.

Cheers, Mike D_C/

granite state

At this point, the seller said to send it back which I have done, insured and signed for, with delivery in a couple of days. The seller hasn’t responded to my e-mails with the tracking number and I have opened a dispute/request for a refund with PayPal. I also put it on a credit card, which protects me. I have attached some photos showing some of the machining and the lack of ‘innards’. The key also has a bad spot, a filled in hole in the decoration, indicative of a poor casting. I am more and more certain this is new. It looks great from far away! Buyer beware.

djhlocks

You can find all of the known varieties of the Scroll Padlock on my website: http://www.antique-padlocks.com/story_scroll.htm

Be well, David.