Brass combination padlock of unknown origin

Jerome

🙁hi): Hi all, I’m also new to this forum and have what is to me a rather unusual brass lock; I inherited it and am just keen to find out more about its origin and date.

It has the letters “L & C” and “8” and “45” stamped one below the other on the base plate. It also has “PAT PEN” on the side of the baseplate. It has 5 hexagonal turnwheels on each limb, with each face on one limb being numbers only and the faces on the other limb, letters of the alphabet.

The combination is supplied on a brass plate and consists of a 5 letter word and a 5 digit number. The machining tolerances seem to be very accurate as the lock does not open unless all turnwheels are perfectly aligned. It looks like it has never seen any use, as it was found in the back of an old drawer with the brass tag with the combination still attached.

Hoping someone could shed some light on this rather obscure (to me at any rate) lock!

Jerome

oldbiscuit

Jerome, I wish I could shed some light on your lock, but I’ve looked through all my books and looked at diferent web sites and can’t find another like it. It definetly is a rare and valuable lock that would look great in anyones collection.I would think it was probably from the early 1920’s to 30’s as that seems to be the time frame that most companies tried to come up with the better lock and you see so many different styles and designs. Value wise,I really don’t know where to put it. I would love to try to buy it from you for $50,but realistically I would think that you could get anywhere from $300 - $1000 or more depending on who sees it. If your trying to sell it I would recommend Ebay,or if your trying to assertain a value for insurance purposes I would say $1000. 🙁clap):

Jerome

Mark, thanks very much for your input. It is great to hear that something that I’ve saved from recycling in the local scrap industry has such potential! Hopefully there will be more info available somewhere.

Thanks again 🙁happy):