I am cataloging my collection. Along with color photos, I am writing as much as I can on each lock and its maker. Below is some of the information I’ve found on Hillebrand & Wolf and the Star Lock Works. I may decide to publish all my research if there appears to be much interest in it.
The Star Lock Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was founded in 1836 by Conrad Liebrich, an immigrant from Germany. In addition to padlocks his firm produced trunk locks that were marked “C. Liebrich, Phila.” After his retirement in 1869, his two partners, Louis Hillebrand and Daniel Wolf, adopted the name Star Lock Works. Upon the death of Mr. Wolf and the retirement of Mr. Hillebrand, Wolf’s two sons, William and Louis, took over the business. The company continued until 1926.
Scandinavian padlocks came in a variety of sizes and were produced by a number of manufacturers. Those produced by the Star Lock Works are easily identified by the star surrounding the keyway. A Star Works catalog with only the name of Louis Wolf (no date) showed the padlocks with a small star on the side also. (These apparently are of a later date.)
The series of dots within the star at the bottom of the lock are the code for the angle cuts. One dot means no angle cuts, two dots a half angle cut and three dots a full angle cut.
