1920s Master padlocks

Retro00064

I thought I would share what are probably the oldest Master padlocks in my collection. Both are apparently the kind where the outside of the laminated body was ground smooth. Both of these locks were purchased on eBay (and not too far apart in time either!).

The first one is stamped “MASTER”, “PAT’D”, and “4-22-24” on the bottom above the keyhole, and has the key number 14 stamped below the keyhole. What’s interesting is that, if that patent date on it is for Harry Soref’s laminated padlock patent, then they got the date wrong, because the actual patent date for Harry Soref’s patent is 4/19/1924, if I remember correctly.

The second one is similar to the first one, except that, unlike the first one, the rivets are not ground flat, plus the 4-22-24 patent date is replaced with “MADE IN U.S.A.” and the name “ACE” is stamped below the keyhole above the key number 204. This one seems to be in nice condition and still has 2 original keys.

I have a scan in Microsoft Word .doc format of the October 1931 issue of Master’s own magazine, The Master Padlock, “Published in the Interest of the Independent Hardware Retailer by the Master Lock Company”, courtesy of an eBay seller who is also a collector, that lists a number of lock models in a catalog-style format near the end of the magazine, including the #400 “Ace”. My second lock is stamped “ACE” on the bottom, so it seems that it is a #400 (with a different (earlier?) key design to the one pictured in the 1931 magazine to boot!). The first lock seems to be the same size, and the second lock’s keys slide into the first one’s keyhole, so the first one may also be an (earlier) #400.

Regards,

Zachary.

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

Very interesting, I have never seen the type with the rivets ground smooth. I would guess that it is from the first 1 or 2 years of production. It should also have remnants of black paint that was used to further disguise the laminations.

I have noted that many times the same keyway was used for different models and only the shape of the bow was changed. According to the records I have the #400 ACE model was first made in 1926 and was later discontinued but I don’t have the disc. date. The earlier lock is most likely a #300 GEM which was introduced in 1924.

Master Lock doesn’t keep a lot of historical information. I have worked here for 12 years now and have probably gathered all the info available. The original patent 1,490,987 was issued April 22, 1924.
BBE.

Retro00064 wrote
I thought I would share what are probably the oldest Master padlocks in my collection. Both are apparently the kind where the outside of the laminated body was ground smooth. Both of these locks were purchased on eBay (and not too far apart in time either!).

The first one is stamped “MASTER”, “PAT’D”, and “4-22-24” on the bottom above the keyhole, and has the key number 14 stamped below the keyhole. What’s interesting is that, if that patent date on it is for Harry Soref’s laminated padlock patent, then they got the date wrong, because the actual patent date for Harry Soref’s patent is 4/19/1924, if I remember correctly.

The second one is similar to the first one, except that, unlike the first one, the rivets are not ground flat, plus the 4-22-24 patent date is replaced with “MADE IN U.S.A.” and the name “ACE” is stamped below the keyhole above the key number 204. This one seems to be in nice condition and still has 2 original keys.

I have a scan in Microsoft Word .doc format of the October 1931 issue of Master’s own magazine, The Master Padlock, “Published in the Interest of the Independent Hardware Retailer by the Master Lock Company”, courtesy of an eBay seller who is also a collector, that lists a number of lock models in a catalog-style format near the end of the magazine, including the #400 “Ace”. My second lock is stamped “ACE” on the bottom, so it seems that it is a #400 (with a different (earlier?) key design to the one pictured in the 1931 magazine to boot!). The first lock seems to be the same size, and the second lock’s keys slide into the first one’s keyhole, so the first one may also be an (earlier) #400.

Regards,

Zachary.

[unknown]

Scott Klemm

Your posting sparked my interest in the old, smooth style Master padlock. I remembered that I had one too, but hadn’t paid much attention to it. Mine is different than yours. Notice that the name Master has different lettering including a fancy M. Incidentally, the April 22, 1924 patent (#1,490,988) issued to H.E. Soref is for a “combined padlock and doorbolt.” It doesn’t resemble either of our padlocks.
I have included pictures of my padlock for comparison.
Scott

Dean Nickel

Here are the patents

us1490987.pdf

310kB

us1490988.pdf

265kB

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

As mentioned in my other post on this same subject in a different thread, the one with the patent date was likely manufactured between 1924 - 1926. It would have been named GEM and been the model #300. The ACE was the model #400 and production started in 1926. The patent referred to is 1,490,987.

Most ground locks were also painted black to further disguise the laminations.
BBE.

Retro00064

Nice lock Scott, thanks for posting. I don’t think I’ve seen one like yours before, although one time on eBay someone had listed some old Master padlocks, with one of them being one of the adjustable-shackle tire/bike locks that used an interesting font for the “Master Lock Co.” stamping on the bottom that was similar to yours as I recall, except that the text was all on one smaller line. The lock also had the “Master” stamping on the shackle, if I remember correctly.

Here is an old thread on these forums from 2009 with an even later variation of our locks. The font for the “Master Lock Co.” stamping on the bottom of Mike’s lock is typical for 1930s Master locks. The plaque containing “Patented” and “Made in U.S.A.” stamped on the top of the lock, which your lock also has, was used on other Master locks in the 1930s such as the “Secret Service” #5 pin-tumbler padlock. The two 1920s locks that I posted above do not have any visible markings on the top. The first one with the patent date has a flat top and the second one has a “bump” on the top.

Master was making smoothened-down padlocks as late as the late 1930s, because there used to be a couple of Master catalog ads from 1938 or 1939 on eBay, and one of the ads featured one of the smoothened-down padlocks.

Thanks for the patents, Dean. So it seems that Master may not have gotten the patent date wrong on my lock after all.

Regards,

Zachary.

Scott Klemm

Here is what I regard as an uncommon Master padlock. It’s high security in the sense that the shackle is protected from being cut or sawed. The part of the shackle that is round (at the left) will turn if anyone attempts to use a hacksaw. Counting the notches on the key, it has four pin tumblers.
Does anybody have a patent date for this lock or can provide additonal information?
Scott

Retro00064

It’s a Master #37 padlock. It seems to be basically a #3 with a special shackle. The 37 on the bottom is the model number. This is one of those locks where Master did not prefix the model number with “No”. I think these locks were called the “Armorlock” or something similar; some searching on eBay shows some eBay stores using the name “Armorlock” in the listing title for these locks. I may have seen some of these in the original packaging with a name on the packaging back when I was actively monitoring eBay for antique and vintage Master padlocks, but that was a while back.

I have one of these with 2 original keys (of the modern design, like yours has) that looks just like yours except it has the key number stamped in ink right on top of the “Master Lock Co.” stamping above the keyway.

Apparently, Master still makes these locks; here is their product page for it on their website.

So the shackle guard/sleeve spins on yours. Can you remove it when you unlock the lock? The details of this model lock on the Master Lock website at the link above The one on mine neither spins nor comes off, but is stuck in place; perhaps someone glued it on or whatever.

As far as dates go, since your lock and my lock have the metal bumper, I’d say that they might be from the 1970s or 1980s. As far as patents go, I am not sure if there is a patent for the #37’s design. I think there may be a patent for the metal bumper that our #37’s feature.

When I just searched for these locks on eBay, I found a completed listing for one which had an earlier key design which came before the current design that your lock and my lock have. Here’s the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Master-37-Armored-Trailer-Coupler-Latch-Lock-/280799295649?pt=Motors_RV_Trailer_Camper_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4160f138a1.

Regards,

Zachary.

Scott Klemm

Thanks, Zachary, for the information! I must admit that before your posting, I didn’t consider Master padlocks very collectible and didn’t pay too much attention to them. You’ve made me reexamine what I have in a new light.
Yes, I can remove the guard/sleeve off the shackle. It fits tightly so it won’t fall off. Until you asked, I never even bothered to see if it could be removed.
The number on my key is not stamped in ink, and on the other side is stamped Master above a design of lines simulating the lamination of the padlock.
Scott

Pschiffe

Master does indeed still make the No. 37 “Armorlock” shrouded laminated steel pin tumbler non-rekeyable padlock which features a revolving shackle guard. At one time it was also sold with their now-discontinued No.425 outboard motor lock. Base model suggested list price is $15.29, up-charge options are:
*BumpStop anti-bump cylinder technology $1.00
*Keyed Alike $.95
*Master Keyed $4.70
*Edge Key Control 4-pin cylinder $9.80

Pete Schifferli

Retro00064

Scott Klemm wrote
Thanks, Zachary, for the information! I must admit that before your posting, I didn’t consider Master padlocks very collectible and didn’t pay too much attention to them. You’ve made me reexamine what I have in a new light.
Yes, I can remove the guard/sleeve off the shackle. It fits tightly so it won’t fall off. Until you asked, I never even bothered to see if it could be removed.
The number on my key is not stamped in ink, and on the other side is stamped Master above a design of lines simulating the lamination of the padlock.
Scott

No problem, Scott. The ones that I like to get are ones that are still in the original box with the keys or combination tag, as well as ones like the 1920s padlocks that I posted and other unusual/hard-to-find models that are worth getting even without a box. I seem to have also looked more for the earlier/est versions of a model, though perhaps I should go for later versions from the 1940s and 1950s as well. eBay is, of course, the place where these locks can be found and where I have gotten most of mine (and almost all of my new-in-box locks).

Master took pride in their locks back in the old days. Just look at attached photos of the original 1930s boxes for a few classic locks that Master still makes today: the #1500 combination padlock, the #5 pin tumbler padlock, and the #22 warded padlock. As the scan of the 1931 Master magazine that I have says, “Packed only as MASTER packs them.” And yes, the locks and their keys or combination tag were still in the boxes when I took the photos. The #1500 “Champ” is one of the original steel-cased ones, by the way. They later made the case brass, and eventually stainless steel, which is still used today.

“Supreme/Superior Quality and Workmanship Throughout!” They weren’t kidding back then, it seems.

I wish I knew what the original boxes to the 1920s locks that I posted and even the one you posted looked like. Perhaps someday I’ll find out and maybe even obtain one.

By the way, when I talked about the key number being stamped in ink in my above post about the #37, I was talking about it being stamped in ink on the bottom of the lock right on top of the “Master Lock Co.” stamping, not on the keys. The grammer may not have make this clear; sorry. My #37’s keys, just like yours, have the key number simply stamped into the back, with no ink.

Anyway, enough yakking on my part. 🙁blush): Glad to be a member of this forum and be able to share some of my locks.

Regards,

Zachary.

[unknown]

Retro00064

BBE wrote
Very interesting, I have never seen the type with the rivets ground smooth. I would guess that it is from the first 1 or 2 years of production. It should also have remnants of black paint that was used to further disguise the laminations.

I have noted that many times the same keyway was used for different models and only the shape of the bow was changed. According to the records I have the #400 ACE model was first made in 1926 and was later discontinued but I don’t have the disc. date. The earlier lock is most likely a #300 GEM which was introduced in 1924.

Master Lock doesn’t keep a lot of historical information. I have worked here for 12 years now and have probably gathered all the info available. The original patent 1,490,987 was issued April 22, 1924.
BBE.

Hi BBE:

For some reason, your posts here have not been visible to me until now, but many thanks for the great information!

The #300 “Gem” is listed in the October 1931 Master Padlock magazine scan that I have, but is shown as having the corrugated/zig-zag keys, so I did not really consider the earlier lock to be one until now. Perhaps the keyway and keys were changed later on after my lock was made; after all, as shown in that magazine, the #510 and #517 adjustable-shackle padlocks, which are still made today, originally had flat keys instead of the corrugated keys they got later on.

If the earlier #300 “Gem” lock was painted, then there is very little paint left on it. There are some little places on it that look like they could be paint remnants, though. Whether this lock was painted or not, it certainly looks like it could pass for a solid-steel lock, lol.

The #400 “Ace” seems to be fairly shiny, so I don’t know if it was even painted at all, though there are some white-looking areas on the body that do not seem to be so shiny.

Anyway, thanks again. The earlier #300 being from 1924 to 1926 would certainly make it the oldest one I have, lol. The great stuff you can find on eBay; I don’t remember exactly how much I paid for these, but I’ll say it was probably somewhere around $15 to $20 each.

Regards,

Zachary.

[unknown]

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

Retro00064 wrote
By the way, when I talked about the key number being stamped in ink in my above post about the #37, I was talking about it being stamped in ink on the bottom of the lock right on top of the “Master Lock Co.” stamping, not on the keys. The grammer may not have make this clear; sorry. My #37’s keys, just like yours, have the key number simply stamped into the back, with no ink.

Regards,

Zachary.

There is an interesting evolution to the marking of the code on locks at Master. Originally the locks were marked with the code starting around 1931 when the first pin tumbler models were made. This was a hard stmp on the bottom plate of the lock. Somewhere around 1977 that hard stamping was eliminated anad the locks were marked with the code in ink on the bottom.

That change was made because there were a lot of locksmith code books that made it into the public domain and having the code hard stamped on the lock made it pretty easy to compromise by just getting a key to that code. When the ink was used the packaging recommended recording the number and then removing the ink, which hardly anyone ever did.

Sometime in the 1990’s the marking with ink was discontinued for the same reason the hard stamping had been eliminated plus that people just didn’t remove the ink. Today the code is only stamped on the keys and that is done in two ways. 1. A hard stamp if the keys were cut in Milwaukee. 2. A hard stamp made with a dot stamper if the keys are cut in the Mexico assembly factory. That too may change some day.
BBE.

[unknown]

Retro00064

BBE wrote
There is an interesting evolution to the marking of the code on locks at Master. Originally the locks were marked with the code starting around 1931 when the first pin tumbler models were made. This was a hard stmp on the bottom plate of the lock. Somewhere around 1977 that hard stamping was eliminated anad the locks were marked with the code in ink on the bottom.

That change was made because there were a lot of locksmith code books that made it into the public domain and having the code hard stamped on the lock made it pretty easy to compromise by just getting a key to that code. When the ink was used the packaging recommended recording the number and then removing the ink, which hardly anyone ever did.

Sometime in the 1990’s the marking with ink was discontinued for the same reason the hard stamping had been eliminated plus that people just didn’t remove the ink. Today the code is only stamped on the keys and that is done in two ways. 1. A hard stamp if the keys were cut in Milwaukee. 2. A hard stamp made with a dot stamper if the keys are cut in the Mexico assembly factory. That too may change some day.
BBE.

Thanks for the information, Billy. Of course, the stamping of the key code on the padlocks started even earlier as seen on my two 1920s padlocks in the original post, right? Otherwise, I do not know what those numbers are below the keyhole on them.

From what I’ve seen, it seems that Master never stamped the key code on the keys to their warded padlocks, unless they did at one time for the keys to at least some models and I just haven’t seen any examples yet.

When did Master stop stamping the Master plaque border on the bottom of the laminated-steel pin-tumbler padlocks, which they then stamped the key code in? I have two old Master #5 padlocks, apparently from around the 1970s, that do not have bumpers and have the key code stamped in ink inside the plaque border. A photo is attached. For what it’s worth, the #5 on the left in the photo is in very nice condition, as if it saw little use. Kinda makes you wonder what happened to the original box and keys. 🙁think):

Regards,

Zachary.

[unknown]

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

Retro00064 wrote
Thanks for the information, Billy. Of course, the stamping of the key code on the padlocks started even earlier as seen on my two 1920s padlocks in the original post, right? Otherwise, I do not know what those numbers are below the keyhole on them.

From what I’ve seen, it seems that Master never stamped the key code on the keys to their warded padlocks, unless they did at one time for the keys to at least some models and I just haven’t seen any examples yet.

When did Master stop stamping the Master plaque border on the bottom of the laminated-steel pin-tumbler padlocks, which they then stamped the key code in?
Regards,

Zachary.

As I mentioned, there isn’t a lot of historical information available. I would guess that stamping the code on warded locks was likely stopped when pin tumbler production started in 1931. You are right that the code was never stamped on wardsed keys. Re the little plaque stamping on the bottom of the locks I asked around in engineering and no one remembers but it was likely stopped when we stopped stamping the inked code in the 1990’s.
BBE.

[unknown]

Retro00064

Here’s an early Master hasplock, apparently from circa the mid 1920s. The padlock part has the same early Master markings with the April 22, 1924 patent date on the bottom as the padlock in the opening post. This lock does not have the rivet heads smoothened off, however. The hasplock still has a good amount of black paint remaining, which, based on BBE’s information, is probably original to the lock. I don’t know for certain which model it is, but I’m guessing it could be the #350, the hasplock version of the #300 “Gem”. The hasp is stamped “PAT. PEND.” to the left (in the photo) of the slot for the staple, yet Master’s hasplock (“combined padlock and doorbolt”) patent was granted on the same day as the laminated padlock patent: April 22, 1924. So I’m not completely sure whether the “PAT. PEND.” marking refers to a different patent (I have not found one yet) or Master was just using up old stock hasplock hasps from before the patent was granted. Any comments/information appreciated as always.

Dean Nickel

Once a machine is setup to do a manufacture run you might not take it down and make a change for a while, days-weeks, so this might be a case that they didn’t want to waste money to make that change until the machine was being changed due to wear. They were not worried being the patent was referred to and they had it later.

Retro00064

Good point, Dean, especially since Master was a young company at the time.

Here is a really early, pre-patent Master laminated padlock with an original key. The top of the lock is stamped “MASTER”, “6” (presumably the key number) and “PAT. PEND.” The bottom is unmarked. The key is also stamped with the number 6, but is otherwise of the same design as the keys to my early #400 “Ace” padlock shown in the opening post. Just like the rustier padlock shown in the opening post, said to be a #300 “Gem”, this lock has the rivet heads smoothened off. This lock is, as you can see, well-weathered, but still has some black paint remnants on it, especially on the right side. Other than the different markings, this lock is identical to the one in the opening post. I wonder whether this padlock is also a #300 “Gem” or if it could have had some other model number, as BBE said the #300 was introduced in 1924, the same year the patent was granted.

Regards,

Zachary.