exwisehe wroteAmerican Lock Manufacturing Co of Chicago appears in the Automobile Trade Directory of January 1922. The ad indicates it was formerly Baird Lock Company and uses the trademark, “Grip Tumbler.”
From Locks and Lockmakers of America, Rev. 3rd Edition, © 1976, 1997 by Thomas F. Hennessy, pg. 79:
In 1912 John Junkunc, who had arrived from his native Hungary several years before, worked as a railroad machinist in Boise, Idaho. In his spare time, he loved to invent and to improve things mechanically. So he designed and built a number of gadgets and small tools. One of these was a keyless (combination) padlock, which it is said he invented out of necessity because of constantly misplacing the keys for a regular key padlock used on his job.
[/I][I]It could be said that the Junkunc Bros. - American Lock Co. really had its start with this padlock. Fellow workers were so fascinated with the keyless padlock that the young inventor was literally "snowed under" with orders. He eventually had to resign his regular job with the railroad and devote his time to "manufacturing" combination padlocks. Several years later, he moved to Chicago where he married and set up manufacturing operations in the basement of the family home on 76th Street.
[/I][I]In addition to the combination padlock, two of the young inventor's other padlock designs were the company's now famous ball-locking key padlock and ring-type padlock for the exposed spare tires carried on early automobiles. Old employees of the firm recall with pride when "The Boss" bought a new shiny, black Model T Ford in 1920. He promptly improved the purchase with a new idea for a combination throttle-steering lock, which was later marketed with success. This was followed by the development and introduction of the hardened shackle and a complete line of solid extruded padlocks having the steel locking ball feature. [/I](much more info can be found in the volume cited above)
Pete Schifferli
[unknown]
