I see older warded padlocks of this general design all the time. They come in lots of different sizes, and are made by a number of different companies. The better ones tend to have brass bodies. All seem to come with a convex steel face plate on each side giving them their signature appearance. The face plates may be stamped/engraved with all manor of logo, etc.
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I’ve taken to referring to the general class of locks as “them there pot bellied locks” or even “warded pot-bellies”. But on the chance I should ever need to communicate with locksmith-type person, what is the preferred tern to describe this general design of warded padlock if I don’t want to get a blank stare?
Second, I’m curious about these because I see so many of them from so many different companies, from Slaymaker to Yale. Who created the first of these pot bellies? Why was it so popular. Was its proliferation due to no licensing fee to use the design? Were the rights to use the design so inexpensive that manuacturers jumped on it? In short, where did the design originate and why did it become so popular with so many manufacturers?
