Wellfargo Express padlock and Key... value

Eagle11

Good afternoon, I have Wellsfargo CO & Express padlock and key, it is made out of brass, it works, opens and locks. I’m looking to sell this, if this is not the right forum please move it to the correct one. If you are interested buying this PM me.

Paul Prescott

Modern fake / fantasy lock. Made in India. 100 % certain that it is not a genuine lock. Value is therefore Nil. Sorry.

Eagle11

oldlock wrote
Modern fake / fantasy lock. Made in India. 100 % certain that it is not a genuine lock. Value is therefore Nil. Sorry.

Hardly it is made from Brass, weight about 2lbs.. It is the real deal.

[unknown]

Paul Prescott

I stand corrected. It’s worth whatever 2lb of scrap brass is worth. It is a Fake. It’s value to a collector is NIL.

timof5stars

As a newcomer to the world of old locks, I have taken several times by less than virtuous vendors. I shrug this off as “paying my dues” so to speak. It is the cost of my education. Believe oldlock - your lock makes a nice decoration, but like the two “Keen Kutter” locks, the “Admiral Navy” lock, the Lion’s Face lock – all of which I have sitting in a box, their real value lies in what they have taught me. It is easy to be misled - the Internet is flooded with locks that look old but aren’t - and it can sometimes be hard for even the experts to tell the difference.

Here are a few links you may want to glance at:

[INDENT]http://home.southwind.net/_drcwks/wellsfargofakes.html

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Lock_ModernWF.php

http://www.switchkeys.com/INDIA.HTML

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Locks.php

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes.php

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Keys.php[/INDENT]

In general, if it looks like you are getting an incredible deal, you are probably not looking at the real deal.

Remember the names of the vendors who deliberately misrepresent what they sell and then simply avoid doing business with them (But keep in mind many people sincerely believe they are selling a genuine antique even when they aren’t.)

If you are seriously interested in the highly collectible locks, then expect to pay the going rate and only deal with well established, well respected vendors who will stand behind what they sell. They are out there.

Finally, my most important rule: There is no such thing as a deal so good you can’t walk away from it.

Paul Prescott

It’s not my lock Tim, I’m merely telling the OP what he has got !!

timof5stars

Yep, I understood. I just didn’t get my sentence constructed quite right… 🙁-:

Eagle11

oldlock wrote
It’s not my lock Tim, I’m merely telling the OP what he has got !!

Not too sure how you can tell it is fake without holding it. I’ve had it now for about 30 years, it was given to me as a present.

[unknown]

Paul Prescott

It is a lock made in India with a badge applied to try to make it into something it’s not, there are a number of reasons why it is what it is. Take it to any of the lock collector shows and every seasoned collector there will tell you the same thing.

I have no intention of getting into a protracted discussion. I know for 100 % sure, I don’t need to hold it to be certain. I know and many others know what it is. Whether you accept it or not is up to you.

It is a fake / fantasy piece.

wylk

Eagle11 wrote
Hardly it is made from Brass, weight about 2lbs.. It is the real deal.

I do hope you will follow up with the links provided earlier, especially the one that points out there was never an original that looked like this (http://home.southwind.net/_drcwks/wellsfargofakes.html).

One thing that struck me in the image you included is that the lock was pinned together (see upper right corner of the case) then ground flat. “Back in the day” this wasn’t done (grinding flat). Look at the image (or the lock, in your case) and you can see the nice flat surface and the vertical surface-grinder marks. That’s a modern finishing technique. And the pin is far larger than it needs to be. And the shackle diameter is unexpectedly large. These attributes are typical of the locks that come out of Aligarh, India.

[unknown]

Adrian Weber

It is what it is:

A real Indian padlock
A fantasy lock and a fake of another real antique American padlock

🙁nod):

BBPO8

timof5stars wrote
As a newcomer to the world of old locks, I have taken several times by less than virtuous vendors. I shrug this off as “paying my dues” so to speak. It is the cost of my education. Believe oldlock - your lock makes a nice decoration, but like the two “Keen Kutter” locks, the “Admiral Navy” lock, the Lion’s Face lock – all of which I have sitting in a box, their real value lies in what they have taught me. It is easy to be misled - the Internet is flooded with locks that look old but aren’t - and it can sometimes be hard for even the experts to tell the difference.

Here are a few links you may want to glance at:[INDENT]http://home.southwind.net/_drcwks/wellsfargofakes.html

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Lock_ModernWF.php

http://www.switchkeys.com/INDIA.HTML

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Locks.php

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes.php

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Keys.php[/INDENT]

In general, if it looks like you are getting an incredible deal, you are probably not looking at the real deal.

Remember the names of the vendors who deliberately misrepresent what they sell and then simply avoid doing business with them (But keep in mind many people sincerely believe they are selling a genuine antique even when they aren’t.)

If you are seriously interested in the highly collectible locks, then expect to pay the going rate and only deal with well established, well respected vendors who will stand behind what they sell. They are out there.

Finally, my most important rule: There is no such thing as a deal so good you can’t walk away from it.

VERY well said! As a Wells Fargo collector of all the period artifacts, I couldnt agree more!

[unknown]