✅ SOLVED Anyone know what this lock would have been used for?

iliveinahole

Jr. Member
Dec 20, 2021
61
126
Eastern Oregon
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Found this lock along with several other items in my grandparents old barn. Will focus on this lock for the moment, but hoping I could go through some other items I found to pick your brains to figure out.
So I haven't been able to find any marking other than the "PAT JULY 13, 1897". I'm sure I wasn't looking hard enough, but wasn't able to find one like it.
Included a couple pics of 2 other locks that I found near this one. There is more locks and keys and all the other locks were heavily caked with dirt and was able to clean them enough to see they were decorative. Nothing valuable, but cool to me.
Appreciate the help on advance.
Thank you!
 

Attachments

  • 20220226_213718~2.jpg
    20220226_213718~2.jpg
    206.7 KB · Views: 84
  • 20220225_025809.jpg
    20220225_025809.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 60
  • 20220225_025838.jpg
    20220225_025838.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 55
  • 20220226_212253.jpg
    20220226_212253.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 50
  • 20220226_214057.jpg
    20220226_214057.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 60
  • 20220226_214037.jpg
    20220226_214037.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 58
  • 20220225_025413.jpg
    20220225_025413.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 56
  • 20220225_025524.jpg
    20220225_025524.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 57

Red-Coat

Gold Member
Dec 23, 2019
5,211
16,328
Surrey, UK
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The first lock is an interesting find. It’s covered by Patent Number 586,104 granted in 1897 to Thomas McGlashan of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Essentially it’s an anti-theft device for people on the move needing to secure personal possessions (coats, valises etc) against loss. The jawed clamp could for example be locked down onto a coat and secured by a chain to something fixed.

“It is thought that this lock will be a very valuable device to traveling men, cyclists, and, in fact, to almost all persons who desire to leave articles of the class above enumerated without danger of the same being stolen or misplaced”.

Lock 1.jpg Lock 2.jpg Lock 3.jpg
 

Upvote 16
OP
OP
I

iliveinahole

Jr. Member
Dec 20, 2021
61
126
Eastern Oregon
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The first lock is an interesting find. It’s covered by Patent Number 586,104 granted in 1897 to Thomas McGlashan of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Essentially it’s an anti-theft device for people on the move needing to secure personal possessions (coats, valises etc) against loss. The jawed clamp could for example be locked down onto a coat and secured by a chain to something fixed.

“It is thought that this lock will be a very valuable device to traveling men, cyclists, and, in fact, to almost all persons who desire to leave articles of the class above enumerated without danger of the same being stolen or misplaced”.

View attachment 2012771 View attachment 2012772 View attachment 2012773
Nice job hunting that info down! I had no luck on the hours I spent looking online. Actually pretty funny what it was designed for and that they thought it was that big of a deterrent to keep clothes safe 😂
Very well done and think you so much for figuring out this strange lock 👍
 

Upvote 5

GoldieLocks

Bronze Member
Dec 28, 2019
1,075
1,122
Nevada
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Very nice, I suspect circa about 1890? Maybe it locked the barn door closed? But very fancy if it was for that. Try googling history of padlocks.
 

Upvote 1
OP
OP
I

iliveinahole

Jr. Member
Dec 20, 2021
61
126
Eastern Oregon
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Very nice, I suspect circa about 1890? Maybe it locked the barn door closed? But very fancy if it was for that. Try googling history of padlocks.
Thanks, I will👍 The hole by the "teeth" is so small a pencil wouldn't fit thru it. Barely got the cotton end of Qtip to go thru. A shoelace does, maybe it's to secure those 😁
 

Upvote 1

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top