Found a strange looking brass keyhole escutcheon today. Need help dating it.

[FreeBirdTim]

I managed to get out for an hour today. Only had two good finds, a 1928 wheatie and a brass keyhole escutcheon. The escutcheon has a very strange design. The top opening looks like a skeleton key would fit inside it, but the bottom opening is a mystery. Not sure what the heck it would go around. Check out the photos and give me a guess as to it's age and why it was manufactured with the weird bottom opening. Thanks!

 

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[trapperart]

Maybe the door handle was a single lever and not a round knob it would be in bottom hole.?

 

[SusanMN]

My guess on age would be 1880's - 1900's.

 

[kcm]

The bottom hole could be just decorative, but with the positioning, I would tend to think that there was a sort of clasp shaft that would fit through the lower hole. With a slight twist, it would lock. Could not be unlocked without the key.

It might also be that there were two keys - one a standard key, and the other designed to fit in the lower hole, which would disable additional pins or a catch of some sort.

...I really don't have a clue what I'm talking about, so don't take my words for anything but those of a madman!!

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Thanks for the help, guys. This one's going to bug me! I'll be doing a Google image search until I find a photo with the lock setup. Maybe from a desk, but that's just a guess on my part.

It doesn't have any screw holes, so it must have been tapped into pre-drilled holes in the wood. Strange way to attach an escutcheon...

 

[boogeyman]

Check Grandpa Snazzys 1832 S Broadway Denver, CO 80210 Don't have the phone number here with me. Call them and arrange to send them a picture. Tell them you're looking for matches to it & ask if they can send you a copy of the catalog page if they have it (they usually do!). They've been a big help to me over the years for locks I've been restoring.