So I finally obtained an authentic key about two months ago! I've been waiting on a possible one to two more... but no such luck
As rare as it is, I suppose I should be thrilled to have even one... it's just that I know several of you here would kill for one of these
and it would've made for one HELL of a surprise package!! LOL. So now I'm kinda torn as to what to do (
if anything) with this one.
But for now, I thought I'd at least put some pictures up. There's a couple of interesting things worth noting here.
The very first thing I noticed and was not expecting, was a double-sided key. As we know, only one side of this key is required
to open these locks. So my biggest question here is... what does the additional bitting on the other side of the key go to??
Much older models? A different series possibly? From the link Sour provided earlier in this thread
we can see there's an enormous selection of these locks over a long period of time. The
second to the
last photo pictures a key setting along side a lock dated 1901. Even then, you can see the bitting on this
older key matches that of the key I currently have.
http://www.antique-padlocks.com/postal_rotary_a-z.htmAlso interesting (
but not surprising) is the
length of the key blade.
You can see the tip enters slightly into the base of the shackle.
I'm not an avid collector, but even a layman such as myself can appreciate these.
The history behind these mail locks run VERY deep and are truly fascinating.