Confiscated Lock Picks from Penitentiary - Framed - Ebay Ad

[VancouverSpecial]

Hello Good Folks of KP,

Check out these confiscated lock picking tools from a State Penitentiary and mounted in a framed display. The ad indicates they are most likely from the Texas State Penitentiary.

Perhaps some of you more experienced guys could tell me more about the various tools?

The left side ones seem to be for use on Folger Adam-type lever locks whereas the smaller wire ones appear to be for use on pin tumbler locks. One of those wire ones looks similar to a two-peak bogota - cool! What about the big one in the middle? Tension tool?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Framed-Lock-Picks-Confiscated-State-Penitentiary-/111508110619?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19f666bd1b&ssPageName=RSS:B:SHOP:US:101



Pricey item though if you are wanting to buy it.

Happy lock hunting,
Sean

P.s. Mods feel free to move/remove this post as needed.


edit - forgot to ad link

[flywheel]

Sakballs, I know I can trust this seller already.

[VancouverSpecial]

Sakballs, I know I can trust this seller already.

LOL! I missed that completely.

[scudo]

I am surprised the ad hasnt been taken off as lock picks are not allowed to be sold on ebay, well not on the uk one.

[huxleypig]

Wow, this is great! The ones on the left look like impressioned lever lock keys. I can see a warded pick on the bottom right. Not sure why the coins are in there?

I love the inventiveness of them. I notice an ex- spoon and an ex-knife! I am guessing that all of these were taken from prisoners who never escaped? Because all the 'good' ones will have made it out with the escapee?

It reminds me of the breakout of Jenkin and Lee, from a South African prison in 1978. Wonderful story:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2311569/How-anti-apartheid-activists-broke-free-South-Africas-toughest-prison-set-homemade-wooden-keys.html

[Oldfast]

Oh wow. Very neat. I agree many of them look like crudely impressioned keys.

[VancouverSpecial]

Wow, this is great! The ones on the left look like impressioned lever lock keys. I can see a warded pick on the bottom right. Not sure why the coins are in there?

I love the inventiveness of them. I notice an ex- spoon and an ex-knife! I am guessing that all of these were taken from prisoners who never escaped? Because all the 'good' ones will have made it out with the escapee?

It reminds me of the breakout of Jenkin and Lee, from a South African prison in 1978. Wonderful story:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2311569/How-anti-apartheid-activists-broke-free-South-Africas-toughest-prison-set-homemade-wooden-keys.html

Hey Hux,

No idea why the coins are in there? Not even sure they are coins. Buttons perhaps? Looks like a "D" or "P" on them - must be of some significance.

I love your notion that these are likely the tools confiscate from unsuccessful attempts.

Thanks for posting the Jenkins and Lee story - what an amazing escape. I did some further reading and it took them many, many trials to finally make keys to get them out all of the doors.

Sean

[VancouverSpecial]

I am surprised the ad hasnt been taken off as lock picks are not allowed to be sold on ebay, well not on the uk one.

Maybe that's the key to selling lockpicking tools on eBay: frame them!

[Doogs]

Well being a penitentiary central boy most my life that shit ain't nothin! Of course trying to get some of the collections out of KP (no not KeyPicking I'm talking Kingston Penitentiary KP) might be worth the effort if eBay is willing to list it. Worst part is there's more jail keys/locks floating around these here parts than ticks on a hound but try to buy one.. it breaks my heart!

For those who don't know,
Kingston Ontario and surrounding area used to have the highest per capita convict incarceration population than anywhere in the world (don't know about the super jails in the States).
Kingston Maximum Penitentiary (closed) (museum)
Womens Maximum Penitentiary (closed) (museum)
Collins Bay Medium Security +( Collins Bay institution)
Millhaven Maximum Security +(Frontenac Institution)
Joyceville Medium Security+ (forget the name)
Quinte Detention Center (processing)
Brockville Jail (processing)
Rideau Correctional Center (closed)

ETA: Kingston Psychiatric was the sole location for the incarceration of the criminally insane in Central and Eastern Canada

[VancouverSpecial]

Heya Fellahs,

After reading about Jenkin & Lee I have been trying to imagine what locks and associated keyways these tools were made to work on? Not to mention what the actual keys looked like compared to these impressioned ones.

So I thought I'd round up some pictures of the various keys and locks in use in US prisons - then we get a better idea of which picks/impressioned keys were for which locks. I stuck to Folger Adam brand keys and locks as they seemed to have been the most widely used - however, I am not sure what was actually in-use in the Texas Penitentiaries (maybe one of you guys might know?).

Also, I'm not too sure of the proper names for the various keys and locks, so please let me know my mistakes or omissions


First the Folger Adam Lever Locks - 2 styles:

FA Key - flat key for the older style of FA lever lock


FA Prison Deadlock - older lever lock design - flat keys go in here


-

FA Paracentric Key - for use with the paracentric keyway series of lever locks


FA Prison Deadlock - Series 80 - newer version lever lock design - paracentric keyway



Now an early Folger Adam Mogul Cylinder - Pin Tumbler Lock:

FA 5-pin mogul cylinder key +
FA Mogul Cylinder - 5 pin - AR keyway - older type



Now we can compare the tools to actual prison locks and keys that were in use.


Cheers,
Sean


edit - various typos

[huxleypig]

Wow, this is great! The ones on the left look like impressioned lever lock keys. I can see a warded pick on the bottom right. Not sure why the coins are in there?

I love the inventiveness of them. I notice an ex- spoon and an ex-knife! I am guessing that all of these were taken from prisoners who never escaped? Because all the 'good' ones will have made it out with the escapee?

It reminds me of the breakout of Jenkin and Lee, from a South African prison in 1978. Wonderful story:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2311569/How-anti-apartheid-activists-broke-free-South-Africas-toughest-prison-set-homemade-wooden-keys.html

Hey Hux,

No idea why the coins are in there? Not even sure they are coins. Buttons perhaps? Looks like a "D" or "P" on them - must be of some significance.

I love your notion that these are likely the tools confiscate from unsuccessful attempts.

Thanks for posting the Jenkins and Lee story - what an amazing escape. I did some further reading and it took them many, many trials to finally make keys to get them out all of the doors.

Sean

Great story isn't it? True too. Did you get to see how they let themselves out of their cells? If not, they used a non-centrally pivoting wooden spindle with a key on it. This was on the end of a broomstick that they fed out of their feeding hatch so they could get to the outside of the lock. One of my favourite escapes.

While we're on the subject, another favourite was Daniel Luther Heiss not too long ago. Crazily they issued a picture of a master key to the prison on the front on the prison magazine! He befriended a long term inmate who (crazily again) had access to small jewellery making equipment. They both fled if I remember right.

The locksmithing aspect of these escapes is astonishing, given where they were. I am not sure if any of them had any previous locksmithing knowledge, would be good to find out.

[quabillion]

however, I am not sure what was actually in-use in the Texas Penitentiaries (maybe one of you guys might know?).

Texas uses Southern Steel brand lever locks. The company is based in San Antonio Texas. The locks and keys look pretty much just like the Folger Adam brand and work the same way, but in the keybow there is "SS" instead of the "A" that Folger Adam has.

This applies to TDCJ, not county jails or private contract prisons that happen to be located in Texas. Those places use whatever they want and it can be any brand, usually the lowest bidder.

TDCJ = Texas Department of Criminal Justice, state prison system of Texas.

[VancouverSpecial]

Well being a penitentiary central boy most my life that shit ain't nothin! Of course trying to get some of the collections out of KP (no not KeyPicking I'm talking Kingston Penitentiary KP) might be worth the effort if eBay is willing to list it. Worst part is there's more jail keys/locks floating around these here parts than ticks on a hound but try to buy one.. it breaks my heart!

For those who don't know,
Kingston Ontario and surrounding area used to have the highest per capita convict incarceration population than anywhere in the world (don't know about the super jails in the States).
Kingston Maximum Penitentiary (closed) (museum)
Womens Maximum Penitentiary (closed) (museum)
Collins Bay Medium Security +( Collins Bay institution)
Millhaven Maximum Security +(Frontenac Institution)
Joyceville Medium Security+ (forget the name)
Quinte Detention Center (processing)
Brockville Jail (processing)
Rideau Correctional Center (closed)

ETA: Kingston Psychiatric was the sole location for the incarceration of the criminally insane in Central and Eastern Canada

Thanks for the information. I went to University in Kingston and often went past those huge foreboding front gates of Kingston Maximum Penitentiary - like out a movie. I did not realize how many institutions were in the surrounding area, wow!

Photo of Kingston pen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston_Penitentiary#mediaviewer/File:Kingston_Pen_1.JPG


edit - fixed link

[VancouverSpecial]

however, I am not sure what was actually in-use in the Texas Penitentiaries (maybe one of you guys might know?).

Texas uses Southern Steel brand lever locks. The company is based in San Antonio Texas. The locks and keys look pretty much just like the Folger Adam brand and work the same way, but in the keybow there is "SS" instead of the "A" that Folger Adam has.

This applies to TDCJ, not county jails or private contract prisons that happen to be located in Texas. Those places use whatever they want and it can be any brand, usually the lowest bidder.

TDCJ = Texas Department of Criminal Justice, state prison system of Texas.

Great information!
This is one of the many reasons I enjoy KP so much - the massive depth of collective knowledge out there and people's willingness to share it so freely.
Thanks for a great discussion guys

[Doogs]

Well being a penitentiary central boy most my life that shit ain't nothin! Of course trying to get some of the collections out of KP (no not KeyPicking I'm talking Kingston Penitentiary KP) might be worth the effort if eBay is willing to list it. Worst part is there's more jail keys/locks floating around these here parts than ticks on a hound but try to buy one.. it breaks my heart!

For those who don't know,
Kingston Ontario and surrounding area used to have the highest per capita convict incarceration population than anywhere in the world (don't know about the super jails in the States).
Kingston Maximum Penitentiary (closed) (museum)
Womens Maximum Penitentiary (closed) (museum)
Collins Bay Medium Security +( Collins Bay institution)
Millhaven Maximum Security +(Frontenac Institution)
Joyceville Medium Security+ (forget the name)
Quinte Detention Center (processing)
Brockville Jail (processing)
Rideau Correctional Center (closed)

ETA: Kingston Psychiatric was the sole location for the incarceration of the criminally insane in Central and Eastern Canada

Thanks for the information. I went to University in Kingston and often went past those huge foreboding front gates of Kingston Maximum Penitentiary - like out a movie. I did not realize how many institutions were in the surrounding area, wow!

Photo of Kingston pen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston_Penitentiary#mediaviewer/File:Kingston_Pen_1.JPG


edit - fixed link

Hey VS:
Very cool pics! You should try to get down here for a visit sometime it's worth the tour. The walls for the KPW are torn down now and it's kinda weird being able to see the buildings from the road. Can't believe with alll my "connections in corrections" I can't get hold of any locks and keys. I guess they all got eBayed LOL.

I'll do the tour and take a ton of pics for the crew as soon as I get a chance. Some of the collections are a little bizarre even if they are not really lock related.