Featured Help, Origin and Age of this Lock

Information needed on this lock. Long bar in the center pulls out and the lock pulls apart to open. Key appears to double as a weapon.

 

This is a complete guess on my part, but I'd say the 1600s or 1700s. It looks very rough, but it looks like some pieces were made by machine.

 

I'd guess that spike is a tool rather than a weapon.

 

We have a lock expert in our midst, hopefully will see your thread soon!

 

Meanwhile, I messed with your photo . . .

 

Not enough views to assess it thoroughly. I hope it is an old lock but it appears to me that about 9 out of 10 "old" locks we see these days are new-made in India/Pakistan in an ongoing and fairly large industry.

 

hehh...bin there done that...

 

Here's a lock somewhat similar to yours. From India. It is a crude fantasy lock. Locks like this seem to fall into what the Indian sellers call either "push system" or "tricky strip system."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Old...317271?hash=item25b3cc8dd7:g:BREAAOSwu4BV4KOZ

I think any lock using either description should be considered a fantasy/fake/reproduction until proven otherwise.

 

Here are a bunch more, check 'em out!

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...ock.TRS0&_nkw=old+strip++system+lock&_sacat=0

 

She has been posting on Facebook sometimes. Probably busy with the holidays -- it's easy to post quickly on FB and then sign off. Here on the forums it is a bit more time consuming.

 

I know Bev, I will email her and tell her to look in

 

I'll show it to hubby when I get home in about an hour

 

It is harder to use the forum on the phone

 

Finally able to check in here, but hubby is now at a Board of Selectman's meeting. From all the locks I've seen, I believe it is Indian/Pakistani as someone mentioned and fairly new. Everyone makes the same mistake - older items were handcrafted with pride and are very well made. The rougher and scruffier looking an item is, in my experience, the newer it is. These things are churned out quickly for the export trade and no care goes into them. We have some very old, handmade locks that are much nicer than this.