Featured Need help identifying antique key

Discussion in 'Antique Discussion' started by lorijo, Oct 30, 2019.

  1. lorijo

    lorijo New Member

    I am hoping that someone can help me find out something about this key. It has been in my family for years. The story is my Bohemian ancestors brought this key with them from Bohemia. It is 5 1/2 inches
    long. I do not know what the letters mean on this key. Thank you.

    20191030_192057_compress71.jpg 20191030_192107_compress29.jpg 20191030_192036_compress51.jpg 20191030_192041_compress13.jpg
     
  2. blooey

    blooey Well-Known Member

    Very cool looking key - sorry no idea what it's for!
     
  3. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    Neat Key !!!!!
    I luv the slide !!!
     
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  4. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Welcome lorijo. This is not my area of expertise at all, but I love trying to chip away at mechanical mysteries. So, it is really 2 keys, one for a much more elaborate, maybe exterior lock & another for something simpler, like an indoor skeleton key? The disk with the letters slides from one end to the other? If I'm wrong, please explain any moving parts & how they move. The only thing I can say about the letters is that the F on its own line could be either for the Latin fecit, made it, or for fils, son in French. Or something else altogether.
     
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  5. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

  6. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

  7. daveydempsey

    daveydempsey Moderator Moderator

    The only thing I can find with ISVH

    Is.

    isvh.PNG
     
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  8. wiscbirddog

    wiscbirddog Well-Known Member

    You forgot the "F" Davey. ;)
     
  9. daveydempsey

    daveydempsey Moderator Moderator

    So I did :hilarious::hilarious:
     
  10. sabre123

    sabre123 Well-Known Member

    Seems odd that the "F" is orphaned like that. I guess it's possible they had a limited set of metal type to make negative moulds and they just jammed these letters together to fit the space. But that seems like a kludge.

    I don't know how much customized work they did back then, but maybe the ISVH was boilerplate, and they used the open space for a monogram. After all, this key is very elaborate...not your ordinary house key.

    Just an idea.
     
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  11. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Maybe it's a key, not an F. Or F for foundry is some language.
     
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  12. AJefferson

    AJefferson Well-Known Member

    Ha, found somthing similiar - a Berlin Key

    A Berlin key has two key blades, at each end of the key, rather than the usual single blade. The key is used like this:

    1. Unlock the door from the outside
    2. Push the key through the lock, so that the key protrudes from the inside of the door
    3. Open the now unlocked door and enter
    4. Close the door and lock the door with the key, which now protrudes from the inside of the door
    5. Take the key from the lock


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_key


    http://www.bruno-latour.fr/sites/default/files/P-36-Berliner-KEY-GBpdf.pdf
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2019
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  13. wiscbirddog

    wiscbirddog Well-Known Member

    Aren't the two ends of lorijo's key are too dissimilar to be a Berliner key?
     
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  14. AJefferson

    AJefferson Well-Known Member

    Yeah I noticed that too. Even the ones that are dissimilar are very close. Maybe it is just a double key.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  15. AJefferson

    AJefferson Well-Known Member

    Again, not absolute information but ...

    In hoc signo vinces

    In this sign thou shalt conquer

    Here is it on a Portuguese Coin.
    [​IMG]
     
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  16. AJefferson

    AJefferson Well-Known Member

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