Locksmith History Collection Locksmith History Collection

Locksmithing has been in our family since 1895.

 

The pieces below span five centuries.  Each piece you see here has a unique story to go with it.    Several of our historical pieces were acquired from iconic local business and others passed down from generation to generation.  Feel free to browse our collection on your next visit to the shop.  Be sure to ask Jeff for the story behind your favorite lock or key!

 

 

 

 

Locksmith History

 

Time Delay Vault

 

 

This is an American made, Diebold Time Delay bank vault lock.  It came to be ours from a bank in downtown Olympia, when we upgraded the bank’s vault to a modern system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tyee Lock

 

 

Schlage Custom Made Lock, Circa 1940 – 1950

Tyee Totem Design

Prior to being in our collection, this lock was a ballroom entrance lock at the Tyee Motor Inn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yale vault prototype 1867

 

Yale, Permutation 01 1/2 Vault Lock – Prototype, Circa 1868

                                    This vault lock was patented September 15, 1868 by Linus Yale.  The complexity of this system was far beyond it’s time, features we use in today’s vault systems are seen here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17th Century Lock

 

 

 

17th Century Lock

This lock would have been handmade by a blacksmith.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Domestic Combination lock 2 Old Domestic Brothers 1912 lock

Domestic Combination Locks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19th Century American Door Key

19th Century American Door Keys

 

 

 

 

 

19th Century English Door Key 2

 

19th Century English Door Keys

 

 

 

 

 

Navy Sea Bag Lock Circa 1950

                                    Navy Sea Bag Lock, Circa 1950

 

 

 

 

 

Military Locks Late 1800's Army Lock late 1800s

American Military Locks, Circa Late 1800’s

 

 

 

 

 

 

20th and 21st century penitentary keys
20th and 21st Century Keys, still used today.
Penituary keys
Mid 1800s

20th and 21st century penitentary1800's Penitentary Keys

 

Penitentiary Keys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

mental institution 3

 

Mental Institution

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Handcuff Handcuff 2  Handcuffs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chinese Pad Locks 2 Chinese pad locks 3 Chinese Pad Locks

 

 Chinese Padlocks

These were some of the first pad locks.

 

 

 

 

 

Chinese reproduction of orginal padlock

Chinese Padlock, reproduction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YAle 1907 key machine

Yale Key Machine, Circa 1907

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

yale old and new

 

Key Machine

On the left is a 1961 machine that we used in the shop until just recently.

On the right is a 1995 key machine, which is the replacement model for the one on the left.