Author: jason

Welcome to Big Tree Keys and Locks

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Welcome to Big Tree Keys and Locks, home of my antique key and lock collection.

NEW! The new Blog section is up and running. Keep an eye out for informative articles, links, and interesting auctions (both on and off-eBay). It’s the section I’ll use to highlight locks and keys NOT in my collection, upcoming and past auctions of interest, and any other topics I feel interested in writing about. The website is a work in progress. Please excuse the mess of a home page and lack of content on many pages. The key category has several posts available for proper viewing. Since the majority of these posts were made, the collection has greatly grown to include over a dozen changeable bit keys, vault/safe keys, a myriad of folding keys, and over 60 unique pocket door keys. It has also grown to include European keys as well. I’m slow on updating the pictures, but if there’s something in particular you want to see feel free to request, and I’ll put that next on the list to post. Collection includes a Yale treasury key, Isham’s patent key, and changeable bit keys like these two:

changeable bit key 2 changeable bit key 1

Enjoy the unique antique keys and locks showcased and check out the resources section for more information on this great collectible field. Read the About Us Page for more information.

Resources for Collectors and Researchers of Locks and Keys

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Resources for Collectors and Researchers of Locks and Keys

This resource sections represents an evergreen effort to catalog books, websites, organizations, etc… that could prove useful for collectors and researchers of locks and keys. As I come across potential resources, I will add them to these ever-growing lists. Several resource categories exist, including: Old Catalogs, Books, Websites, Auction Records, Patents, and more. The resources listed below represent only a small fraction of what is out there. Keep an eye out for all types of resources…you never know where you will find mention of a lock or key in an old book. A + symbol at the end of a description means I either have a digital or paper copy of the file and can possibly help look-up something in it if needed. If you cannot locate a new copy of a book, try the normal used book locations (amazon.com, abebooks.com, alibris.com, ebay.com, etc…). Also, remember to search on books.google.com and openlibrary.org for possible copies of the book. These lists are just a beginning. Please keep an eye on it as it is ever expanding. Thanks!

Search Terms

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Search Terms

古锁 – Chinese for Ancient Lock 西藏迷宫锁钥匙 – Chinese for Tibet Maze Lock Key 西藏迷宫钥匙 – Chinese for Tibet Maze Key 西藏迷宫锁钥 – Chinese for Tibet Maze Lock and Key 古玩市场 – Chinese for Antique Market 錠前 江戸 – Japanese for “Locksmiths Edo”, or less literally Edo Era Locks chiave antica – Italian for Antique Key Chiave Antiche – Italian for Antique Key Clefs Anciennes – French for Antique Key jernaldernøkler- Norwegian for Iron Age Key

Books

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  • Keys and Locks in the Collection of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Available for free reading at the Smithsonian’s online library: +
  • On the Development and Distribution of Primitive Locks and Keys – Illustrated by Specimens in the Pitt-Rivers Collection – 1883. Available for free reading at Archive.org: +
  • The Lure of the Lock : A short treatise on locks to elucidate the John M Mossman Collection of locks in the Museum of The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen in the City of New York. Published 1928. Reprinted 1954. +
  • Keys and Locks Collection of Raf Declercq. ISBN 10: 9090183043. ISBN 13: 9789090183046. Published 2005. 224 pages. Written in Dutch, French, and English.
  • Antique Locks from the Collection of Josiah Parkes & Sons Ltd. 43 pages. Published in 1955.
  • Des Clefs et des Hommes. 125 Pages. Written in French.
  • Prunkstucke Art Treasures: from the Hanns Schell Collection. Written by Martina Pall. Published in 2005. Limited to 2500 copies.  The website for the collection is here:
  • Locks: A Collection of Masterpieces (Serrature: Una Collezione Di Capolavori). Written by Allesandro and Fiorenzo Cesati. Published in 2007. Written in Italian and English. 96 pages. Limited to 1000 copies.
  • Decorative Antique Ironwork: A Pictorial Treasury. Written by Henry Rene D’Allemagne. Contains illustrations of thousands of pieces, many from the Le Secq des Tournelles Museum of Rouen. Published in 1924 and republished since then.
  • Schloss & Schlüssel: Bestandskatalog der Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, Sammlung des Märkischen Museums Taschenbuch – 1995
  • Historische Schlüssel und Schlösser im Germanischen Nationalmuseum. Bestandskatalog. 2. erw. Aufl.by Manfred Welker
  • 古早中國鎖具之美 (The beauty of the old days, Chinese locks) by the National Science and Technology Museum in Taiwain (Chinese and English)
  • Schloss und Schlüssel über 2000 Jahre Geschichte in Bildern http://www.msd-kilian.de/Buch_Schloss_und_Schluessel.pdf (German)
  • Early Locks and Lockmakers of America by Tom Hennessy
  • Ancient Locks: The Evolutionary Development of the Lock and Key by Scott Klemm
  • Unlocking the Portals of History by Scott Klemm  
  • Early Combination Padlocks by Jon Millington. 2010  
  • Keys: Their history and collection by Eric Monk  
  • Des Clefs et des Hommes by Marc Feldman (French)  
  • Guardian rare treasure ancient lock, an eye-opener! Long article about chinese locks http://www.360doc.com/content/15/0607/22/17132703_476416679.shtml
  • Serrures du Pays Dogon. 223 pages.  
  • Locks From Iran: Pre-Islamic to Twentieth Century. Written by Parviz Tanavoli and John T Wertime. 151 Pages. Published in 1976 by the Smithsonian Institute.  

  • Die Stadtwüstung Nienover im Solling. Studien zur Sachkultur einer hochmittelalterlichen Gründungsstadt im südlichen Niedersachsen. (Materialhefte zur Ur- und Frühgeschichte Niedersachsens 39). 1. Aufl. by Sonja König.

    • Description per a bookseller translated from German to English using Google Translate: This book is the first of three that deal with findings, findings [topography, construction, attachment] and overall monitoring of prospecting and excavations of 1993-2001, which were carried out mainly in the center and western half of the oldest city of the Solling. The city with the same named castle lay on a landscape dominant spur and is historically only 1318/1320 as “civitas” and in the hall called “old town” tangible. The research yielded 52,622 individual finds, of which 50 355 Ceramic, 1,164 of iron, non-ferrous metal 149, 283 made of stone, 68 of slag and 18 are made of glass. The ceramic traces the forms and types of goods development of 1180-1270. Among the iron finds, inter alia, are Nails, hardware, locks, horseshoes, bridles, weapons and keys against in ferrous metal finds vessels, pendants, buckles, scales, coins, weights, etc. For stone whetstones and grindstones, cover and hand mills are mentioned. From glass existed as Rib cups and beads. The finds can be divided into five phases, which range from the pre- to nachstädtischen time and include three large fires in the town.

Magazines

  • Antique Collector February 1985-Early Locks & Keys
  • ANTIQUES JOURNAL Magazine – APRIL 1970 – Has a section on “Old Keys”

Other

  • Key Mysteries by Steve Drury (Available for purchase here)
    • “Key Mysteries is a unique study into Keys in magick and mystery entertainment.” This unique book takes a look at the use of keys in magic, with two sections. The first features a look at the symbolism of keys and their historical uses in magic. The second features about two dozen routines all utilizing keys in some way. With contributions by many famous magicians and positive reviews, this book should please those, both magicians and non-magicians alike. – NOTE: Please do not read the book if you do not want to spoil the impact of the magical routines detailed inside. For more info https://www.mysteryentertainerproducts.com/mysteries
  • The Paper Locksmith: A Collection of Locks to Cut Out and Glue Together. 2007. Written by Rob Ives. ISBN 10: 1899618031

Reference Material Vendors and Searches

http://www.hawleylocksupply.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=HLS&Category_Code=BKU http://www.antiqbook.com/search.php?action=search&l=en&owner_id=&full=Sluitwerk http://www.zvab.com/servlet/SearchResults?kn=Schl%F6sser+und+Schl%FCssel&sts=t Largest German Museum Library Online Search http://webopac.gnm.de/aDISWeb/app?service=direct/0/Home/$DirectLink&sp=Sserver-bib.gnm.de:5105 . More info (In English) can be found here: http://www.gnm.de/en/museum/departments-and-contact-points/library/ Bookfinder.com to help find books http://www.eurobuch.com/ to help find books in Germany http://www.kongfz.com/ to help find books in China http://image.so.com/ Chinese image search site (Ex search: http://image.so.com/i?q=%E5%8F%A4%E9%94%81&src=srp) http://baidu.com Chinese search engine http://www.360doc.com/ Chinese Scribd.com equivalent

Social Media and Forums

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Social Media and Forums

http://www.antique-locks.com/ Padlock Collector’s Facebook Group Crazy About Keys Facebook Group http://www.gusuo.net/forum.php in Chinese http://bbs.suoyiren.com/forum.php in Chinese (http://www.suoyiren.com/portal.php?mod=list&catid=122 for articles as well. See related categories for more) http://bbs.16618.cn/forum.php in Chinese. Locksmith forum https://twitter.com/historyoflocks http://bbs.artron.net/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1586785

Smaller Reference Sources

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Smaller Reference Sources

General Reference Books – With only Small sections on Locks/Keys

  • Classic French Wrought Iron – Twelfth–Nineteenth Century by Raymond Lecoq. Published in 2005. ISBN 10: 039373157X. ISBN 13: 9780393731576.
    • Contains chapters on locks, keys, and bolts.
  • Chatelaines: Utility to Glorious Extravagance. Written by Genevieve Cummins in 1994. ISBN 10: 1851492062. ISBN 13: 781851492060.
    • Contains information and pictures of  chatelaines containing keys.
  • Specimens of Ancient Furniture with descriptions by Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick. Published in 1836, 1866. Written by Henry Shaw and Samuel Rush Meyrick.
    • Pictures of at least one lock/keys from an old church of St. Pitie at Louvain.
  • The National Encyclopedia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge.
    • Contains a section on locks including a plate. Probably volume 8 for the section on locks.

Historical Reference Books – Hardware

Museums and Collections

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Museums and Collections