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Article on
Padlock Collection, by: Andrew Onsizczuk
Locks have
fascinated me since I was very young. My youth was spent taking apart and
putting back together various mechanical things, but I recall the strong
allure of the intricate lock mechanism. How is it possible that when
somebody uses a lock, only that somebody can open it? The mystery of the
lock drove me to stop wondering and to start learning.
During my early
teenage years, I made a pest of myself at the local neighborhood lock
shop, Hoernel Lock & Key. After repeated attempts at getting an
apprenticeship, I was finally granted a job as the “In-Shop” locksmith.
There I was able to learn more about this mysterious game that has been
on-going since the ancient Egyptians developed the pin tumbler lock
mechanism: for every forced or picked lock, someone always responded with
a padlock of a stronger or more pick resistant design. My locksmithing job
at Hoernel taught me a lot about locks, but I also learned by researching
padlock patents from the internet and discussing lock designs and
inventions with fellow padlock collectors from as far away as the
Netherlands. The learning never ends.
Man has always
fought off marauding intruders from day one, but now this game has gotten
much more sophisticated in the last 150 years. The 550 padlocks in my
collection are an interesting cross section of the attempts of man to
protect against thieves, vandals, and saboteurs. The many clever padlocks
that I enjoy finding and learning about are a very real piece of history
as well. But clever inventions are only one reason that I collect. The
other is the rich history that the padlocks have.
From my collection
are relics from Kenosha’s past: a switch lock from the Milwaukee Electric
Railway & Transit Company, a brass padlock made for and marked with the
Nash logo, and a dark, crusty heart shaped lock operated with a skeleton
key that came from a switch on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad.
Remember the North Shore Line? I have two padlocks that were used on this
railroad at some unknown point between Chicago and Milwaukee. But old
locks are only half of my padlock collection; I also have modern high
security padlocks from Sweden, Poland, Russia, England, Argentina, France,
and Italy.
To me, collecting
padlocks is preserving history and marveling at human ingenuity.
I would like
to encourage any reader to show me their padlock (new or old) to either
learn more about it or to possibly sell it to me. I can be found at
Hoernel Lock & Key of Kenosha, located at the intersection of Washington
Road and Seventh Avenue. You can also e-mail me at
andrewoniszczuk@yahoo.com.
Links to lock
collections and information about lock collecting.
Six Lever - Eight Lever - Brass Lever
- The Padlock
Collection of Jerry Clausen. JC's Guest Book Guest Book Home Iron Lever Iron
Lever. Six Lever - Eight Lever - Brass Lever...
About Lock Museum
- Lock Museum of America -
Coddington Padlock
Collection. Main Display Room. Linus Yale Jr. Patent Model Mortise Pin
Tumbler Lock. Animated Display Pin Tumbler Lock · Antique European ...
Yossie's Handcuff Collection
- Showing
Collection (3 of 509). 17th Century German Leg Irons and Padlock. From
Prometheus's collection. Type:, Leg Irons. Manufacturer:, Unknown ...
Thelockman.
Billy B. Edwards Jr. CML
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This site is
intended to be a resource for those interested in the collection of locks.
You will find images here of a sampling of locks which can be found at your
local flea market, yard sales or right here on the web. Images are near full
size if you set your screen to 640 pixels wide. Locks are categorized in
these pages by operation type or a specific construction category. The
categories are listed below.
Links To
Books on Padlock Collecting.
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