1876 Clarke U.S. Treasury Lock

Here is another recent example of a 1876 Clarke U.S. Treasury Combination Padlock.

Very nice and collectable Clarke Combination lock made for the U.S. Treasury . The dial cover has the Pat. dates of Feb. 4; 1873, June 15; 1875 and Reissued Feb, 29; 1876. This newly patented lock was displayed at the U.S. Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 where it recieved awards. The company The lock comes with the combination and works very well. The combination on these locks can be changed and if I can find the directions to do this I will send a copy with the lock. - eBay (17 July 2012)

This padlock had a high bid of $700 (Plus free Shipping).
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Pinkerton Leg Irons

These are rare enough to say that they don't come around very often, or ever! So I guess the selling price is very fair.

A super pair of early Handcuffs / Leg Irons in excellent condition with minor wear from use. The cuffs work well with the original key. - eBay (25 June 2012)

This set of leg irons had a high bid of $770.67 (Plus $8.15 Shipping).
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Lucky Penny Folk Art Trick Padlock

I think that coin padlocks are my favorite kind of miniature padlock.

Lucky Penny Folk Art Trick Padlock Copper Lock TINY Small Miniature Vintage. Here is a sweet mini folk art piece. It is not marked with a maker but I would guess it was made by some obscure craftsman long ago. It consists of two domed US Lincoln cents soldered together. The date on the Lincoln Wheat penny is 1937. The tiny lock opens by pushing the center button. Once pushed the shackle pops up and turns roughly 45 degrees. These rarely come up for sale, so try not to miss out. Size. This measures .967 inch tall, .741 inch across, and .361 inch thick not counting the button. Measured with a machinist dial caliper - eBay (23 May 2012)

This padlock had a high bid of $165 (Plus $6.10 Shipping).
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Handcuffs with Timer

Here is an interesting idea. Handcuffs that unlock via a timer and not a key. I don't think this is good in terms of the simple fact that you can never tell when you absolutely need to get free from these things. Say for example, the house catches fire..... Still the fact that these do exist is interesting.

handcuffs with a timer, the timer can be set from 1 to 99 minutes, at the expiration of the time handcuffed avtamaticheski open. speakbuy.com - eBay ()

This handcuffs have an opening bid of $290 and a 'Buy-it-Now'price of $500 (Plus $125 Shipping) and are currently on sale on eBay here.

You can see a video demonstration of these cuffs here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTX8wo8-ZkI

As with all things, use at your own risk... I have no clue if there is a back door to open them or not.

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Registered Mail gold shipment Treasury Post Office USPO RPO rotary lock padlock

Here is a nice example of a mail counter padlock.

1890s T-series Registered Mail lock This US Registered Mail lock has a cast case, shackle collar, and rotating shackle made of architectural bronze. It is circa 1890s but continued in usage through the 1920s, being repaired when necessary. Although ''rotary'' locks have been occasionally listed on eBay being described as the style selected by Harry Houdini for his renowned mail bag escape trick, prop photos reveal that he used this earlier style of lock that opened with a flat key that he concealed within his cheek. The obsolete flat-style key was assigned to the Treasury Department. Although registered mail shipments passed through the postal system with this lock, Post Office Department employees could not open those pouches with their standard-issue keys. Only U.S. Treasury personnel were assigned keys to unlock shipments of currency and coin. This included small quantities of gold coin prior to 1933. This lock is sold with a professionally-fitted reproduction key that operates the lock and is in excellent condition. There is a small bronze flap covering the rotary numbers ''in the window'' that is currently 0091, meaning it had been opened 91 times. The lock serial number is T 1268 and is ex-Mundy collection. All features of the lock are clear and distinct, even though the back view is fuzzy around the edges because used a camera which doesn't have much depth of field for close-up snapshots. Please check my other listings for other items that might be interesting collateral items for your collection. If you purchase one of those other lots, this group can be added for $4 covering incremental postage. There is never a reserve for any of my auctions. Locked pouches were transported aboard RPOs in the custody of the Railway Mail Clerk-in-Charge and the registry clerk. Proceeds benefit restoration of the Boyce, Virginia, railway station as well as monthly utility expenses. - eBay (17 June 2012)

This padlock had a high bid of $437.87 (Plus $8 Shipping).
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1876 brass CLARKE COMBINATION LOCK CO

Here is a recent auction of this popular and large combination padlock. I think this one was a bit pricy given that the combination is not known. Then again, if you do not have one, who knows when your next chance might be...

Up for auction this evening is an estate fresh Antique 1876 brass CLARKE COMBINATION LOCK CO. combo pad lock. The mechanism on the door works great, I do not have the combo but all the buttons push down and when pulled up the all come up, I see no reason why it would not work if you could figure out the combo. It measures 4 inches tall and 2 1/4 inches across, great piece!! Condition is as you see it, Enlarge the photos and zoom in for a closer look and judge for yourself the condition. Guaranteed 100% old and authentic!!! NO RESERVE!!. Please ask all questions before you bid, all sales final. Because all items are found from estates, they are sold As-Is. - eBay (29 Apr 2012)

This padlock had a high bid of $600 (Plus $9 Shipping).
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Lot of15 Antique FRENCH Combination Padlocks -3,4,5,& 6 Wheels

the neat thing with offerings like this is that you can put together an immediate collection of your own without investing the time, in some cases years, to actually gather the pieces. eBay certainly makes it easier to do so, but still some rarer examples don't come around every day. On the negative side, there is the asking prices for the work to collect the items.

Up for sale is a LOT of 15 Beautiful Antique French Combination Padlocks. These are in great condition and all but 6 have combinations (written on side in green). Half the fun is discovering the combos, should be easy enough to figure out the remainder. Entire collection was picked up from a collector in Florida. Various sizes and wheels ranging from 3 per lock to 6 per lock. 6 locks also are numbered on the side as pictured. - eBay (7 June 2012)

This padlock collection had a 'Buy-it-Now' price of $1,950 (Plus $28.65 Shipping) but found no takers. -----