Thread: My Century Padlock

when you get it please post some better pics so we can see your wonderful find better.

When I get it?

I have had this lock for some years now. :-D

Yes, that's the picture from the auction, and maybe I should get more pics of it, but really, the auction picture that I have posted is really quite good.

If I were going to post more pics of it, I would show the Century logo on the flipside. I have just got the padlock out of its box, with the keys, and there's no numbering on the lock or keys.

With some of the products made by Century, the keys had a unique number stamped into them for the lock that they fitted, i.e. if one lock was supplied with two keys, then both of the keys would bear the same number. I also have a Century rim-latch cylinder, and although I only have one original key for it, that key does have a number stamped into it. The keys that work this padlock are standard-sized keys, and if I were to get a Century rim-latch cylinder and re-pin it, the key would also work in the cylinder. Re-pinning the padlock isn't an option: There's no way to take it apart.


-BoomBoxDeluxe.

Hello, The padlock is very simular to the Yale bronze series that was around in the 1950 & 60's we used to take apart as there were two bronze rivets through the case which held the inner and outer bodies together. ( Yale used to supply us new rivets ) Though I seem to recall the key to the padlock were needed to have the shackle in the open postion. so the inner part could slide out from the outer casing then there was another rivet or I think grub screw which held the cylinder in place within the inner section. Im pretty sure that this padlock would have been constructed in the same way though lot of water has gone under the bridge since I had one of these apart!

As you no doubt know the HJF symbol stood for Humpfrey and John Fox, well I think it was John

Originally Posted by Ant

Hello, The padlock is very simular to the Yale bronze series that was around in the 1950 & 60's

I have a couple of these. Two full-size 'Eaton' Yales, and a small Yale&Towne 830 size

Originally Posted by Ant

As you no doubt know the HJF symbol stood for Humpfrey and John Fox, well I think it was John

I have only just found this out in the last few days! It has bugged me for years as to what the HJF logo meant, and whether it was HJ & F or H & JF

I decided to have a look around, and I came across another website though following various links, and there was a good little article on there about Century/HJF locks.

So yes, like you say.....Humphrey & John Fox. Mystery solved after all these years! :-D

Apparently, according to the article, in the later (and last) years of the company, they decided to drop the H&JF logo ( ) and just use the Century logo. I do have a Century key, but no lock for it, and it's blank on the other side, apart from a rectangular box into which I guess, the lock number would be stamped. It's blank though....

Also according to the article, Century was bought by Yale in 1990.

( slightly off-topic, I don't think that Yale is Eaton Corporation anymore. I think that they are now known by the group that they're part of....ASSA-Abloy )

-BoomBoxDeluxe.