Thread: Lots of British Safe Plaques - leave a comment

I am looking for history on a gunmaker, W H Wakefield & Co who operated in Burmingham at several locations between 1897 and 1905 them possibly in other locations up to 1938.
I noticed you have a safe plaque from a W H Wakefield & Co and wondered if you had any history or information on the safe manufacturer and if the gunmaker and safemaker are the same company.

Cheers
Paul Lackey
Newcastle Australia

Sorry Paul, absolutely nothing.

I am an accidental collector. I assume you have Googled it?

Originally Posted by Huntlocks

Hope you like the pictures of my collection of safe plaques. Leave me a comment, ask a question, any swaps, what-ever...

I have collected them over a period of 20 years as a safe 'refurbisher'. We would strip the safe down, repair the hinges, if possible, sort out the lock and keys and repaint them. No place for that old piece of brass so I put them on my shelves. Now they are on my office wall.

I could make a better profit selling second hand safes than new ones.

The market seems to have dried up now. Insurers want graded safes and even look down their noses and really good quality second hand safes. Big companies want new safes and they don't hold much more than a few hundred pounds for petty cash so the market has changed dramatically over the past 20 years.

I notice you have a chubb plaque stating BY Royal appointment CHUBB, lock & safe makers, 128 Queen Victoria St, London. Can you give me the history,and any value attached. I have six such plaques, with 4 escutcheon (fish logo) plates and 2 heavy sets of decrative solid brass handles and a further 3 sets of plain brass handles all original and from the same chubb safes. (salvaged during a refurb)

I think that you will have guessed from the ease with which you have aquired so many of them, that they are quite common - there are many versions that can look similar as they were used over quite a long period by a manufacturer on an enormous number of safes. Look on ebay and you will almost always find them - an iron one there at the moment-110173596431 and an esc 110173595673

Hello

Looks like you have the start of a good collection.

I am Russell Stoner, one of the current owners of Withy Grove. You may have heard about us over your lifetime or perhaps, collected a few of our old badges from 1850 onwards. Like you, I am an avid collecter of safe plates, escutcheons, and for my sins, I love to collect & renovate old safes. I tend to specialise in the era 1875-1930.

I've, within the last 3 days had to scrap, much to my annoyance a couply of old safes, however their badges now are part of our collection. My last badge was a G.Lucas, late G.Lucas & Co. Ironically, the same badge is pictured on the Jim Evans Gazateer web pages. Shame that he passed over!!

You have in your collection , what looks to be a badge from a J Tann, Reliance. I have one that was retrieved from a 1937 safe. Broke my heart to scrap...needs must!!

For my sins, it appears that my name is getting banded around the globe in relation to safe identification. I took a call from an american magician who was researching into Houdini, and his 'unpickable' handcuffs. From the descript of the key, an angled cog and the fact of Houdini's French shows, circa 1914/15 (ish), I advised him to speak to Fichet in France. The guy rang back with 100% success.

It would be good to keep in touch. If you have interesting news or new badges, I am always interested.

Regards
Russell Stoner-Withy Grove
T: 0113 2721441
http://www.withygrovesafes.net
http://www.withygrovefurniture.com

Well well. I never realised that Withy Grove were still going. I have quite a large number of different plates from them amongst my enormous collection. Are your plates visible anywhere on the net or elsewhere Russell?
Cheers
Tom