Have acquired a few more latch / O’dell keys - see picture.
Does anyone else have a collection of these keys they can share?
Attachment 21477
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Have acquired a few more latch / O’dell keys - see picture.
Does anyone else have a collection of these keys they can share?
Attachment 21477
These were mostly made in Willenhall, were common in the 19-early20C. Look for the keyhole plate in conservation areas of old towns throughout Britain — though rarely is the latch still present on the door.
They remained popular in Scotland, especially for main (i.e. street) doors of tenement blocks well into the 1980s in poorest areas, gradually being replaced by electric intercoms and door releases.
Early keys were forged blanks, later ones mostly cast.
I saw a display latch on the counter in an ironmonger's shop in Fleetwood in the 1960s, but it was already so old-fashioned the shopkeeper declined to sell it to me :-(
American tourists like to pay high prices for these keys.
Some of the long keys, especially open at the end, are indeed for arab-made 'chinese' padlocks, sliding along in a groove in the bottom of the lock body.
These were made in Willenhall, in the 1980’sAttachment 22100 probably from original patterns, but with the backs of the brass ones flattened to make them easy to display.
New Odell key acquired. It was very rusty looking but on cleaning it it looks to be possibly brass? Any ideas how you would clean it? Is it brass or bronze? Why were some made of brass / bronze as they wouldn’t protect ammunition would they? The shape of this one is rather rare and so not a special presentation key? Any ideas appreciated.