Master Padlock Lion Logo Key Dates Wanted

[MrWizard]

Hi I am looking to find out if anyone knows for sure when Master Lock Lion Logo keys came into use and especially what year they stopped making them. If anyone has info or a link to this information I would very much appreciate it. Richard

[BBE]

Hi I am looking to find out if anyone knows for sure when Master Lock Lion Logo keys came into use and especially what year they stopped making them. If anyone has info or a link to this information I would very much appreciate it. Richard

The walking lion key was first used with the introduction of the #1 padlock in 1931. They were nickle-silver material. Sometime in the 1960's the material was changed to brass and in 1977 discontinued when the thickness went from .088" to.078".
BBE.

[MrWizard]

The walking lion key was first used with the introduction of the #1 padlock in 1931. They were nickle-silver material. Sometime in the 1960's the material was changed to brass and in 1977 discontinued when the thickness went from .088" to.078".
BBE.

Thanks BBE for all that great info I really appreciate it.
I have some brass blanks coming soon.

Richard

[Retro00064]

...in 1977 discontinued....

Interesting information. Based on what I have seen, I had thought the lion keys were replaced circa the late 1960s or possibly early 1970s with the key design shown below (note that the back of the key remained unchanged) (the round-bow keys with the Master name in "wild" lettering, used on the #3, #4, #77 and (long discontinued) #88 padlocks, were also replaced with a round-bow version of this key). What did you get that info from?

[...] Sometime in the 1960's the material was changed to brass....

Might the switch from nickel-silver to brass have actually occurred in the 1950s? I've seen N.O.S. Master "Secret Service" padlocks with brass keys with boxes of the style used from circa the second half of the 1940s to about 1964 with the older "World's Leading Padlock Manufacturers" slogan on the back, instead of "World's Largest Padlock Manufacturers", which was used on later examples of that box style. Looking on eBay, I see that Master was apparently using the latter slogan in magazine ads as early as 1955 (that may or may not mean that Master started replacing the slogan on the boxes that early, but I'd think it wouldn't have been too long after).

As an aside, interestingly, I have a couple of circa later 1930s to circa mid 1940s N.O.S. Master #3 padlocks (one with a "USN" marking on the bottom) as well as a N.O.S. #77 from about the same era (of the original design with the walking lion portrait, not the lion head logo) with brass keys (even though the #77's box states it has nickel-silver keys). I also have a #4 with the "USN" marking with its original box from around that era that has nickel-silver keys. What's up with that? Did WWII have something to do with it?

That walking lion is in fact a US trademark. It was applied for on October 1, 1931 and issued March 29, 1932 as number 292,893. You can probably find it online at the US patent and trademark office web site.
BBE.

Thanks for that. Here is the registration certificate for that trademark (this is one of those trademarks where the registration date and a scan of the certificate appear to be the only data on the mark in the USPTO website, so you can't find it using the TESS search system, but you can find it with the TSDR search). The certificate says it was filed on October 31, by the way.

Master also re-registered the trademark decades later as #979,377, filed April 12, 1973, registered February 26, 1974, and cancelled September 23, 1980.

[BBE]

Interesting information. Based on what I have seen, I had thought the lion keys were replaced circa the late 1960s or possibly early 1970s with the key design shown below (note that the back of the key remained unchanged) (the round-bow keys with the Master name in "wild" lettering, used on the #3, #4, #77 and (long discontinued) #88 padlocks, were also replaced with a round-bow version of this key). What did you get that info from?

I was a working locksmith until 1975 and order those blanks regularly until May, 1975 when I went to work for Medeco. In 1999 I went to work for Master lock and during the next 12 years various people told me the discontinued date. Oddly, at MLC once something is discontinued they no longer keep records about it so there wasn't anywhere to look it up.

Might the switch from nickel-silver to brass have actually occurred in the 1950s?

It is possible, the date I gave came from long time employees. Again no real records, just working from peoples memories. When I went to work there there were many 30 to 40 year employees and some who would drop by now and then.

[QUOTE]
As an aside, interestingly, I have a couple of circa later 1930s to circa mid 1940s N.O.S. Master #3 padlocks (one with a "USN" marking on the bottom) as well as a N.O.S. #77 from about the same era (of the original design with the walking lion portrait, not the lion head logo) with brass keys (even though the #77's box states it has nickel-silver keys). I also have a #4 with the "USN" marking with its original box from around that era that has nickel-silver keys. What's up with that? Did WWII have something to do with it?[\QUOTE]

According to an old internal newsletter, the 77 was first available in june, 1932. In 1941 the walking lion was changed to a lion head.
BBE.

[Retro00064]

I was a working locksmith until 1975 and order those blanks regularly until May, 1975 when I went to work for Medeco. In 1999 I went to work for Master lock and during the next 12 years various people told me the discontinued date. Oddly, at MLC once something is discontinued they no longer keep records about it so there wasn't anywhere to look it up.

Thanks for the information. It seems that Master was replacing their lion head logo on packages, etc. with a stylized laminated padlock logo (the one seen here; the trademark registration of this logo shows a first use date of 1968) around the time period I gave, so it's interesting that they continued to use the lion key design for so long.

According to an old internal newsletter, the 77 was first available in june, 1932. In 1941 the walking lion was changed to a lion head.
BBE.

Great information. Thanks! I've seen a 1944 date for when the change was made in the description of a YouTube video (the uploader of which mentioned talking to Master Lock in the comments) and in an eBay listing by another collector, but wondered what you'd have to say on it.

(Side note: While the description of that video says that the #77 was discontinued in 1993, the pamphlet that came with Master's 1996 75th-anniversary special edition of the #220 padlock says that the #77 was discontinued in 1996.)

I must say that I greatly appreciate you sharing some of the Master Lock information you have had on these forums over the years. I always love learning more Master dating information that I didn't know to replace the estimates I've come up with based on observing what's out there and the information I do have (not to mention that someday I hope to have a website on vintage Master locks up, so the more solid information, the better), and most of the solid introduction, discontinuation, etc. dates I have are from posts by you on these forums. Kudos.

Zachary.

[Adrian Weber]

Hey Donnie,

I love the vintage Master Locks, no idea why but they seem to be of better quality than the newer ones. Also more attention to detail on the padlock and the package. I love attention to detail.

Here is the probably smalles one the No.7, it is 30mm wide and 30mm high, 49mm with the shackle, the shackle diameter is 5mm:

[Adrian Weber]

Thanks for that information BBE! I have almost every laminated steel version then
Only a vintage No. 5 is missing.

[Donnie]

Thanks BBE for the 1 3 5 7 & 2 4 6 8 information..
Were there only 4 brass size's made?
I never liked Master Lock's, but having a few, I guess I should try to learn how they are sized........is 1 the smallest in the pin tumbler & 19 the largest? I have a 15, is there a 16 & 17 & 18?.......are they numbered according to size? The only one that I ever searched for was the 19 as I wanted the largest....the rest just came with lots that I bought to get something else that I wanted.........Donnie

[Adrian Weber]

Good thing I did not bid any further on it then
If I know a friend is bidding on something I am not going to bid though.

Thank you very much for all that information!
I have just bought a Tiger padlock from Ebay, looks like a nice piece

I will keep looking for the other ones missing now but I nearly have everything I wanted so far. I was even able to acquire older laminated versions with the nickel silver key, they are still in the US though.