Wellfargo Express padlock and Key... value

[Eagle11]

Good afternoon, I have Wellsfargo CO & Express padlock and key, it is made out of brass, it works, opens and locks. I'm looking to sell this, if this is not the right forum please move it to the correct one. If you are interested buying this PM me.

[oldlock]

Modern fake / fantasy lock. Made in India. 100 % certain that it is not a genuine lock. Value is therefore Nil. Sorry.

[Eagle11]

Modern fake / fantasy lock. Made in India. 100 % certain that it is not a genuine lock. Value is therefore Nil. Sorry.

Hardly it is made from Brass, weight about 2lbs.. It is the real deal.

[oldlock]

I stand corrected. It's worth whatever 2lb of scrap brass is worth. It is a Fake. It's value to a collector is NIL.

[timof5stars]

As a newcomer to the world of old locks, I have taken several times by less than virtuous vendors. I shrug this off as "paying my dues" so to speak. It is the cost of my education. Believe oldlock - your lock makes a nice decoration, but like the two "Keen Kutter" locks, the "Admiral Navy" lock, the Lion's Face lock -- all of which I have sitting in a box, their real value lies in what they have taught me. It is easy to be misled - the Internet is flooded with locks that look old but aren't - and it can sometimes be hard for even the experts to tell the difference.

Here are a few links you may want to glance at:

http://home.southwind.net/~drcwks/wellsfargofakes.html

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pg...k_ModernWF.php

http://www.switchkeys.com/INDIA.HTML

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Locks.php

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes.php

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Keys.php

In general, if it looks like you are getting an incredible deal, you are probably not looking at the real deal.

Remember the names of the vendors who deliberately misrepresent what they sell and then simply avoid doing business with them (But keep in mind many people sincerely believe they are selling a genuine antique even when they aren't.)

If you are seriously interested in the highly collectible locks, then expect to pay the going rate and only deal with well established, well respected vendors who will stand behind what they sell. They are out there.

Finally, my most important rule: There is no such thing as a deal so good you can't walk away from it.

[oldlock]

It's not my lock Tim, I'm merely telling the OP what he has got !!

[BBPO8]

As a newcomer to the world of old locks, I have taken several times by less than virtuous vendors. I shrug this off as "paying my dues" so to speak. It is the cost of my education. Believe oldlock - your lock makes a nice decoration, but like the two "Keen Kutter" locks, the "Admiral Navy" lock, the Lion's Face lock -- all of which I have sitting in a box, their real value lies in what they have taught me. It is easy to be misled - the Internet is flooded with locks that look old but aren't - and it can sometimes be hard for even the experts to tell the difference.

Here are a few links you may want to glance at:

http://home.southwind.net/~drcwks/wellsfargofakes.html

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pg...k_ModernWF.php

http://www.switchkeys.com/INDIA.HTML

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Locks.php

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes.php

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Keys.php

In general, if it looks like you are getting an incredible deal, you are probably not looking at the real deal.

Remember the names of the vendors who deliberately misrepresent what they sell and then simply avoid doing business with them (But keep in mind many people sincerely believe they are selling a genuine antique even when they aren't.)

If you are seriously interested in the highly collectible locks, then expect to pay the going rate and only deal with well established, well respected vendors who will stand behind what they sell. They are out there.

Finally, my most important rule: There is no such thing as a deal so good you can't walk away from it.

VERY well said! As a Wells Fargo collector of all the period artifacts, I couldnt agree more!

[wylk]

Hardly it is made from Brass, weight about 2lbs.. It is the real deal.

I do hope you will follow up with the links provided earlier, especially the one that points out there was never an original that looked like this (http://home.southwind.net/~drcwks/wellsfargofakes.html).

One thing that struck me in the image you included is that the lock was pinned together (see upper right corner of the case) then ground flat. "Back in the day" this wasn't done (grinding flat). Look at the image (or the lock, in your case) and you can see the nice flat surface and the vertical surface-grinder marks. That's a modern finishing technique. And the pin is far larger than it needs to be. And the shackle diameter is unexpectedly large. These attributes are typical of the locks that come out of Aligarh, India.

[Adrian Weber]

It is what it is:

1. A real Indian padlock
2. A fantasy lock and a fake of another real antique American padlock