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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
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    Country: Great Britain

    Default Withers 12 Lever safe lock

    My First Post

    Is there anyone who may be able to shed any light on this lock which I picked up recently on a flea market.

    The key looks Original and has the following stamped on the Bow 'S Withers's Invincible Unpickable Lever Lock'

    The lock has 12 Brass open ended levers all anti pick with strong springs and has a Brass Barrel and Curtain

    The Iron Casting has E LING Wolverhampton M stamped upon it and the levers are also stamped with E LING

    I assume it is from a fairly high quality safe from the S Withers factory.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails photo 4 (Large).JPG   photo5 (Large).JPG  

  2. #2
    Huw Eastwood's Avatar
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    Safes Strongrooms & Vaults
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    Hi interquartz that's a nice lock you have there- I've seen quite a few similar but unsure what safes they were on. It's raised my interest though as 99% of the Samuel Withers safes I ever encountered were bottom end models- 3/8" outer door plate with a pretty basic 7 or 8 lever lock. But, I remember I've got notes on an unusual one I encountered- it was small but tall for it's width- i.e a slim upright shape unusual for any of those 'oldies'. It had an inch thick, or might even have been inch and a half thick outer door plate, and I remember the lock was chunky and compact like yours. I'll dig my big file out when I can and see what I had written down on it. I might be wrong going from memory, but I remember it was definitely a break from the norm for what ever maker it was, and S Withers definitely rings the bell.

  3. #3
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    Default Thanks MaxVaultage

    Quote Originally Posted by MaxVaultage View Post
    Hi interquartz that's a nice lock you have there- I've seen quite a few similar but unsure what safes they were on. It's raised my interest though as 99% of the Samuel Withers safes I ever encountered were bottom end models- 3/8" outer door plate with a pretty basic 7 or 8 lever lock. But, I remember I've got notes on an unusual one I encountered- it was small but tall for it's width- i.e a slim upright shape unusual for any of those 'oldies'. It had an inch thick, or might even have been inch and a half thick outer door plate, and I remember the lock was chunky and compact like yours. I'll dig my big file out when I can and see what I had written down on it. I might be wrong going from memory, but I remember it was definitely a break from the norm for what ever maker it was, and S Withers definitely rings the bell.
    That's interesting as like you have only come across bottom end Samuel Withers safes. This is a lovely lock and completely different to the usual Withers ones. I would be interested to see if you uncover anything.
    Regards
    Interquartz

  4. #4
    Huw Eastwood's Avatar
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    Finally dug it out but unfortunately nothing more to add, other than it was a 1942 Samuel Withers.

    The unusual size suggests it may have been from a small batch of specials for military use, but the numbers and date stamps on it were large and clear, with none of the usual War Department markings visible. Not impossible but unlikely, as it would have been clearly marked if that was the case, and James Gibbons were making the majority of the lower grade WD safes around that period.

  5. #5
    Huw Eastwood's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by interquartz View Post
    That's interesting as like you have only come across bottom end Samuel Withers safes
    Forgot about this bit interquartz- no surprise really as Chatwood, Tann, Chubb, Milners, Hobbs etc all dominated the higher end of the market, there were far more other makers battling it out for business at the lower end. I'd love to see if anyone else knows of an S Withers Bankers quality safe, or even just a reasonable Jeweller's quality, as I think this example here is probably about as heavy as they went. I'm open to suggestions though- It'd be great if anyone knows of anything else

  6. #6
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    wow look at the levers it does look unpickable , lucky you have the key ,, a very nice lock

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by interquartz View Post
    That's interesting as like you have only come across bottom end Samuel Withers safes. This is a lovely lock and completely different to the usual Withers ones. I would be interested to see if you uncover anything.
    Regards
    Interquartz

    This model of 12 lever lock has been on quite recently under the heading of Whitfield who made and Patented their own locks.

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