Is it a Mappin

[Paul Prescott]

Just to avoid confusion - Whitfields safe co used Mappins Patent locks. So they are one & the same ...

[Syd Waterman]

Example of Mappin’s Patent Best 8-slide safe lock as illustrated in Samuel Whitfield’s sales leaflet of 1865.
Walter Sandell Mappin was granted his patent 20^th January 1862.

[Huw Eastwood]

That's a particularly nice one Syd with the Mappin's patent markings as well as Whitfield's. Had a lot of those (think I've still got 4 or 5) but can't ever recall seeing any marked Mappin's, all I've got and seen only marked Whitfield & Co, mostly with just the word patent, implying that it's theirs.
Also can't ever recall seeing an unmarked anonymous example like Richard's 4 slide lock.

Unusual, but bearing in mind Whitfield originally used Cotterill's locks before changing to Mappin's , I'm wondering if Mappin's locks were also later churned out in numbers by other makers as was the case with the climax detectors.

Cheers for posting that sales leaflet page- amazing to see those old prices back then and that their top of the range 12 slide double tier lock was exactly double the price of their best 8 slide safe lock -expensive stuff !

[Syd Waterman]

Thanks Huw for the comments. It’s possible that the inscription “Mappin’s Patent” on the top cap was no longer included when the name was changed to F.Whitfield & Co. by 1875.
I cannot recall coming across another company making “copies” once the patent had expired, unlike the Cotterill lock.
For reference I attach copy of Mappin’s 1862 patent .

Regards Richard’s 4 slide lock I see no evidence that the “Click” feature is present , a key feature of the lock.

[Richard Phillips]

Unlike Syd's lock, there is indeed no clicker fitted. The four pins match the positions of four cuts in a Cotterill key I have, which also has three more cuts in the intermediate positions.
The only marking on mine is '4664' on the nozzle. Inside the nozzle is a [hardened iron/steel?] disk.
I am hoping to save myself some work by re-arranging my pins to match the cut key. This is how I have made several Bramah's operate with old keys, usually needing to make only one or two new sliders. But this lock is proving troublesome to work on. Pieces keep falling out, or sticking. Yale pin tumblers are much easier.
Not sure if this one will ever be done — it just might be left to the next owner to do. I cannot stand at the bench for long, nor can i sit to do this :-( .