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.