Quote Originally Posted by Huw Eastwood View Post
The Max Frankel Yale and the Buffalo NY key Pete added have coined bows with raised markings like factory originals. They are not incised or engraved but factory coined from dies which indicates investment in tooling costs and the inevitable quantities involved. Probably a lot more expensive back then compared to having the same made today. Nowadays usually done on a one-off tooling charge and/or higher minimum order quantities, the numbers involved suggests there would have been a lot more of those around back at the time. Over time many will have been lost and discarded as locks become repaired or replaced. Its common practice over here and presumably still so, your side of the pond, for locksmiths to have their most frequently used blanks made with company name and phone number. We had quite a few done and they proved an effective source of repeat key cutting and business as Pete suggested.
Custom incised and/or coined key blanks are still offered to the trade on this side of the pond by after market manufacturers Ilco, Jet, Kustom Key and perhaps others. Many are available in the customer's choice of brass or nickel silver material. Minimum order and die charges apply as Huw suggests. Some the the OEM manufactuers can furnish key bows incised with stock legends such as Do Not Duplicate, U.S. Property Do Not Duplicate and similar for contract jobs and special applications. Pete Schifferli