Push Lock History

[sari]

Here's a photo of a lock I recently purchased at a garage sale. The owners had little idea of its history except that a long time ago, a relative had brought it home from India and it was referred to as a push lock. When the "ring" part is inserted into the cylinder leaf springs snap open to lock it The key is inserted into the opposite end and compresses the springs to allow withdrawal of the ring. Since there appears to be little room for variation of the key it doesn't appear to be very secure. I would appreciate any information about this type of lock and whether it has any significant value.