Can you tell the year of manufacture from the code stamped on a Eagle Lock Co. key?

[Pschiffe]

The key says: Eagle Lock Company, Terryville, CONN, Made in USA. And 54PQ17 on the opposite side. Would the 54 mean 1954? I guess it is just to make getting a replacement key easy, but I believe the company is no longer in business.

The former Eagle Lock Co. of Terryville, CT was formed in 1854 and was at one time one of America's largest lock manufacturers. They went out-of-business in June, 1975 and I'm told all the old codes were destroyed at that time. Lori Corp. of Southington, CT purchased some of the machinery at auction and continued to make a few of the old Eagle products even after they were acquired by Kaba Ilco Corp. in 1978. Your code has no connection whatever with the year of manufacture, nor am I aware of any that does. Some American Lock padlock bodies have a three or four letter date code to indicate when it was made.

Pete Schifferli