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  1. #1
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    Country: United States

    Default Master Padlock Lion Logo Key Dates Wanted

    Hi I am looking to find out if anyone knows for sure when Master Lock Lion Logo keys came into use and especially what year they stopped making them. If anyone has info or a link to this information I would very much appreciate it. Richard

  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by MrWizard View Post
    Hi I am looking to find out if anyone knows for sure when Master Lock Lion Logo keys came into use and especially what year they stopped making them. If anyone has info or a link to this information I would very much appreciate it. Richard
    The walking lion key was first used with the introduction of the #1 padlock in 1931. They were nickle-silver material. Sometime in the 1960's the material was changed to brass and in 1977 discontinued when the thickness went from .088" to.078".
    BBE.

  3. #3
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    Magnificant BBE!!!

    I am also trying to gather some padlock of these kind at the moment. Mine are still in the US though and I am not sure how old they are but probably more likely 50s-60s. Thanks again for that information my friend

    Adrian

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Adrian Weber View Post
    Magnificant BBE!!!

    I am also trying to gather some padlock of these kind at the moment. Mine are still in the US though and I am not sure how old they are but probably more likely 50s-60s. Thanks again for that information my friend

    Adrian
    That walking lion is in fact a US trademark. It was applied for on October 1, 1931 and issued March 29, 1932 as number 292,893. You can probably find it online at the US patent and trademark office web site.
    BBE.

  5. #5
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    Country: United States

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    Quote Originally Posted by BBE View Post
    The walking lion key was first used with the introduction of the #1 padlock in 1931. They were nickle-silver material. Sometime in the 1960's the material was changed to brass and in 1977 discontinued when the thickness went from .088" to.078".
    BBE.
    Thanks BBE for all that great info I really appreciate it.
    I have some brass blanks coming soon.

    Richard

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
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    Country: United States

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    Quote Originally Posted by BBE View Post
    ...in 1977 discontinued....
    Interesting information. Based on what I have seen, I had thought the lion keys were replaced circa the late 1960s or possibly early 1970s with the key design shown below (note that the back of the key remained unchanged) (the round-bow keys with the Master name in "wild" lettering, used on the #3, #4, #77 and (long discontinued) #88 padlocks, were also replaced with a round-bow version of this key). What did you get that info from?

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Quote Originally Posted by BBE View Post
    [...] Sometime in the 1960's the material was changed to brass....
    Might the switch from nickel-silver to brass have actually occurred in the 1950s? I've seen N.O.S. Master "Secret Service" padlocks with brass keys with boxes of the style used from circa the second half of the 1940s to about 1964 with the older "World's Leading Padlock Manufacturers" slogan on the back, instead of "World's Largest Padlock Manufacturers", which was used on later examples of that box style. Looking on eBay, I see that Master was apparently using the latter slogan in magazine ads as early as 1955 (that may or may not mean that Master started replacing the slogan on the boxes that early, but I'd think it wouldn't have been too long after).

    As an aside, interestingly, I have a couple of circa later 1930s to circa mid 1940s N.O.S. Master #3 padlocks (one with a "USN" marking on the bottom) as well as a N.O.S. #77 from about the same era (of the original design with the walking lion portrait, not the lion head logo) with brass keys (even though the #77's box states it has nickel-silver keys). I also have a #4 with the "USN" marking with its original box from around that era that has nickel-silver keys. What's up with that? Did WWII have something to do with it?

    Quote Originally Posted by BBE View Post
    That walking lion is in fact a US trademark. It was applied for on October 1, 1931 and issued March 29, 1932 as number 292,893. You can probably find it online at the US patent and trademark office web site.
    BBE.
    Thanks for that. Here is the registration certificate for that trademark (this is one of those trademarks where the registration date and a scan of the certificate appear to be the only data on the mark in the USPTO website, so you can't find it using the TESS search system, but you can find it with the TSDR search). The certificate says it was filed on October 31, by the way.

    Master also re-registered the trademark decades later as #979,377, filed April 12, 1973, registered February 26, 1974, and cancelled September 23, 1980.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Retro00064 View Post
    Interesting information. Based on what I have seen, I had thought the lion keys were replaced circa the late 1960s or possibly early 1970s with the key design shown below (note that the back of the key remained unchanged) (the round-bow keys with the Master name in "wild" lettering, used on the #3, #4, #77 and (long discontinued) #88 padlocks, were also replaced with a round-bow version of this key). What did you get that info from?
    I was a working locksmith until 1975 and order those blanks regularly until May, 1975 when I went to work for Medeco. In 1999 I went to work for Master lock and during the next 12 years various people told me the discontinued date. Oddly, at MLC once something is discontinued they no longer keep records about it so there wasn't anywhere to look it up.

    Might the switch from nickel-silver to brass have actually occurred in the 1950s?
    It is possible, the date I gave came from long time employees. Again no real records, just working from peoples memories. When I went to work there there were many 30 to 40 year employees and some who would drop by now and then.

    [QUOTE]
    As an aside, interestingly, I have a couple of circa later 1930s to circa mid 1940s N.O.S. Master #3 padlocks (one with a "USN" marking on the bottom) as well as a N.O.S. #77 from about the same era (of the original design with the walking lion portrait, not the lion head logo) with brass keys (even though the #77's box states it has nickel-silver keys). I also have a #4 with the "USN" marking with its original box from around that era that has nickel-silver keys. What's up with that? Did WWII have something to do with it?[\QUOTE]

    According to an old internal newsletter, the 77 was first available in june, 1932. In 1941 the walking lion was changed to a lion head.
    BBE.

  8. #8
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    Country: United States

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    Quote Originally Posted by BBE View Post
    I was a working locksmith until 1975 and order those blanks regularly until May, 1975 when I went to work for Medeco. In 1999 I went to work for Master lock and during the next 12 years various people told me the discontinued date. Oddly, at MLC once something is discontinued they no longer keep records about it so there wasn't anywhere to look it up.
    Thanks for the information. It seems that Master was replacing their lion head logo on packages, etc. with a stylized laminated padlock logo (the one seen here; the trademark registration of this logo shows a first use date of 1968) around the time period I gave, so it's interesting that they continued to use the lion key design for so long.

    According to an old internal newsletter, the 77 was first available in june, 1932. In 1941 the walking lion was changed to a lion head.
    BBE.
    Great information. Thanks! I've seen a 1944 date for when the change was made in the description of a YouTube video (the uploader of which mentioned talking to Master Lock in the comments) and in an eBay listing by another collector, but wondered what you'd have to say on it.

    (Side note: While the description of that video says that the #77 was discontinued in 1993, the pamphlet that came with Master's 1996 75th-anniversary special edition of the #220 padlock says that the #77 was discontinued in 1996.)

    I must say that I greatly appreciate you sharing some of the Master Lock information you have had on these forums over the years. I always love learning more Master dating information that I didn't know to replace the estimates I've come up with based on observing what's out there and the information I do have (not to mention that someday I hope to have a website on vintage Master locks up, so the more solid information, the better), and most of the solid introduction, discontinuation, etc. dates I have are from posts by you on these forums. Kudos.

    Zachary.

  9. #9
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    Hey guys,

    your conversation seems to be go nicely my friend. Mind if I drop in starting to collect pictures and other things to make another timeline here? Other than on the American Locks I do not have that many Masterlocks yet. I have some that are still in the US. One is here now others I am waiting for and others I am waiting to purchase if possible.

    If anyone here has NOS Masterlocks to sell please let me know. I am mainly looking for Masterlocks in a good condition. I do not have one with a nickel silver key yet and I am searching for one. I am also searching for a laminated cutaway lock from Masterlock and others like these here:

    http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/eba...0737966571.jpg
    http://byemylife.com/sitebuildercont...rlocklioin.jpg
    http://www2.antiquesnavigator.com/eb...0721079590.jpg
    http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/eba...0491309781.jpg

    This should be the walking lion you referred to earlier. I have the one with the lion head and may post a picture later. I am also going to get a whole package with the lion head logo locks. I do not have the one with the walking lion yet. The person in that video is a friend of mine. I can ask him where he got this info from if you want to. He did send me some of my most beautiful collector items in the past, very nice fella!

    I am also looking for the Masterlock No.47 or No.48

    http://img0.etsystatic.com/020/0/607...19750_3dj2.jpg
    https://img1.etsystatic.com/023/0/60...83853_fohk.jpg
    https://img1.etsystatic.com/018/0/60...83907_pjh8.jpg
    https://img1.etsystatic.com/022/0/60...83979_jewz.jpg
    http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/eba...0811299466.jpg

    I attached some pictures of the Masterlock No.1 which I recently got. A original Masterlock box with 4 individually packed No.3 padlocks is on its way!

    http://i.ebayimg.com/t/4-Vintage-NOS-Master-Lock-Key-Original-Box-Secret-Service-3-Padlocks-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/iXEAAOxysstSW0jq/$%28KGrHqR,!mIFJHuh%29YgnBSW0jp8gtg~~60_57.JPG

    If you have anything to spare let me know Retro!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 001.Vintage Master Secret Service Padlock No.1.JPG   002.Vintage Master Secret Service Padlock No.1.JPG   003.Vintage Master Secret Service Padlock No.1.JPG   005.Vintage Master Secret Service Padlock No.1.JPG   006.Vintage Master Secret Service Padlock No.1.JPG  

    007.Vintage Master Secret Service Padlock No.1.JPG   008.Vintage Master Secret Service Padlock No.1.JPG  

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
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    Someone is obviously outbidding me on this one:

    http://www.ebay.de/itm/271308195876?...84.m1438.l2649


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