pipster
01-24-2011, 11:06 PM
well i brought mel to texas with me while i did not have the time to hunt like the melster i did get out a bit so i thought i would post my finds as well as a antique that was in my storage locker that my brothers had found about 6 years back in greenville texas if ya'll read western eastern treasures magazine then you might already know what this is the lock reads Aug 7 1888
as a tribute to dime mans generosity i piled my coins up for him thanks to him i did not come home empty of finds. thanks dime man.
totals
$6.44
here is the info on the lock that mark from western Eastern treasures gave us
LATCH ONTO ITAsk Mark Parker Image 2
Q. Here's an object that my two brothers found. In fact, they found 147 of them, all in one pile. It's marked Pat. Aug. 7, 1888. No one seems to know what it is, so I'm turning to you for help. Value isn't all that important, as most of them are heavily rusted, although some are still in working order.
A. Archival sleuthing at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office reveals that your gizmo is a gate latch invented by George W. Charleville of McKinney, Texas. The two rings inside the case were moved by means of the levers on either side. When allowed to drop below the case, the rings engaged a metal latch bar, holding the gate in place. Pressing the levers drew the rings back into the case, releasing the latch bar. No guess on the value, but prices for plain iron, no-key gate locks and closures of that era tend be fairly low. While your latch does have a bit of novelty and obscurity going for it, the fact that your brothers uncovered 147 of them definitely takes it out of the rarity category. Obviously, condition is also a problem. Best bet? Frame a couple of the nicer ones alongside copies of the patent documents and drawings (which I'm sending you), and then offer the display to a collector of antique locks or hardware.
as a tribute to dime mans generosity i piled my coins up for him thanks to him i did not come home empty of finds. thanks dime man.
totals
$6.44
here is the info on the lock that mark from western Eastern treasures gave us
LATCH ONTO ITAsk Mark Parker Image 2
Q. Here's an object that my two brothers found. In fact, they found 147 of them, all in one pile. It's marked Pat. Aug. 7, 1888. No one seems to know what it is, so I'm turning to you for help. Value isn't all that important, as most of them are heavily rusted, although some are still in working order.
A. Archival sleuthing at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office reveals that your gizmo is a gate latch invented by George W. Charleville of McKinney, Texas. The two rings inside the case were moved by means of the levers on either side. When allowed to drop below the case, the rings engaged a metal latch bar, holding the gate in place. Pressing the levers drew the rings back into the case, releasing the latch bar. No guess on the value, but prices for plain iron, no-key gate locks and closures of that era tend be fairly low. While your latch does have a bit of novelty and obscurity going for it, the fact that your brothers uncovered 147 of them definitely takes it out of the rarity category. Obviously, condition is also a problem. Best bet? Frame a couple of the nicer ones alongside copies of the patent documents and drawings (which I'm sending you), and then offer the display to a collector of antique locks or hardware.