Lock Boxes

Antique lock boxes come in two major types with a good amount of variation within the categories.

The earlier type is mounted to the exterior of the door. These date from the mid 1800’s up into the early 1900s. Their popularity fell soon after 1900. These are often referred to as rim locks or carpenter locks. They can range a bit in size, but tend to be fairly close. The major difference is whether they mount horizontally or vertically. Spacing and location of the doorknob and keyholes also can vary quite a bit.

After 1900, we more often see the mortise type lock box which fits into a hole in the door. These can vary quite a bit in size, with smaller ones made for screen or french doors and large ones made for commercial purposes. We also see a larger variety in setups with the mortise lock boxes. Some take a doorknob and key (the most typical setup). Others take a knob and a latch. Some have two keyholes. Original catalogues have hundreds of pages of different lock boxes. So many it can make your head spin!

When purchasing a lock box, it is good to consider if you will be needing a key for it. It is best to purchase a key at the same time so that it can be tested. These were not universal and the only way to tell what will work is usually to test. We do attempt to draw an outline of the type of key that works on our lock boxes if we can find one, but this is not a perfect science.

All of our lock boxes have been cleaned, oiled and tested for functionality.