For many, key collecting is part of a greater landscape of lock collecting and locksmithing; the overarching Hardware Store culture. While it's harder all the time to find a dusty old family-run hardware store, rich with story and new old stock, there are touchstones to be found in many antique shops, second-hand stores and flea markets every day
Acquired in Lewisburg, PA, this intact display of key blanks, complete with original paper shade, is from a defunct WT Grant department store
These colorful blanks are made of anodized aluminum. Popular in the 1950s through the 1970s when brass and steel were in short supply, they often sheered off in locks because they are brittle
This ILCO (Independent Lock Co) key duplicator is among the simplest. Often a first step for an aspiring locksmith, it does the job of copying the bit pattern of an original key onto a brass or aluminum blank
This handsome enameled steel rack, c. 1930s, was made to organize and merchandise key blanks in a retail environment
This rack was likely designed for a maintenance shop or similar environment where individual or small groups of keys would return repeatedly to the rack, hence the oval spaces for marking
This piece is more modern and likely intended for an automotive service garage with 'transient' keys, likely marked with temporary paper or plastic tags
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