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    • Home
    • A Life's Collection
      • Skeleton Keys
      • Automobile Keys
      • Aftermarket & Look-Alikes
      • Padlocks & Latches
      • Cylinders & Cores
      • Banking, Vault & Combo
    • Prized Finds
      • Ornate Originals
      • Commercial Keys
      • Unusual Applications
      • Equipment & Supplies
    • They Speak to Me
      • Sales Pieces
      • Tags & Fobs
      • Original Packaging
    • XO
      • Great Memories
      • In a Family Way
      • For Trade
    • Book a Talk
  • Home
  • A Life's Collection
    • Skeleton Keys
    • Automobile Keys
    • Aftermarket & Look-Alikes
    • Padlocks & Latches
    • Cylinders & Cores
    • Banking, Vault & Combo
  • Prized Finds
    • Ornate Originals
    • Commercial Keys
    • Unusual Applications
    • Equipment & Supplies
  • They Speak to Me
    • Sales Pieces
    • Tags & Fobs
    • Original Packaging
  • XO
    • Great Memories
    • In a Family Way
    • For Trade
  • Book a Talk
KeyOfTheDay

K E Y O F T H E D A Y

K E Y O F T H E D A Y K E Y O F T H E D A Y

Unusual Applications

There are times when keys and lock hardware have unusual roles in the home or office. The following are fun examples of hard-to-find or archaic applications

These mausoleum keys are a handsome variety of size and maker, replete with metal tags reading West Block and West Block 7 Panel. Shown as found in a shop in Vermont in 2024

Padlocks are often used in industrial areas to disable equipment for various reasons. Known as Lock-Out Tag-Out, this safety protocol involves its own special kind of locks and restricted keys

[1920-1960] The keys on the right are from call boxes once maintained by the Automobile Association in England.  See more auto keys here

Now obsolete, Watchman's clocks, stations and keys were part of the landscape of building or campus security. See more commercial items here

These light switch 'keys' control wall switches for lighting in environments like schools where security of the switch was not particularly important

The power of locks and keys allows currency to remain secure in transit. Enjoy more bank and vault items here

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