Skeleton key collection

J

Josh Feltman

Joined
Feb 12, 2001
Messages
4,500
I don't know why, but I've always loved skeleton keys. Collection's a bit sparser than usual, as I sent my best friend In Denver 6 or 7 of them a few months ago. She deserves 'em though.:D

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Cool Josh! I've always liked them too, but never thought about collecting them...well until now anyway.
 
Those are neat Josh. We once rented an old house in Louisianna that had at one time been the town hospital. It came with skeleton keys and all. Situated in a pecan grove, and had the biggest mulbery tree I've ever seen smack in the middle. That thing was as big as the pecan trees. After we moved out they tore it down and cut down all the trees. Mulberry is a beautiful wood. Had I been a sensible kid I'd have kept it. Oh well. Neat collection.
 
I don't have any anymore. Years ago I had a bunch of keys of all kinds from old skeleton keys to the keys for my '48 Plymouth Coupe. I mounted them on a pretty piece of wood and hung them up on the wall as a piece of art. When I moved once years ago they came up missing and I've never seen them since.:( :mad:

My most useless, well partly anyway, collection right now is a few old fishing reels I have. I've got an old Langley that I literally wore out over the years and I have its duplicate that's like brand new.
I also have my old Zebco 44 that is also worn out and you can't get parts for anymore and I've also got a brand new one that hasn't had its line in the water yet, don't think its called a 44 though.
The oldest reel I have is an old surf reel so old it doesn't have a level wind on it but it has a leather pad that was used as a drag, pretty neet old reel, keys take up less room.:thumbup: ;) :D
My reel collection isn't all that large but they all bring back fond memories of good times past.
I need to clean up our tackle and start fishing again now that I'm starting to feel
better.:thumbup: :D
 
When I read the title, I thought the post would be about wrecking bars and bolt cutters. :eek:

Keys have a certain mystique about them. No one bothers to pick up a pen, or a penny, or a pin...but a key? It always gets picked up. What does it unlock?

Cool stuff, Josh. Some of those look like handcuff keys.
 
Locks have always fascinated me so I have a few locks and some skeleton keys. Those keys are for warded locks, many of which can be opened with a piece of thin wire shaped just right. Last year I opened the secretary's locked cash box with a paper clip (she left the key at home). It freaked her out. :D

Ice

(edited for spheling)
 
Dave, as far as I know, all the smaller keys are for tube locks on rolltop desks and such. I could be wrong though. I'm not an expert, just a hoarder.

Munk, the big one is supposedly the foyer key for the old Fresno Hotel. The seven dark brass keys on the left are room keys. I used to have 8, but #13, my favorite, went to Denver.
 
Josh, I have a turn of the century china display cabinet key from England on my key ring. It was from my mother and father's house, but in storage the cabinet itself fell apart as was sold in auction 'as is'. It is a little similar to the the three lobed one at 4 o'clock on your display, except it has a 4 leaf clover type effect, and the bottom part is nicer. If you would like it, send me your address and it's yours. It has been on my key ring for 7 years so it has a nice patina. I am nearly 53 and the cabinet was in the house for as long as I can remember. Actually, easier to show you!

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I've got three old keys af different ages, my mother was given them by a construction worker who had dug them up while she was living in greece, the newest looks about 150-200 years old the others are MUCH older but I couldnt hazard a guess as to actual age. They were found during excavation near knossos in crete and I'm fairly sure it was illeagle to remove them from the country. I'll try and get some pics maybe you can tell me somthing about them Josh.

Cheers
Gord
 
Josh Feltman said:
Very nice key! And thanks very much for the offer. Email sent!
Click to expand...

No problem, and thanks for the THREE e-mails. It does have just a little sentimental value, but when you get to a certain age, you start to think, 'why am I keeping this'? It does no use on my key ring, and the cabinet is gone. Before I left England for Canada, I did the 'Life Laundry' thing. That probably means little, but there is an English television programme where they take hoarders like me and rid them of their junk and explain why they should do it. At the end of the programme, they give them something like a complete redecoration. I did my own life laundry and filled 1 1/2 x 4 ton trucks which went to auction. This included pretty well all my furniture and everything I own that had an electric plug on it 220v there, 120v here! Also, lots of junk from all my school books from 1960's and loads of stuff I collected on the way to a WW11 German major's leather coat with epaulettes that my wife didn't like.

Next time I am in the post office, I'll drop it in a padded bag for you and mail it. It may be days, it may be a week, no promises, but I never forget. I do get 'aroundtoit' it eventually :D Cheers
 
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