Loar case keys

[JFDilmando]

during the years of Loars presence were there more than one key design for the cases that were supplied ??

And where could I find a picture of one ??

thanks
JohnD

[JFDilmando]

Here's a neat little item I sold a while back. What a bummer..
Sort of answering a bit of my own question.... in the closed "Loar pic" thread, Darryl has a picture of a key with the original price tag that he sold at one time...

My question regarding the possibility of different types of keys with the cases remains... any help ?

Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. Name: keytag.jpg Views: 22 Size: 30.0 KB ID: 6029

Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com

Thanks

[Ken Waltham]

Not that I know of. I have a plain, small, envelope, with the word "key" stamped on it, that came with early Gibson mandolins.

[Loudloar]

Page 120 of the Ohio Travel Bag catalog. http://www.ohiotravelbag.com I'm not sure which one. Probably the bigger one. The end of the key shaft has a hole that fits over a pin in the oval case lock. The hole has to be big enough to fit over the pin.

They only deal with businesses, so the best bet is to go to your local luggage repair shop and ask if they'll include a key in their next parts order.

Picture of a genuine Loar case key: http://www.mandolinarchive.com/gibson/serial/73485

Steve

[Bill Halsey]

Antique shops sometimes have boxes of assorted keys for sale.

[JFDilmando]

Now this last pic from Bill, would imply that more than one key design was used with these cases.... this is a "three hole" design, while Darryl's photo is a one hole key design....

I am interested in not what will fit... necessarily.... but what was original to the cases as issued....

Bill can you say that this key was original to the case????... the one Darryl sold was presumably original as it was attached to a original price tag...

Any other pics out there of keys with Loar cases ?

[Bill Halsey]

No idea how many key designs were used, John. The trefoil keys above appear with subtle variations, like the annular groove on the barrel of the first one, while the other two have smooth barrels. I also have a one-hole key that works, but don't know if it was original to the Geib & Schaefer or Lifton cases. Since the key is a separate item and can be exchanged, a study of period Eagle and other case hardware manufacturers might help to determine which key shapes were ordinarily supplied.

[f5loar]

Loar case keys were only made for a few years so I can't believe there was more than one style made. No doubt you could find other style keys that will fit the same lock as is pretty typical of luggage locks. The only Loar case key I ever saw is the type shown in the archives photos. I know there are other photos of Loar keys but they may not be posted yet. Seems I recall the Joe Val Loar came with original case key.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I think F5loar is right.The case locks were probably a pretty common item at the time & used on more items than just Gibson cases. No company would set up to make locks only for a 'relatively' limited item. I think that you just might have to do a lot of looking around,which in itself can be interesting. "Key Quest" is where it's at !!. Try contacting Brettun's Village antique trunk store in Auburn,Maine. They specialise in 'old stuff' - this pic.is from their site. They have a complete section for keys.If you give them enough info.,they might have 'a' right key for the lock,
Ivan

www.brettunsvillage.com/

[Loudloar]

These same oval locks were used on many hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of instrument cases, equipment cases and pieces of luggage. They were probably used from before 1900, and can be seen into the 1950's. Postwar versions used a flat key. See second picture.

Steve

[danb]

Here are two I have. The oval one on the left came in a snakehead A case (that's what's commonly assumed to be the "Loar Case key"). The one on the right was in the case for my 1909 F4. I've seen the left-style key a number of times on ebay or here on the cafe, they seem to be quite common and fetch about $30.

The locks are sometimes stamped "Eagle Lock Co". I expect the hardware was common to numerous luggage and instrument cases as suggested earlier here. Both keys work on each other's locks..

[Loudloar]

Here is the real-deal oval lock on a genuine Loar case. Neither key is original. The one on the right works. It has a second tab that's unnecessary and doesn't actually go into the lock. The one on the right is from an old violin case and almost works. The tab is a bit too high but a couple swipes with a file would correct the problem. Both keys have a hole in the end to accommodate the pin in the lock.

Remember that these cases were built by Geib & Shaefer in Chicago, the largest musical instrument case company in the world. The cases were designed specifically for Gibson F-5 mandolins, but G&S would have had bins full of locks, latches, hinges, etc. that were used on a huge variety of cases. There was nothing special about these oval locks. They were the exact same ones used on hundreds of thousands of other prewar cases.

These locks were produced by The Eagle Lock Company. They were the largest trunk and cabinet lock maker in the world, in existence from 1833-1975. Sometimes the maker's name is stamped on latches, but mostly not. They produced the vast majority of prewar case hardware, although we sometimes see hardware by Excelsior, their main competitor. Later we see hardware by Presto Lock, especially on postwar cases.

Steve
The History of the Geib Musical Instrument Case Company
http://kirtleymusic.home.comcast.net/geib.htm

[danb]

Nice link Steve. Lots of variations on the case hardware too, though I've found keys from older ones work in later ones too.. my '09 key works in a '33 case, for example!

[Bill Halsey]

Terrific site on Geib history, Steve!