Lock, but what the...

[JccEldreth]

Any ideas on this one?

 

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[Reanm8er]

Context please?

 

[firemanphob]

Not sure it is lock. Reminds me of flow indicators. fluid goes in one side and revolves the center wheel and out the same side. would have had glass on the sides so the rotation could be seen to indicate flow. Could be wrong, can't tell enough from the pictures. does the circular part in the center look like it rotated. Could have been a small pneumatic vibrator. Offset holes would cause it to be out of balance and cause vibration when spun by air. just a couple of guesses.

 

[JccEldreth]

Context please?

Found at a 1800s house, no old coins found, oldest was 1930s. Backyard.

 

[JccEldreth]

Not sure it is lock. Reminds me of flow indicators. fluid goes in one side and revolves the center wheel and out the same side. would have had glass on the sides so the rotation could be seen to indicate flow. Could be wrong, can't tell enough from the pictures. does the circular part in the center look like it rotated. Could have been a small pneumatic vibrator. Offset holes would cause it to be out of balance and cause vibration when spun by air. just a couple of guesses.

Hard to tell. Bottom looks so much like a key hole, and top looks like where the shackle would be. I wondered if someone drilled it out trying to remove it?

 

[Reanm8er]

Some combination locks were made so you could stick a key in the bottom and change the combination. Perhaps a lock for a school locker. Or perhaps it was made to use either a key or a combination.

 

[Rum Tide]

I see it mounted. The key would lock and unlock the position of the rotating round hole plate(s).