WW & Co. Eagle Lock

[Umbrahabitator]

Hello,

I found this one at a location that I have had many good finds at, this is my first lock and I am happy to have it. I tossed it in some vinegar to start the process of cleaning it and came back to find an eagle staring back at me. Though the eagle may not be of much significance, it is always cool to find a relic with one on it. I have three questions; what time period was the lock made in, does the eagle have any military connection, or is it just an eagle, and how should I go about cleaning it up? I tossed it back into the vinegar for now to break up some of the rust clumps.

With some research, I found that William Wilcox and Co. were in business from 1845-1875, fingers crossed for Civil War Eagle (but am ready to accept that it is not).

Thank you for all the help.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[xr7ator]

Looks like an older one, grats, and hope someone chimes in with a good answer.

 

[Umbrahabitator]

Progress Update: Cleaned it up and love the way it looks. There are still a number of blemishes but I am hesitant to clean it anymore as the rust really did a number on the structural integrity.

 

[DCMatt]

Here is one like yours that claims to be CW - although the don't offer anything to back the claim.

https://uniondb.com/products/civil-war-padlock

 

[Red-Coat]

From an older post, there is a padlock like that listed in Crouch's Civil War Artifact book as a possible government contract lock:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/193887-padlock-cover-maybe.html

 

[Umbrahabitator]

Thank you for the info, DCMatt and Red-Coat, it is cool to see that other people have found these before me and that the locks may have some government connection. The history on the items we find in this hobby is always the best part (unless it is gold, then the fact it is gold is the best part).

 

[Umbrahabitator]

Just found and bought one on eBay, thought I would share (despite how old the post is) because finding one for sale wasn't easy.