Learn about antiques and collectibles

eorgia Caraway

ations to become master ecuting the intricate designs s for four or more years. the new master locksmith own shop and employ

Church has keys in its coat of arms and during the Middle Ages noblemen and women carried a large collection of keys hanging from their girdles to denote status the more keys the higher the status The custom of granting presentation keys began during the earliest years when cities were walled enclaves When a visitor was held in high esteem by the townspeople, he would be presented with a gold-plated key to the city gate. Thus, we now have the honorary “Key to the City.” Keys to the city are now made of wood, plastic, pot metal, or even cardboard.

Ancient Egyptian locks, made of wood and fitted to the outside of the door, took the form of a wooden bar that slid sideways through a large wooden staple and into a cavity in the doorjamb The keys were large, wooden toothbrush-looking devices with the “bristles” being pegs corresponding to the staple The Romans developed a smaller iron lock with bronze keys

Keys made in the Middle Ages were very rough and crude with the bows fashioned into lozenge shapes and crosses Some Medieval keys will be found with rough designs, crests, crowns or other ornamentation on the bows

Locksmith’s apprentices demonstrated their and 19th centuries were preMost keys of this period have e end that is inserted into the hese keys have designs cut into the bits; the cross, crowns, initials, and other types of designs in about every combination The bows (the top of the key stem) run from plain iron rings to elaborately cut designs

Key collecting is such a diversified hobby that few collectors today would attempt to acquire extensive holdings of all the various types. Collectors usually follow specialization in one or two main types.

Among the most popular of the twentiethcentury keys is the railroad switch key There were thousands of railroads over the past 170 years or so, and most issued switch keys Other types of collectible keys are folding keys for pocket doors, ship keys, watch keys, hotel keys, car keys, casket keys, furniture keys, and door keys

Jail keys are probably the most difficult of all keys to acquire Few people outside of prisons really know what a jail key looks like Old Western jails, what few there were, mostly used hasps and padlocks A special padlock was designed specifically for these jails It was small, secure, and light enough to be shipped the long distance from the Eastern manufacturers. The keys are unique and difficult to duplicate. Local blacksmiths made the early Western jail cells of the materials at hand, as the cost of shipping a manufactured cell from the East was beyond the resources of most small towns The lock was a lever tumbler type, not a warded lock Almost all gate keys have ward cuts or curved bits, to fit specially cut keyholes During the latter part of the 19th century, and until the middle of the 20th, manufacturers did make jail locks that used bit-type keys, single as well as double-bitted Many jail keys were large flat keys that resemble an overgrown safe deposit key, with many square cuts along the edge Some jail keys have the cell number as part of the edge cut to indicate the cell the prisoner was residing in

A SPECIAL EVENT WILL OCCUR IN HOWE ON NOVEMBER 7--THE “SAVE THE CHURCH” $10 ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BARBEQUE AND AUCTION. MORE THAN 200 ITEMS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE. PLEASE PUT THIS ON YOUR CALENDAR AND PLAN TO ATTEND AND SUPPORT THE RESTORATION OF THE 122-YEAR OLD FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH BUILDING. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE HOWE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BUILDING, 101 EAST HANING AND AT HOWE MERCANTILE AND TEXAS HOME EMPORIUM 107-109 EAST HANING

Dr Georgia Caraway, former director of the Denton County Museums for 14 years, and her friends opened the Howe Mercantile at 107 East Haning Store hours are Thursday through Saturday noon until 8 p m In addition to Tips, Tools, & Techniques: Caring for Your Antiques and Collectibles, she has written four Denton history books and is working on a 5th history about the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo.