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Worlds Fair Maltby ?

18 visible archived posts · 18 preserved total · topic ID 1446

Dennisweb 27 Jul 2006

I have a pair of Mattatuck The Maltby Cuffs {worlds Fair 1904 } I bid & won from Ebay.
I believe they are a novelty item from the Worlds Fair, Can anyone give me any History on them , such as who sold them, I know the obvious answer is The Mattatuck Co.if so what were they showing at the Worlds Fair? They remind me of the Takeda knock off toy cuffs you can still buy at Toys R Us.

Dennisweb

Dennis 29 Jul 2006

If they are Maltbys, they are more than a novelty item. They are some pretty neat cuffs. Take a look on the home page to this site. There may be some background information.

Are yours functional? You can probably get replacement keys from Cannon's Great Escapes. Can you post a photo?

lauher 29 Jul 2006

I have a pair of these and at least two others have been sold on eBay. The Maltby cuffs came out just before the St. Louis world's fair. I think they simply had a display there promoting their new product line. They are actually very nice cuffs.

Joe

Dennisweb 30 Jul 2006

Dennis, Yes they are functional, they have a homemade key, Sorry I didnt post pictures
My laptop is giving me problems with my camera; I will post pictures when I resolve this

Also Joe, thank you for youre info. Its always appreciated

Dennisweb 04 Aug 2006

I hope this works, This is the cuff in question

Dennisweb 04 Aug 2006

it didn't work ,i will try again

Dennisweb 04 Aug 2006

Can someone help explain how to post a jpeg.picture at this thread?
Dennis

Jack 04 Aug 2006

Either upload it to a server permitting remote linking, or hotlinking, and type the URL in your message or e-mail the image to the Forum host, Joe Lauher, lauher@handcuffs.org, asking him to insert it into this thread.

Joe Lauher 05 Aug 2006

Edgeplay_Cgo 05 Aug 2006

#10

Those look NICE! Thanks

Steve Santini 05 Aug 2006

#11

Perhaps it is just the lighting, but to me these look replated.

The plating does not have that vintage lustre to it I have seen on very good to minty cuffs from the past.

Steve Santini

Dennisweb 05 Aug 2006

#12

Thank you Joe for posting my picture promise I will learn to post my own in the future. Also thank you
For the info. You provided.
Thank you Jack for the info on posting pictures.
Dennis thanks for the input.
Steve I agree they seem to be in unusually excellent shape for 1904, the very reason I am asking for as much info. About them as I can get. I cant find any rust on them, or in the lock housing, I will try to post more pictures

Dennisweb

Edgeplay_Cgo 06 Aug 2006

#13

With regard to the cuffs being replated, there was a previous thread that discussed this. One of our real experts, Steve or Joe or Ian or somebody posted some indicators. Chief among them, IIRC, was to look for "shadows" in the plating where the presence of adjacent parts inhibited the electroplating action. This is commonly seen where the chain links touch, and around hinges and swivels. Sometimes you can see the mark where the wire hung the cuff in the plating bath.

Your cuffs are VERY shiny, or appear so in the photo.

Steve Santini 08 Aug 2006

#14

I have looked at your pic again and again and I really do think they are replated.

Not only does the shade of the plating look too new but also I see small pitting marks beneath some areas of the plating.

This would indicate a replate job.

Steve Santini

Dennisweb 08 Aug 2006

#15

I also believe they are replated, one reason I thought they might be novelty souvenir cuffs. However Im still curious as to why The Mattatuck Co. would show their wares at The Worlds Fair. Were handcuffs as available as handguns were to private citizens in 1904?
I have seen pistols for sale in early 1900 magazine ads for personal protection, but never handcuffs.
Dennisweb

Dennisweb 08 Aug 2006

#16

[/IMG]
looking at the pawl, you can see a dark aera where the
plating didn't adhere. also the rivet heads are bubbled
where the plating is peeling, sorry I can't seem to focus
my camera close enough to show this.
Dennisweb

Unresolved image reference ↗

Dennisweb 08 Aug 2006

#17

When the cuff is closed the cuff lock body covers the dark part of the pawl. This makes me think the cuff was plated while assembled. I was under the impression that the cuff would have to be disassembled to
Plate it. All the movable parts look rounded and clean. No jagged or overlapping plating.
Dennisweb

Steve Santini 08 Aug 2006

#18

No, the cuff does not have to be apart to plate it.

Some specialty platers, the kind that can apply thin plating coats to things like old silver antiques, can put light coats of plating on a cuff that is assembled and not have it bugger up the lock works.

Mind you, NEVER take a cuff you want replated to a place that specializes in bumpers and auto parts!

These people are used to laying it on thick!

When I was 18, I took a pair of Towers to an auto plater.

The result was a cuff that had so much plating on the bows that the holes they went into had to be drilled bigger to even get the cuff to shut and lock!

Steve Santini