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new BEAN COBB model

14 visible archived posts · 14 preserved total · topic ID 292
Original topic ↗Recovered images
PETCHI 12 Oct 2004
#1
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:












Stan Willis 12 Oct 2004
#2
I'm pretty sure that this is the early model of the Cobb handcuff. the main differences between this and later models are:
There is no recess for the locking button.
The date is in a curve instead of a straight line.
There is no serial number.

Stan
PETCHI 15 Oct 2004
#3
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
Thank you so much abou your answer
Mark Lyons 27 Jan 2011
#4
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
I just bought one of these 1st model Beans. It came today.
Joe captured this auction item in his most recent eBay auction items list.
These came in a very nice original box. The drawing on the box shows the NON-recessed and scalloped area surrounding the arming buttons, which is much more common to see.
The lock case is slightly thicker than the cuff body too.
An original key was also provided.
There is quite a bit of nickle plating, but other areas are barren of it.
I remember a discussion on this some time ago but could only find this blog.
I do not know how rare this early model is.
Any of you have one (besides Petchi)?


mark
O--O
Dorson 27 Jan 2011
#5
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
That is not the only differences as I was sent a pair to repair. The tab is a leaf spring instead of coiled spring and the metal plate that divides the locking paws is different too. I will post side by side pictures when I get the chance here.
Mark Lyons 28 Jan 2011
#6
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
Dorson,
Thanks for this bit of info.
I had no idea that the lock was that different.
I wait in anticipation to see your photos.
You always do a nice job with your comparison shots.

mark
O--O
Gordon 28 Jan 2011
#7
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
Mark
Does the box have the manufacture's name on it?
Gordon
Mark Lyons 28 Jan 2011
#8
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
It does!
H&R.
Which now raises the question:
I was under the impression that H&R made ONLY the non-swivel-2 chain link model.
I have always called the swivel model, Bean Cobb by that name or by "1899's" and the later version by "H&R's".
Assuming that the swivel models were made by someone else and the chain model by H&R.
I never gave much thought to it, but I now think H&R made all of them...except for the Tower version.

mark
O--O
Mark Lyons 28 Jan 2011
#9
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...

mark
O--O
ML 28 Jan 2011
#10
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
OOPS,

I forgot to mention that this box was from an article I wrote about handcuffs boxes. The drawing shows the recessed trigger area. I will check the box that arrived yesterday, but I believe the drawing does not show the recess. Otherwise the labels are the same.

mark
O--O
ML 28 Jan 2011
#11
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
I was wrong.
The box does show the indent upon closer reexamination.
Maybe the box is not original to these cuffs.
The box in the above photo is in about the same condition as my box and has the same label.
The labels both say "They have set locks and cannot be locked by accident".

mark
O--O
Mark Lyons 29 Jan 2011
#12
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
The more thought I give this, I believe I have come up with an interesting possibility.
I had always wondered what H&R claimed about the 1899 Bean Cobb being "Improved".
Were they claiming that their cuffs was an improvement of all the other brands of cuffs? Maybe not.
I had known that this cuff was always called the improved model. I am now thinking that the 1st model (such as the one I just got) was their standard model and had complaints by police officers who had problems with these cuffs prematurely locking while being carried in their pockets,
Therefore, the 1st model was probably NOT called the "Improved" model.
I am thinking that it was not until they made 2nd version where the lock case was the same thickness as the lock body and cut the recessed trigger buttons into the sides did they call the new model "Improved". They refer to this by saying the new version has "set locks".
So the improvement they may be referring to was that of the changes they made with version 2.
Not a great discovery but I believe I have one small piece to add to the puzzle.


mark
O--O
Dorson 29 Jan 2011
#13
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
Mark, you are on the right track because there are alot of differences, some very subtle and easily missed.
Gordon 29 Jan 2011
#14
Dear fellow collectors

I have found in US a BEAN COBB set. This model is probably rare. Look at the photos. It is not the common BEAN COBB HANDCUFFS often seen.

Is there an helpful collector to tell me something about this model?

PAT MAY 2 1899 is writing on each cuff

photos at:











Click to expand...
There were 2 manufacturers of the Cobb cuff with the swivels. The first was Lovell and the second was H&R. Lyman Cobb who designed the cuff worked for Lovell. The following information was given to me by the Fitchburg Historical Society in Fitchburg Mass." John P Lovell died in 1897 and his son died shortly after in 1899. With no one to take over the company it soon folded in 1900.The handcuff making machinery was purchased by Harrington & Richardson." The Cobb has a pat. date of May 2 1899.So I would say that Lovell had time to make some cuffs and then H & R takes over and makes most of them. Go back to the August 10,2008 Forum postings and look at all the variations and try to figure out when the change of manufacturers occured. The change to the recess button was probably for the reason that Mark gives.
Years later H & R reissues the Cobb cuff with a 2 long link linkage and marked H & R. Oh how I long to see a Cobb cuff box that says Manufactured by the John P Lovell Co.
My theory about Cobb and H&R applies equally to what we call the Lovell cuff
( the cuff with the disk over the key hole.) Some are marked MANUFACTURED BY THE JOHN P LOVELL CO.and the more common ones have no markings. To me that says that the no markings were made by H&R. What is really strange that the Cobb cuff that does not look like a Bean cuff is was called the Bean improved cuff, yet the Lovell cuff looks like a Bean cuff. Maybe thats why we call it a Cobb. I would love to see a Lovell cuff box that says Manufactured by Harrington& Richardson.

Gordon
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