On the set you have shown I notice a museum's catalog number. It seems this set came out a museum's collection at one time or another.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
I noticed the white numbers on the hinge, typical of museum recording. interesting?This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
Joe- I won the cuff and wondered about the age as well. Most of the early eights have rounded pins in the hinges, these are nicely finished. I also wondered if the missing or broken screw was for some type of lock cover. The end of the lock bolt is right at the edge of the key hole which would be easy to tamper with. The broken screw seems very small to be an eyelet for a link but it is possible. The number appears to be A-1-68. Pawn or auction?This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
This turned out to be a very unique handcuff. It is small and compact. What appears to be a broken screw is actually a release button which when depressed pushes on a leaf spring the end of which capures the hook portion of the other side of the cuff.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
Several very knowledgeable people have pointed out that the hinge configuration is not necessarily a measure or means to date a restraint and in retrospect I agree. I was trying to understand how the seller of the cuff came up with a 1750 date for the cuff. The consensus from most I have talked to is that the cuff is from the 1800s.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
I would say late 1800's early 1900's because of the the spring and the rivet for the spring.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
Thanks Dorson. I know the seller wasnt being deceptive, she was just repeating what her father had recorded. I dont think there is a uniform standard as far as style that you can hang your hat on in terms of trying to date older restraints. Construction may be the best indicator.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
Damon et al, I agree with you, one has to look at all the clues that may be there and that old eye for suttle details. Like the spring and rivet are machine set and manufactured. Way to clean to be done by hand... I wish the school I learned Mechanical Engineering at still had there metallurgy lab. Where I could clean a section of metal and look at it under microscope and run some etch tests to reveal the composition of the metal and it's structure. There are some new hightech toys I have heard about that is used in scrap yards to determine types of metal in short time. All we got to go on here is hopefully detailed enough pictures that reveal the tiny clues to how it was made, etc. I'm somewhat gifted and cursed since I have certain things that my brain is wired a bit differently and been working on, making, taking things apart since I was like 4 or 5 years old.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
Amazing size. I was suprised to see how much it went for. For me the give away to the age was the screw fastener. Our dear host can tell us when they started making machine screws but I'm pretty wure it was not in the 1700s. Of course that may have been a recent repair.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
Thanks Elliot- Here is a better size comparison with some other plug eights. I can't recall ever seeing another plug eight with what amounts to a double locking feature.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
Damon,This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
I have no idea how old it is but give the guys from the 1700s some credit for making springs, rivets and threaded bolts. Handcuffs as a rule are not intricate but think of the guns from that era. Why is that thread machine made and not hand made.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
because they had machines back then.............This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
Anon - we may be agreeing!This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
We touched on the hinge-lock design concept in this old post from 07:This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
I don't think I was specifying that the screw was made by machine but rather that it looks a great deal like a machine screw one finds holding a machine together.This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
Here's the entire thread...This cuff recently sold on eBay for $567. (no I did not buy it.) Item number: 110623677401
A 18th century date is claimed, but it looks more modern. Does anyone else have an opinion or know anything about it?
Joe
