Welcom to June. Start you own Cuff of the Day Topic. F. M. C. Handcuff

Our Cuff of Day series has been very successful.  It has kept us going all spring.
Now it is your turn.  Choose your own topic and start a Cuff of the Day stream.  We will all continue to contribute when we can.

I can not just post a note without discussing a handcuff.   Here is a cuff I first presented on the forum back in 2007.

"I have a lot of Darby handcuffs, but none quite like the F.M.C. Darby that I just bought (in 2007). It has a unique locking mechanism that is similar to a Rankin. The normal threaded bolt of the cuff is surrounded by a sleeve that is depressed by the key. It is similar to a Rankin mechanism except the bolt comes out above the sleeve. I have never seen a Darby with such a sleeve.

The cuff is marked F.M.C. with the date 1918 on each cuff. I have no idea what company made the cuff.
On the side of the barrel of each cuff one can find a British broad arrow flanked by the initials I M."

Has anyone else seen another Darby cuff with this sort of lock mechanism?

Does anyone know what the initials F.M.C. stand for?
(I don't think it is Ford Motor Company or Food Machinery Company)


Does anyone know which country or military unit used the I M initials with the British Broad Arrow?
"I" was used by India, but I can find no reference to an "I" and a "M".      I was suggested that it might stand for the Isle of Man, but I can find
no other reference to an Isle of Man broad arrow mark.

Joe

That is THE most unusual Darby. Someone had fun doing that - combining what is an obvious English cuff with an Americian inspired sleeved bolt. The pinned end cap is also very English. Because the key end of the lock is not squared off with the shoulder of the key, I'd say it is meant to be pulled to open the cuff. It would be interesting to know how strong the spring is. Indian Government cuffs would have had Arrow I, not I Arrow M. I would almost bet money that is Isle of Man, which is a British dependancy.
Paul

Paul
On one side you need to push the key in somewhat hard depressing the sleeve allowing you turn the key to engage the bolt.  The cuff opens easily once the key is engaged.
On the other side the sleeve is easily depressed and the key goes easily on to the bolt.  I think it is possible that the second side was damaged by having the key screwed in tight when the cuffs were stored.  Who knows? The cuff may have been sitting with the key screwed in tight for many decades. That could easily damage the spring.  And a warning to collectors, don't store your cuffs that way!

The main function of the sleeve would be make if more difficult to pull the bolt with a simple twisted wire or string, a trick that can be accomplished on some Darby cuffs.
Joe

That is the first darby I have seen with the two styles of locks, inter meshed like that. Very cool! That would deff make it a harder cuff to open without a key.  Surprised that more cuffs with this style of lock havent shown up? I would figure it would have been a good addition for a standard darby design to use.  Thanks for sharing, Joe!
-Richard Knip-

I also have the same handcuff, photo's attached.  They have F.M.C 1918 stamped on them, no other initials.

Very interesting to see another set of F.M.C. handcuffs.
Could you tell us where they came from?   That might give us a clue about their origin.
Mine were bought on eBay from a dealer in England.
Joe

They were an Ebay purchase from here in the UK.

Love your posting Harry and great to see you are in the UK
I have tried to PM you but not sure if you received it!
Can you email me (cgower1@aol.com)
Thanks
Chris