WTH Handcuffs

Here is an entry for the June 2 discussion for One-off or prototypes.

I just won this item and expect it to come in a few weeks.
I have never seen anything like it and the long chain and its screwed on escutcheons originally made me think that these were toys.  The overall length and size of the cuff body is on the small side but they seem the appropriate size for police work.
I am sure that the key is non original and that could have been used to help discover its origin.   I believe it is French or from Europe somewhere but at this point, it is merely a guess. 
The chain is on the petite side so I have doubts that it is US made.

If any of you know ANYTHING about these, I welcome your expertise.  Guesses are good too

The seller was into model trains and these were the only cuffs he offered.  I would love to hear the story of where he got them.
Thanks in advance for any help.

What a unique find congratulations, I've never seen anything quite like them either. The clevis and thin chain does look like the work of a french company. Are they single lock? With the screws in the front of the lock case they look like they were partially modeled after the Bean Cobb. But that is just my two cents. I'm excited to hear what others have to say.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I would love to hear what other have to say as well.
There are always some cuffs that are lost to history and may never be identifies.
If any details emerge, I trust that it will be from a member here as we really do have combined, the greatest handcuff resources on the planet.

Thanks for sharing Mark. Interesting Stop built in at the end of the teeth. I'm guessing if the prisoner got hold of a screwdriver or similar he could escape from them? They seem quite large screws. Your thoughts??

I was looking at those as well, but had to back out on the auction. My thoughts? I dont think they were meant for official police work. The use of the screws that would make the lock vulnerable, is my main reason. If anything, it may have been a test model or a prototype of some sort? It will be interesting to see what unfolds when you get them in hand and more can be examined/explained about them. Even the Bean Cobb, couldnt be opened, with the screwed pulled out, while they were on your wrist.  The cuff had to be open first to allow the removal of the lock. This one looks the opposite. It does look too well made to be a prop or anything like that. Thats why im leaning toward something that was made to test an idea or something. Would be really great to know maker, time of manufacture, etc. But, that info seems lost in history. Still a very cool piece! Congrats on the purchase, Mark!
-Richard Knip-

This is a cuff I had the pleasure of trying on while in a trip to Belgium.  It belongs to a very advanced collector
The lock is similar and the bow is very close to the design of mine.
It features the nub at the end of the ratchets to limit its swing.
Of course the cuff is stacked upon a pin, has no chain and has not a removable escutcheon.

wrong use of the word escutcheon BTW

Weird one Mark.  Nice

onetrumpfan2another wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2020

wrong use of the word escutcheon BTW

escutcheon
[ ih-skuhch-uh n ]
noun
1 .  A shield or shieldlike surface on which a coat of arms is depicted.
2  An ornamental or protective plate around a keyhole, door handle, drawer pull, light switch, etc.
3  Nautical. a panel on the stern of a vessel bearing its name and port of registry.

Does  someone have Trump envy?  It appears to be the case!

Noticed those too, but I was outbid by a gentleman from California (and some others). I won't go challenge a locksmith on technical terms about locks. :)

NilsKrueger wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2020

Noticed those too, but I was outbid by a gentleman from California (and some others). I won't go challenge a locksmith on technical terms about locks. :)

A gentleman from California?  Did someone arrive here in the state?
Yes, a locksmith that is eloquent with the English language will know what an escutcheon is.
Perhaps the Trump wanna be is not fluent nor has he mastered the King's English.  


King's English
noun
standard, educated, or correct English speech or usage, especially of England.

PS  Nils, I hope all is well with you and Stephanie.  Please tell her that I am now pretty good at the Raclette

I can deff see some similarities in the two different cuffs, Mark. The metal work, where the swing arm goes through the lock body is similar on both. Makes you wonder if the same person/company made both of these? I suppose it is possible that the plate around the key hole was removed on both sides of yours, for some reason. They may have been secured with two pins, originally, and screws placed in to them after the plates were removed? Having never seen another like it, anywhere, im still  leaning to some type of a test or "prototype" to see the function of the lock and the pawl, etc. Those two sets together, raise a lot of questions, but will make an amazing display!
-Richard Knip-

Mark Lyons O--O Cuffs wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2020

onetrumpfan2another wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2020

wrong use of the word escutcheon BTW

escutcheon
[ ih-skuhch-uh n ]
noun
1 .  A shield or shieldlike surface on which a coat of arms is depicted.
2  An ornamental or protective plate around a keyhole, door handle, drawer pull, light switch, etc.
3  Nautical. a panel on the stern of a vessel bearing its name and port of registry.

Does  someone have Trump envy?  It appears to be the case!

Click to expand...

except there isn't one on this cuff.  it's just the keyhole Duh!

Trump lover,
I think you are a bit blind. Good thing you can't see my misspelling.

Blind
VERB

1. cause (someone) to be unable to see, permanently or temporarily.

I made you a visual aid to show you where the escutcheon plate is on the handcuffs since you are unable to see it.Cheers

Mark. I am almost definite that Ive seen this cuff before.  When it came up for auction, the first thing I remembered was the pivot where the chains are attached to the cuffs proper and the lockface.   Ive been going thru some old handcuff papers but am nowhere near complete, too many years collecting? LOL.
I did bid on these but dangit.....
Anyway I do think Ive seen these before, (I know, no help)
Now if I could find a buyer for this extra Kimble legiron.......

Michael,
Please keep looking for any info you may have.  I hate not knowing something about them.
Lars believes that they might possibly be Hungarian and I hope he is right.  I have a few from that lovely country and some very fond memories from visiting there a couple times.
I hope to discover; why the screws.  I doubt that the escutcheon plate is locked into place while the cuff is locked as in a Bean Cobb lock.
Kimble leg irons?  Sorry, my friend...a dime a dozen.
Find me something rare!

Hope all is well with you!

Mark, sorry the Kimball legirons are gone, I traded them for a velvet Elvis painting 
I found the pic of the cuffs, believe it or not its a pic I had of part of Michael  Bush's collection someone posted, I hope its ok to post look in the pic lower left

I see the Dunning–Kruger effect in you. here is the correct diagram  

escapeguy wrote: ↑

Jul 26, 2020

Mark, sorry the Kimball legirons are gone, I traded them for a velvet Elvis painting 
I found the pic of the cuffs, believe it or not its a pic I had of part of Michael  Bush's collection someone posted, I hope its ok to post look in the pic lower left

That's correct; these cuffs are Michael's.
Here is a little better photo to see the details.
 
I believe the plated set have been opened for service and the rivets are replaced with these screws.
 
There have been questions about the origin of these cuffs and it's very hard to tell. I don't believe these are American, English or German.
My guess is Czech or maybe Hungarian as very nice cuffs of good quality were manufactured in these countries.
 
Lars

Dimwit
noun
informal
noun: dimwit; plural noun: dimwits; noun: dim-wit; plural noun: dim-wits

1. a stupid or silly person.
   Similar:  fool idiot halfwit nincompoop blockhead buffoon dufus galah
   
   
   
   This is all I am going to say to you, bogan.  I am doing this as I feel sorry for you as I realize that you are a pathetic loser and the biggest thing you do with your life is to argue with me about the word "escutcheon".  I will demonstate that people in the escutcheon business call their products escutcheons and sell these escutcheons to the entire escutcheon buying population.
   If you are such a dimwit that you can't grasp the concept of an escutcheon, then you need more help than what I can offer or chose to do.
   
   Bugger off!
   

Dufus actually agreed with me without his even realizing it.

Yes, the matal plate with screw holes is (as he pointed out) is the escutcheon plate and the part where the key is inserted and is cut out from the escutcheon is the "Keyhole".
He even pointed out what a key looks like.

There is hope for dufus boy!

wait a minute mark, the ones on the far right of the pic are keys?  ok, good, I can sleep now lol

key
/kē/noun
noun: key; plural noun: keys
1.  A small piece of shaped metal with incisions cut to fit the wards of a particular lock, which is inserted into a lock through its escutcheon plate and turned to open or close it.

Michael,  Sleep tight tonight.  Yes these are actual keys.  The photographer was quick enough to capture the image of a pair of them.
Nitey night!

un screw the two screws (remove your so called escutcheon) and then take a photo of the plate with keyhole below.  (but you won't and can't) FAKE NEWS pal

Courtesy of USPS, I received a pleasant surprise today.
The cuffs arrived and are much heavier and more robust than what I was expecting.
The chain is similar to an older twisted leg iron style chain and the is approximate size.  Much heavier than I envisioned it to be.

The mystery of these cuffs, other than who, when and where they were made, is if the screws are original to the cuff.
I made an examination and formulated an opinion.
I removed the escutcheon plate and found a very simple lock pawl which is held in place by a pin and is pushed down with a small coiled spring. The stamped in steel key post is also found in most cuffs.
This discovery has me wondering why anyone would want or need to remove the plate for service since such repairs seem to be non-existent.

The plating of the screws match the rest of the cuffs identically.  The escutcheon plate has the proper countersunk holes to accommodate the screws and they have the proper matching plating under the area of where the screw heads cover them.  They don't appear to be drilled at a later time.

As I see it, there was no reason to take these cuffs apart since there are no repairs done,   I could envision one side needing to be serviced at some point but why would both sides be taken apart unless someone wanted symmetry and uniformity?
There is a lack of an internal surface inside the lock case in which a rivet could be affixed.  A ledge or surrounding material would be normal but the housing is just a cavity.  The screws extend all the way to the opposing side and the screws are plated at their tips.

The lock is so simple that any bent wire could push the locking claw back or pawl to release the bow and is much more easily concealed than a screw driver would be.  

A screw driver would require far more time and trouble to use than anything that could be inserted through the keyhole so perhaps the cuffs were used where no one would have access to any tools or devices.

Based of these observations, my opinion is that for whatever reason the screws were utilized, they are true to the cuffs.

The circular feature at the opposite end (where the clevis is) is spring loaded and both sides do snap open once the key is turned. (Like a Presto Lyon should be)

I am very pleased with these cuffs and as they make an unusual addition to the collection, I fear that the screw mystery will remain with them for a long time.

This is just a wild guess. Maybe it was meant to be a patent model. Patent models have one side open to show
that the workings match the patent papers. Just made it easier to see the inside.

so NO escutcheon then !, you removed the lock cap/cover only. As I thought and knew. thanks  for proving my point.
An escutcheon ( formerly coat of arms) decorated the keyhole cover or drop.  Escutcheons are found on many safes which cover the hole thru the door and help align and guide the key thru the thickness of the door to the lock's keyhole.  With a mortice lock fitted to a wooden door or cupboard lock as pictured above, the escutcheon covers the hole bored thru the wood, It's function is to cover the usually crude hole  and protect the wood from being damaging by the constant insertion and removal of the key. Some safes and vaults have locking escutcheons to further protect the safe but most escutcheons are just simple covers to stop foreign materials getting into the keyhole. Chinese leg irons have escutcheons that screw on added further security.  examples in the image provided.

Hi Gordon, yes, you may be correct and this could be a prototype handcuff.
I simply just don't know.

But the most redeeming value in this item is its most glorious Escutcheon Plate!
I was not all that interested in Escutcheon Plates before I bought this cuff, but now I am!
I may start up a new website dedicated to Escutcheon Plates.
Would anyone care to be a charter member of Escutcheons.org?
Escutcheon Plates are everywhere.  Even in antique handcuffs!
I don't know about you guys, but I would not want to live in a world without Escutcheon Plates!

it's the application not the look but thanks for the laugh, using your flawed theory, the screws holes should be opposite each other. Very very amusing.     

Im starting a collection of escutcheon plates too!  For years Ive been collecting this Elvis Presley fella plates, limited editions, etc, but boy,,,,these here escutcheon plates really are gonna go somewhere LOl

I'm currently looking for some Kimball escutcheon plates, dm me if you have any to sell....

james.slips wrote: ↑

Aug 01, 2020

I'm currently looking for some Kimball escutcheon plates, dm me if you have any to sell....

Sure, How many do you want?
Do you want them for the Leg Irons or for the Thumbcuffs?

When did they start making Left hand and Right hand escutcheons? Anyone else notice that? This is news to me

We all noticed that. Please keep up! 
It all started when mirror image locks were invented. LOL