Need some help on id

Picked these up over the weekend. Google search says Houdini?? Not sure about that. No key. Any help would be appreciated


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You have a set of Bean Cobb Handcuffs. They were made in the U.S. starting in 1899. So, Houdini did escape from many sets of them in his time. No way, of course, to authenticate if this was a set of his though. When opened with a key, the locking pawls are held in a withdrawn position that allows the bows to be pulled in and out without locking. That way an officer could unlock them and carry them in his pocket, without fear of them being locked closed when he took them out to put them on some body. The two little "trigger" buttons re-activate the locking pawls and after the buttons are pushed, the next time the bow is pushed into the cuffs, you will hear the ratcheting sound and your cuffs will once again, lock closed.

Your set does look a little rough. It is your choice whether you clean them up or not? The locks on these are removable for cleaning and maintenance. First you have to unlock the cuffs and pull the bows out of the lock case. Then, there is a small screw on the side of the lock housing. Remove that and you will be able to push the lock body, through the lock casing and out into the open. Be careful removing it, as the pieces do tend to come apart when you take the locks out. Not hard to put back together how ever. Its a great way to clean the locks, lube them and get everything working again. The key is a pretty easy key to make with a bit of hand filing. The key in my pic was found on the internet and is not my key. Here is a few pics of the lock once removed, the pieces in the lock and the key needed. The lock I was working on was pretty weathered as you can see.

Hope this helps!

-Richard Knip-