Mosler Safe and Lock Co., Covington, Kentucky

                A

                B

A. This lock represents the first type put out by Mosler Safe and Lock in 1887. That same year Mosler had bought out the patent rights to Beard & Brother's time lock design and left it vitally unchanged. It contains two 48 hour E. Howard movements controlled by a central dial. They wholesaled at $78.00 each to Mosler from E. Howard. Yale used a design similar to this where two movements are controlled by one dial. Of the 400 of this first type of time lock made by Mosler only 5 are known. Movement #699, case #87. file 105

B. This lock was introduced in 1891. It featured Phinneas King's calendar mechanism first patented in 1878, improved and again patented in 1891 and appearing in this model for the first time. This model was also able to lock and unlock during the course of the day, much like the Holms Electric. The calendar mechanism is based around the seven day dial allowing the lock to be adjusted to pass over its daily open periods for as long as the movements had reserve power, allowing for Sundays, bank holidays or other planned closures. At $88.50 wholesale, this lock was possibly the most expensive two movement time lock produced. (1) The Sargent and Greenleaf Model 2 and Yale Model 1 both wholesaled for around $50.00 in the 1880's. The retail price of the locks were generally ten times the wholesale price. Making the time lock business an extremely profitable one. This resulted in much patent litigation and eventually market collusion amongst the largest players, Sargent and Yale. This example had a bronze door insert because it was probably used in a coin safe where a glass insert would likely be broken and included the top porthole windows to monitor the movements. This is the only lock configuration I know of that had the bolt release from the top of the case. The style indicates that it was used with automatic bolt motors. According to Mr. Erroll's book there were 200 of these made, with the one illustrated as the only known example. This makes two. However if the locks were sequentially numbered, the one in Erroll's book is 363 with this one at 808; there had to be more. 4 5/8"h x 6"w x 2 5/8"d. Case #12, movement #808. file 138

This company is not to be confused with the Mosler Safe Company which was the result of a series of consolidations of earlier companies including this one, Mosler Bahmann and Banker's Dustproof Time Lock Co. That company emerged in 1917.