Museums for Locksmiths

One of the biggest museums in America that a locksmith would enjoy that is related to their craft is the Lock Museum of America.  It's located in Terry-ville, Connecticut.  With eight display rooms and plenty of advertisement, it is sure to draw people from all over the country.  You don't have to be a locksmith to be interested in antique locks and the hardware connected to them.  Antique doorknob collectors enjoy visiting museums for locksmiths.  People who have an interest in old doors or in the artwork of the old locks and related items would enjoy this museum.

Another museum for locksmiths and lock enthusiasts is the Lock Museum that is located in Willowhall, Stafford-shire.  This museum has been taken over by the Black Country Living Museum in an effort to secure its future.  In an effort to preserve the contents and the relevance to history in general, the Black Country Living Museum took an interest in the Lock Museum.
Blake's Lock Museum can be seen in the United Kingdom.  California offers the Jehning Family Lock Museum, located in Mountain View.  Paris, France is home to the Hotel Liberal Bruand.  The Hanns Schell Collection is the world's largest museum of locks and keys.  It's located in Austria.  Locksmiths should also enjoy the metal locks and keys at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum Shop in Key West, Florida.  There's a Powerhouse Museum located in Sydney, Australia.

Doorknobs are collector's items and are a part of a locksmith's work.  There's a club called the Antique Doorknob Collectors of America.  The interesting items in this club also include antique door hardware and extend to plates, doorbells, coat hooks, and window latches.  There are beautiful doorknobs on display in the club's collection.

The Antique Doorknob Collectors of America holds yearly conventions all over the country to learn and share their information.  The club has a wonderful collection of Bennington knobs, mineral knobs, real estate hardware, and a group they call Fabulous Doorknobs-this group is made up of Victorian hardware, bronze knobs, and Wheeler knobs.

Donald Jackson offers an impressive Roman gallery of locks, keys, and seal boxes that shows an interesting collection of security hardware.  He displays an impressive image from a locksmith's grave stone showing Roman locksmiths at work.  Mr. Jackson writes an informative, detailed article on ancient locks, collecting, and fabrication.

West Coast Lock Collectors Association explores the history and ingenuity of locks.  They have an annual lock show to thrill collectors and capture the interest of the public.  Their table fees are $35 to anyone who is interested in adding their own collection to the event.  They send out a quarterly publication to association members.  This association is a hobby club that puts any income back into the company for operating expenses.

Antique Padlocks offer internet viewing to provide a look into padlocks of eight different varieties as well as helpful links, patent information, and hardware companies who have marketed padlocks.  As thieves became more determined, padlocks did lose some value because they could be cut with bolt cutters.  There are still many around today, and there are still requests for locksmiths to remove them.  They are sure to remain a part of museums as the years move forward.

Government Locksmiths

Government locksmiths become licensed under the Security Industry Protection Act.  Three important institutions associated with government locksmiths are Master Locksmiths of America, Associated Locksmiths of America, and British Locksmiths Institute.

One of the important aspects of the government locksmith's job is discretion.  With a country's security at risk, any government office must be serviced only by the most trustworthy of locksmiths.  The locksmith must know more than just their doors and windows; they must also know security systems, safe locks, telephone keys, drawer locks, and vehicle locks.
High priority is important for the items the government locks protect as well as for the people the locks protect and the paperwork.  Any business must protect its important paperwork and investments, but government business takes on an upper level of importance.

A government locksmith is not just needed to pick locks and provide extra keys.  Government locksmiths must be top experts in their field in both customer privacy and the actual work provided.  The safety of these high profile clients and what they stand for, weapons, money, records, and personal items is high priority.

It is not only the government of a country that is important; it is also the government of local and state that is a concern to a government locksmith.  Any level of government must be treated with special care.  If the wrong things happen with local government it can have a domino effect upon other government bodies.  Anytime someone can wreak havoc with documents, forms, equipment, public safety, and privileged information, the locksmith is called to upgrade security.
A locksmith for a security service provider can earn as much as $66,000 per year in California.  They must have knowledge of the latest and best quality equipment and techniques to service their clients and build the best reputation for themselves.

A government locksmith must have electronic and computer skills that are updated.  Their knowledge of lock and keys are not all they have to practice.  They must also understand thumb print and retinal scanners, pin pads, and electronic swipe cards among other things.

Because passwords are considered a security hole, retinal scanners have taken on more importance.  Retinal scanners are a form of biometric identification.  They bypass passwords to move into a more complicated means of identity and security.  For a retinal scanner, there is an enrollment process that captures the sample.  The sample is stored in a template to be used for future authentication comparison.  The template is matched against data, such as a user name or PIN.

Retinal scanning provides high accuracy, but it still meets some user resistance because of the misconception that a laser is shot into the eye.  Focus on a given point is significant for accuracy, which can cause a small problem for someone with eyesight handicaps.

Other high technology advances for locksmiths to learn in a high profile field like government work are:  voice recognition, iris scanning, signature verification, and facial recognition.  So, as you can see, a locksmith who specializes in government work can be much more than just a lock picker and key maker.

Famous Locksmiths

If you aren't familiar with any famous locksmiths, it's no surprise.  Many locksmiths prefer to keep a low profile except to gain a reputable business.  There are famous locksmiths within the locksmith community who are well-known for their skills as lock pickers and dominate the hobby.  But as for the famous locksmiths who take their profession more seriously, little is put in the public eye.

Schneider Locksmith of New York City is famous in their area of the states.  But this is a famous company, not an individual.  An individual of olden days who was famous for the locksmith skills was an Englishman named Robert Barron.  He improved security of the lock itself with the invention in 1778 of the double tumbler lock.  There was no modern day security, no electronic technology to help him.  He used the impressive skills of his mind and hands to create his masterpiece of the era.

Another famous locksmith was Jeremiah Chubb.  He patented a detector lock back in 1818.  This particular lock had six levers and won him a monetary award as well as ongoing fame.  Mr. Chubb was located in London.

Locks were made from wood long, long ago.  They have amazed, confounded, and frustrated people over the years.  They have made some people and companies rich (the inventors and manufacturers) and made others secure.  No longer made from metal, these mechanical contraptions have come a long way over the years.

One famous locksmith known for other talents was Houdini.  He was a magician who thrived on escape tactics.  The escape tactics depend on locks of some form or fashion.  Houdini was an expert lockpicker who captivated audiences with his skills.

The King of France, also known as Louis XVI, was a very famous locksmith.  He was known for his reign as a bad king, but his passion was with locks.  He had unusual and outstanding skills as a locksmith.  This may not have won him any medals of love amongst his followers, but it did put him in history as a famous locksmith.

It used to be that one had to be an apprentice to learn to be a locksmith.  Being an apprentice has great benefits, one of which is recommendation from the mentor.  Passing on the trade can be as rewarding as learning it from a master of the trade.

One famous locksmith was Arthur C. Smith.  He specialized in ship locks in the late 1800's.  Located in Wolverhampton, which is in the English West Midlands, Mr. Smith put his mark on the world.

French locksmiths were known for their artwork on their locks.  Resembling fancy scroll-work, these locks were fashioned in the true French elaborate designs.  The French liked beauty in many areas of their lives and their locks were not to be left out.

A famous American locksmith known for his bank locks was Linus Yale, Jr., of New York.  James Sargent, also of New York, patented a time lock mechanism, which made him yet another important locksmith.

As you can tell, locksmiths are important all over the world and throughout history.  They are an important breed of human in our society, and yet one of the most overlooked.  Locksmiths are constantly put to the test and should be famous for their endurance!