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Pen Knife In The Shape Of A Yale Key


Stuart0742

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We have received this by email

Hi.

Picked up your name on internet.

I have a penknife in the shape of a Yale Key, which I bough when I was 7 years old. I am now 70 years old and still carry the penknife on my key ring. It's marked made in Sheffield and has a brand name Richerds Lamp post.

I live in Galway Ireland, bought the knife in Dublin in 1948 for 1s 6d, and other than that know nothing about it. If you have any information on either the knife or the company I would be most interested.

Yours sincerely,

Anthony Heery.

A blurry photo of said penknife

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We have received this by email

Hi.

Picked up your name on internet.

I have a penknife in the shape of a Yale Key, which I bough when I was 7 years old. I am now 70 years old and still carry the penknife on my key ring. It's marked made in Sheffield and has a brand name Richerds Lamp post.

I live in Galway Ireland, bought the knife in Dublin in 1948 for 1s 6d, and other than that know nothing about it. If you have any information on either the knife or the company I would be most interested.

Yours sincerely,

Anthony Heery.

A blurry photo of said penknife

Here's a small start Anthony

Richards Lamp Post SH link

-----------------------------------------------------

One on Ebay

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We have received this by email

Hi.

Picked up your name on internet.

I have a penknife in the shape of a Yale Key, which I bough when I was 7 years old. I am now 70 years old and still carry the penknife on my key ring. It's marked made in Sheffield and has a brand name Richerds Lamp post.

I live in Galway Ireland, bought the knife in Dublin in 1948 for 1s 6d, and other than that know nothing about it. If you have any information on either the knife or the company I would be most interested.

Yours sincerely,

Anthony Heery.

A blurry photo of said penknife

This sounds like an excellent housebreaking and burglary tool on 2 counts.

1 )

You can use the Yale skeleton key to open almost any Yale lock, - although as most burglars know, the Yale barrel lock, initially one of the most secure locks in the World with a sibstantial cash prize on offer to anyone who could successfully pick the lock (it was eventually done and won but took ages), has an Achilles heel which makes it very insecure. The bevelled mortice lock bar can easily be forced back by inserting an old credit card between the door and frame and sliding it down the gap until it meets the lock where the mortice lever is then forced back acting as a wedge. The only way to stop this is to pull the latch to lock the mortice lever out, but this can only be done if you are at home and inside the building as the lock button is on the inside of the door.

2 )

The penknife would come in handy removing the putty from around a window allowing the glazing pane to removed and access gained to either to the building directly or to put a hand through to open a lock. On more modern UPVC double glazed eindow unitsit would allow the removal of the sealed double glazed unit if the black rubber sealing strip was on the outside as it was on older units, - fortunately on more modern ones it is on the inside.

I am NOT a criminal at all but this is how this knife appears to me. I would be interested to know what reaction the Police would have to anyone caught in possession of such a key / penknife, - especially if they were out and about in the early hours of the morning.

So, if I am NOT a criminal I suppose I should point out that my knowledge of how to break into houses comes from the Police Crime Prevention Service and my fastidious interest in home security, - something that everyone should take great interest in if they live in certain parts or areas of the City. The KEY to preventing crime is to know how it is committed in the first place and then take preventative action ;-)

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I am NOT a criminal at all but this is how this knife appears to me. I would be interested to know what reaction the Police would have to anyone caught in possession of such a key / penknife, - especially if they were out and about in the early hours of the morning.

I'd better watch my step then, I've got one of these somewhere that belonged to one of my grandads, (neither of them housebreakers as far as I know!) Haven't seen it in a while though, must be in a drawer somewhere...

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I had a bit of a rummage and this turned up.

Hey Steve I had one of those pocket knife toolkits about 30 or so years ago, it may still be around somewhere.

It dates from the days when people went from Sheffield on their annual holidays to places like Skegness, Mabelthorpe, Cleethorpes, Bridlington, Scarborough and Blackpool and went and bought items like that in the cheap gift shops just because they were made in Sheffield.

Fancy coming back from Blackpool with a stick of pink and white rock and a novelty penknife which was made within 2 miles of where you lived!

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Hey Steve I had one of those pocket knife toolkits about 30 or so years ago, it may still be around somewhere.

It dates from the days when people went from Sheffield on their annual holidays to places like Skegness, Mabelthorpe, Cleethorpes, Bridlington, Scarborough and Blackpool and went and bought items like that in the cheap gift shops just because they were made in Sheffield.

Fancy coming back from Blackpool with a stick of pink and white rock and a novelty penknife which was made within 2 miles of where you lived!

Reminds of a story. I've an Auntie and Uncle, both Sheffield born and bred, who moved to Thornton Cleveleys just after the War. They still have friends and relatives in Sheffield, many of whom pay them a visit, as they're near the seaside.

A few years ago, one couple were visiting, and down on the seafront they saw a sign for a mystery tour on the coming Friday, the last day of their holiday. Thinking it would most likely be to the Lakes, they signed up.

On the friday they duly got on the coach which whisked them away to their mystery destination, which turned out to be Meadowhall! The irony was worse because they live at Limpsfield and can see Meadowhall from their window!

As they said, "If we'd known we could have brought our luggage and saved a trip the next day".

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We have received this by email

Hi.

Picked up your name on internet.

I have a penknife in the shape of a Yale Key, which I bough when I was 7 years old. I am now 70 years old and still carry the penknife on my key ring. It's marked made in Sheffield and has a brand name Richerds Lamp post.

I live in Galway Ireland, bought the knife in Dublin in 1948 for 1s 6d, and other than that know nothing about it. If you have any information on either the knife or the company I would be most interested.

Yours sincerely,

Anthony Heery.

A blurry photo of said penknife

These novelty pocket knives were made in their thousands in Sheffield in the forties and fifties in fact I had one when I was ten years old in 1953. They were not a burglars tool or a glaziers either they were sold at the Seaside Resorts around the Country for like I said a novelty knife.

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These novelty pocket knives were made in their thousands in Sheffield in the forties and fifties in fact I had one when I was ten years old in 1953. They were not a burglars tool or a glaziers either they were sold at the Seaside Resorts around the Country for like I said a novelty knife.

Not that ANY reputable knife or tool manufacturer would ever deliberately make something for burglars or criminal to use.

They would certainly not advertise anything as "ideal for burglars", or housebreakers, or any other form of criminal activity.

Criminals choose to abuse tools intended for other purposes for their own use.

A gun is a tool, and in the right hands a very effective tool it is for the defence of the realm in wartime, culling pests, hunting and slaughtering animals for food in an abatoir.

But only a criminal would use it to threaten, intimidate, rob, harm or even kill another defenceless human being.

We use knives a lot for all sorts of purposes, and many knives are designed to be carried on the person always ready for when it is needed, - like a scout with his versatile Swiss Army knife. However in these days of high knife crime on the streets, particularly in Sheffield, which has lead to legislation which almost forbids and criminalises carrying a knife in a public place (even without any intent whatsoever by a law abiding citizen to cause anyone any harm or injury) I hardly ever carry a Sheffield penknife in my pocket any more.

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Not that ANY reputable knife or tool manufacturer would ever deliberately make something for burglars or criminal to use.

They would certainly not advertise anything as "ideal for burglars", or housebreakers, or any other form of criminal activity.

Criminals choose to abuse tools intended for other purposes for their own use.

A gun is a tool, and in the right hands a very effective tool it is for the defence of the realm in wartime, culling pests, hunting and slaughtering animals for food in an abatoir.

But only a criminal would use it to threaten, intimidate, rob, harm or even kill another defenceless human being.

We use knives a lot for all sorts of purposes, and many knives are designed to be carried on the person always ready for when it is needed, - like a scout with his versatile Swiss Army knife. However in these days of high knife crime on the streets, particularly in Sheffield, which has lead to legislation which almost forbids and criminalises carrying a knife in a public place (even without any intent whatsoever by a law abiding citizen to cause anyone any harm or injury) I hardly ever carry a Sheffield penknife in my pocket any more.

Thats a bit heavy isnt it, Burglars Tool was just a qoute from your earlier post, I hope I dont have to wear sack-cloth and ashes for a month.

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Thats a bit heavy isnt it, Burglars Tool was just a qoute from your earlier post, I hope I dont have to wear sack-cloth and ashes for a month.

Sorry tozzin,

It just annoys me that decent, honest people can't carry a useful tool, like a penknife, in public any more without accusations of criminal activity and breaking the law.

Just another example of a minority spoiling things for everyone else.

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Sorry tozzin,

It just annoys me that decent, honest people can't carry a useful tool, like a penknife, in public any more without accusations of criminal activity and breaking the law.

Just another example of a minority spoiling things for everyone else.

I like yourself find it quite strange that you cannot carry a penknife or a pocket knife, as a child (nine years and upwards) I always had one in my pocket, mother of pearl scales two blades, fantastic and because of yobs this is now denied to us

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Hey Steve I had one of those pocket knife toolkits about 30 or so years ago, it may still be around somewhere.

It dates from the days when people went from Sheffield on their annual holidays to places like Skegness, Mabelthorpe, Cleethorpes, Bridlington, Scarborough and Blackpool and went and bought items like that in the cheap gift shops just because they were made in Sheffield.

Fancy coming back from Blackpool with a stick of pink and white rock and a novelty penknife which was made within 2 miles of where you lived!

Not quite in the same vein but I remember my grandfather complimenting the owner of a Cleethorpes fish & chip cafe on the quality of his fried fish.

"Yes" said the man, "we get it fresh from Sheffield Fish Market every morning".

HD

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I like yourself find it quite strange that you cannot carry a penknife or a pocket knife, as a child (nine years and upwards) I always had one in my pocket, mother of pearl scales two blades, fantastic and because of yobs this is now denied to us

That's my point exactly tozzin

People like us who are law abiding and have never had any intention whatsoever of threatening or injuring anyone with knife now can't legally carry one just because there a few criminals around who think the whole purpose of carrying a knife is as a weapon to commit crimes with.

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