PICK IT ? OR BY-PASS IT ?

[acl]

As Shrub said Mr B has a simple but clever way of opening this kind of thing and youd be left with a working key (quite smart that Belcher fella!)
As an apprentice i had to cut keys by hand to warded locks all the time,not sure how proficent id be now mind its been a long time.

[greyman]

It's called a warded lock and key, or more specifically a box of wards lock. The key looks like it's new but the lock might be antique. These items are quite valuable if authentic, up to US$1000 for a decent speciment I believe. As for security - people have known for hundreds of years that you can defeat them using a blank with some candle smoke or wax, or just a piece of bent wire in some cases.

[drunk.with.love]

Omg. It's lovely. Do you have any history behind it? It's so gorgeous, I was just staring at the screen for like five minutes haha.