
I recently bought a lock from a finnish auction site (Huuto.net) which is like eBay. I bought it just for curiosity and when it finally arrived today, I noticed something interesting. It says "Abus No. 999 / 50mm DEP MADE IN GERMANY".
So, off to the Abus website. I didn't find exactly the same lock, but this No. 444 lock seems to be almost identical to what I have

As from the pictures can be seen, the lock has a blue color which has had some wear and tear. Also the lock is little rusty, but I believe that it is still functional. I don't have a key for the lock so on to my questions

Question #1: Can anybody tell me when Abus made these? There is no year stamped on it anywhere and couldn't find any info on this particular model from here or Google.
Question #2: What kind of key operates the lock? I tried the Abus website but couldn't find a picture of a key that would fit into this kind of lock. This leads to a...
Question #3: What kind of mechanism is in the lock? The shackle feels a little bit springy, so I think I could shim it open but that would not give me anything useful information. I tried to peek to the keyhole with a bright light but could not see anything useful

Here is links to the small pictures (800 * 600, about 70KB each):
The keyway
Size comparison with an AAA battery.
The stamped text behind the lock enhanced with red color.
Here is links to the BIG original pictures (2048 * 1536, about 1.2MB each):
The keyway
Size comparison with an AAA battery.
The stamped text behind the lock.
Any information about this particular lock will be appreciated

