E.D. Reed Code Books

[Suicide77]

Hey Guys,

I'm really new to the hobby, but it was kicked off for me by these old books I found in an antique store. I've tried to look up info on them, but it is fairly sparse. From what I can tell it has information spanning from 1915 - 1940? Can anybody shed a little more light (or history) on these books?

[GWiens2001]

Hey Guys,

I'm really new to the hobby, but it was kicked off for me by these old books I found in an antique store. I've tried to look up info on them, but it is fairly sparse. From what I can tell it has information spanning from 1915 - 1940? Can anybody shed a little more light (or history) on these books?

The locksmiths here can answer better than I, but the quick summary...

Lock manufacturers sometimes have a code stamped on the lock or the key. In most cases, the code is not the actual bitting of the lock (also known as direct bitting). The manufacturer has a table of codes that tells the actual bitting (cuts) of the lock.

Locksmiths starting keeping a listing of the codes and the direct bitting. Later, manufacturers started making the codes accessible to locksmiths who were distributors or dealers. Locksmiths started sharing the info, trying to create books of the data. Eventually an industry was created that collected the tables of codes from manufacturers and organized them into books for sale to locksmiths.

This is my understanding, and may be incorrect. But pretty sure I have the idea correctly.

Gordon

[keysman]

Lock manufacturers sometimes have a code stamped on the lock or the key. In most cases, the code is not the actual bitting of the lock (also known as direct bitting). The manufacturer has a table of codes that tells the actual bitting (cuts) of the lock.

Locksmiths starting keeping a listing of the codes and the direct bitting. Later, manufacturers started making the codes accessible to locksmiths who were distributors or dealers. Locksmiths started sharing the info, trying to create books of the data. Eventually an industry was created that collected the tables of codes from manufacturers and organized them into books for sale to locksmiths.

This is my understanding, and may be incorrect. But pretty sure I have the idea correctly.

Gordon

You have it correct.. In the past many lock, auto manufacturers would not publish codes. Locksmiths would keep track of codes as they found them in the course of their business. These codes would be sent in to trade magazines such as the Locksmith Ledger , The National Locksmith or Reed reporter to be collected and published periodically .One month might have master padlocks , the next month might have general motors auto codes and so on. Various publishers would collect the codes and annually publish books with complete code series .
This was all long before e-mail , the internet, cell phones …. Even a long distance phone call was prohibitively expensive,