Opening a Royal Mail Post Box

[mungeous]

A friend of a colleague has bought a vintage ish post box from England and then shipped it 8000 miles south. Unfortunately it's locked. He's asked me to get it open with a view to getting a key for it. I think I have the following questions:

Does this use a standard key? We think the box is circa 1940.
Are these keys available?

Any advice on getting it open non destructively is appreciated.

Mung

[Squelchtone]

Are these post boxes still used anywhere in the UK?

If they are, then we cant discuss how to pick open the locks on them.

I hope you understand my concern,
Squelchtone

[mungeous]

No problem, there a proliferation of keys on eBay anyway, so it looks like I've just got to tie a key to a date of manufacture and I'll be there.

[ratlock]

Are these post boxes still used anywhere in the UK?

If they are, then we cant discuss how to pick open the locks on them.

I hope you understand my concern,
Squelchtone

These are pretty standard chubb lever lock still in use today. there is one outside my house. I was talking to a contractor painting it, a couple weeks ago. He had Two keys, which seemed to be all the variations he was supplied with,(I wanted a look at the bitting) for opening and servicing the post boxes, in the area.

[peterwn]

Are these post boxes still used anywhere in the UK?

If they are, then we cant discuss how to pick open the locks on them.

I hope you understand my concern,
Squelchtone

These are pretty standard chubb lever lock still in use today. there is one outside my house. I was talking to a contractor painting it, a couple weeks ago. He had Two keys, which seemed to be all the variations he was supplied with,(I wanted a look at the bitting) for opening and servicing the post boxes, in the area.

I thought they were individually keyed unless there has been a recent policy change. In 2013 boxes in an area of London were sealed for a few weeks following loss of a set of keys - they were obviously not geared for quick key changes. UK pillar boxes were introduced in 1852 and used Chubb locks right from the start.

[mungeous]

I'm off to go and get eyes on the post box today. How do I identify the boxes original location?
I'm happy with identifying the year of manufacture, as long as it ties into the reign of the monarch on the top.
Interesting the reason I'm going over there is to see a king penguin that's lost.

[ratlock]

Opening it Non destructive, you can impression the lock,(there are posts on how to do this with a brass key). You can learn to pick it,(again many posts on how its done). But there are no shortcuts in learning any new skill. You can get blank keys, either to impression, or to cut down to the lowest lift height and use to turn the curtain. When you get to the Falklands, take a pickture and post it so we can see what your trying to get into. wrap up warm on your penguin hunt.

[mungeous]

Link to todays pictures.

http://imgur.com/a/3dWo1

I hope this provides the necessary clues.

[ratlock]

Link to todays pictures.

http://imgur.com/a/3dWo1

I hope this provides the necessary clues.

Well going by the pictures your into one of her majs post boxes, with a chubb curtain lock. But no clue as to whether it still belongs to royal mail or not.

[mungeous]

The owner has a red telephone box too. All imported from the UK. I'm surprised he didn't have a police box/tardis. Royal Mail doesn't operate here, though I'm not too sure how the postal system works, I think you go and collect from Stanley.
I am correct in assuming that the replacement keys for this are controlled and picking/impressioning is probably the only way to go?
The owner has asked a locksmith near to me to have a look. If he fails, it will be a good excuse to spend some of the children's inheritance on a curtain pick.

[ratlock]

Get a key off ebay for post box ( any key) take it to chubb lock lowest key height, and make a curtain pick out of the key. Learn to make wires, and pick lever locks. Hope the attached pic helps. Ps this key throws(opens)clockwise. Cut opposite of whats shown for lock mounted, or door hinged to throw (open) anti clockwise. It looks like your door is hinged on the left, lock to the right on the door. So you would cut your key on the opposite side to whats shown on my picture.

[tsiolkovsky]

Well they used to b invidiual keys for many years until quite recently.

The rough manufaturing date can be pinned down to the Royal Cipher (or monogram on the front of the box).

For example: VR = Victoria Regina
E II R = Elizabeth II Regina

So if you can get the monogram off him then I ought to be able to start researching this at my end.

Rik

[mungeous]

It was E II R, thanks in advance

[cledry]

The owner has a red telephone box too. All imported from the UK. I'm surprised he didn't have a police box/tardis. Royal Mail doesn't operate here, though I'm not too sure how the postal system works, I think you go and collect from Stanley.
I am correct in assuming that the replacement keys for this are controlled and picking/impressioning is probably the only way to go?
The owner has asked a locksmith near to me to have a look. If he fails, it will be a good excuse to spend some of the children's inheritance on a curtain pick.

Are you certain that the Royal Mail doesn't operate there? The Falklands actually has a UK post code and the pillar box outside of the post office in Port Stanley is still in use.

[mungeous]

All the post office jobs are Falkland Island Government (FIG).