brass cast fancy back switch lock manufactured by Union Lock. Beautiful early & scarce offering that displays wonderfully. Now let me share some history. On the reverse you will find evidence of a fatal gun battle that resulted in two bullets lodged on either side of the key cover. We know that this lock was dug up in a dump in Leadville, Colorado, so no doubt this one was used on the narrow gauge. We had the opportunity to meet the gentlemen who discovered the lock while digging for bottles. He said he and his son were excavating a dump in search of treasures when his shovel unearthed a hard brass object. To his delight he uncovered this lock. Setting it on top of a pile of dirt he continued to explore the rich pit of dirt. After several hours of digging he and his son decided to call it day, when he realized he had buried the lock again somewhere in the pile. Returning the next day he once again started a new search for treasures. He told his son to go back and begin searching in the original hole to hopefully recover the lock. If he was successful he would buy him a Nintendo Game Boy. With this great incentive the young lad completed his mission by retrieving this wonderful lost item. The rest is history!!! Should the successful buyer decide to leave this lock in its present condition we can assure you it will provide years of creative stories and enjoyment discussing who shot the lock and why!! With the bullets still there it could be fun and the damage did not go through to the front of the lock. On the other hand if the buyer decides to have the lock professionally repaired with a little surgery to remove the bullets and rebuild the innards you will have a $6,000 lock. Personally the mystery of what happened to it is a lot more fun. The mystery will remain in Leadville, possibly a cold winter day, a nice brisk fall, or was it a train robbery, or some drunken miner doing some target practice. Whatever story the new owner decides it will be fun to see how it evolves over the years.

MINIMUM BID $3000

Go to the HOME PAGE of Railroad Memories.

Thanks for visiting and we look forward to helping you complete your collections.