American Seal Padlock Company

American Seal Lock Company was incorporated May 17, 1870 in New York City, New York, USA. It was located originally at 127 Pearl Street and later at 744 Broadway and had a PO. Box of 4797. This lock was patented Jan 18, 1870 and a similar model on Nov. 29, 1870. Dimensions: 3.6 inches / 91.1mm high - 2.7 inches / 68.5mm wide.     

Locks of this type were sold directly to the US Treasury and then supplied to railroads and steamships which carried the mail and treasury material. American Seal went bankrupt on September 3, 1872 and IS&R - International Steamship and Railway Supply Company --took up their contracts. American made the "XX" and "D" seal lock. IS & R. Supply made the square "XXX" Customs Lock and then (after the demise of American) the "XX" and "D" Lock.



The purpose of a Customs Lock was to secure merchandise or a storage area in general, so that authorities would know whether or not the area had been entered and / or whether someone had access to merchandise prior to the proper tax being paid. To this end, a paper or glass seal was placed in a lock over the keyhole so that it would be broken or torn when the key was inserted to open the lock. American Seal Lock Company and IS & R. Supply both made the locks and the corresponding seals. Immediately after the dissolution of American Seal, IS & R. agreed to provide the "XX", "D", and their own "XXX" lock at the price the Treasury had been paying American Seal, $ 4.25 per lock. Consequently, IS & R. agreed to put the features of the two Am. Seal locks inside the larger XXX lock body. 



The history of American Seal Lock Company and IS & R. Supply Company was interwoven because they both manufactured seal locks for the same customer (US Treasury) and when American shut down IS & R. Supply took over much of their business and took over some of their patents.