Posted 8 years ago
hotairfan
(385 items)
description from left to right in photo #1: (1) alarm slid under door and rang bell when ramp squeezed the trigger, (2) chained to door frame, rang as chain became taught(similar to modern day hotel chain locks, (3) mounted to door frame with a nail put driven in the door. to set, a hammer is held open and a cap inserted in the anvil. The hammer slides off the nail when tripped firing the cap, (4) clamps onto the door knob and when knob is rotated, alarm rings, (5) the boxed alarm bites into a rug and leans against the door, it's triggered when door is opened. All these alarms are spring wound. They were often used by traveling salesmen and businessmen who stayed in local establishments over night. This alarm helped assure them that they would wake in the morning without the possibility of their throats being slashed during the night by unscrupulous inn keepers
hotairfan, These are really fantastic!!! So, how far back would these date to?
I don't really know for sure Scott, I believe the ones that I have are from the late 1800's - early 1900's. The alarm in the wooden box has the price printed on the box top $1.00