It used to be the fashion among inventors to challenge the trade and
other persons, to pick them.
In some cases, even rewards were offered to any one who could do so.
It is believed that Mr. Joseph Bramah was the first to do this and in
1801, he displayed in his shop window in Piccadily, London, a board to
which was attached a padlock, manufactured by himself, and which bore
the following inscription:--
"The artist who can make an instrument that will pick or open this lock
shall receive 200 guineas the moment it is produced."
In 1832, a Wolverhampton locksmith, having claimed to having picked 18
Chubb locks, Mr. Chubb challenged him to open one of his locks under
certain conditions.
Mr. Hart tried and failed, giving the explanation that it was not the
regular commercial Chubb lock, but one that had a special bridge ward.
Mr. Chubb replied that Mr. Hart did not pick any lock, but made false
keys by a process of cutting blanks.
In America the great lock of Dr. Andrews, in 1841, being heralded as an
unpickable lock, with two sets of tumblers, was produced, the inventor
offering 500 dollars to any one who could pick this.
It was picked by Pettitt and Hall, of Boston, with what is known as the
smoke process.
=1851. HOBBS PICKS BRAMAH AND CHUBB LOCK.=
In 1851 Mr. A. C. Hobbs arrived from America, picked a Chubb lock
before a committee, and picked the Bramah lock, winning thereby the 200
guineas that for 50 years no one was able to claim.
Mr. Hobbs offered 200 guineas to anyone who would pick his lock. An
engineer named Garbutt, known as an expert, took up the challenge, and
failed after trying thirty days.
=1855.--YALE PICKS HOBBS' LOCK.=
As an additional element to this controversy, in 1855, Linnius Yale,
Jr., discovered how to pick the then celebrated Day and Newell
Parautoptic Bank Lock.
It was of American origin, and was known in England as Hobbs Lock, but
was the invention of a Mr. Pyle.
Yale also discovered that he could pick the best Bank Lock--the Double
Treasury, which he himself had designed.
And eventually demonstrated that any lock having a key hole could be
opened by any expert with the necessary skill and time at his disposal.
Accordingly Mr. Yale proceeded to develop the combination or Dial Lock.
=1870.--SARGENT PICKS YALE LOCK.=
The general use of this lock led to the controversy in the United
States in 1870; and the Yale lock was picked by James Sargent, of the
firm of Sargent and Greenleaf, a lock inventor, a leading maker of Bank
Locks, and the inventor of the Time Lock.