NOW SOLD
 
A large cast metal oversized Yale key, issued for advertisement display in locksmith shops and ironmongers. Original gilt paint finish and printed label 'YALE LOCKS SOLD HERE'.
 
The Yale Lock Manufacturing Company was started in Connecticut, America, in the mid-19th century. In 1868 the company name changed to Yale & Towne, after Linus Yale Jnr. and Henry R. Towne jointly invented the infamous pin tumbler lock. The company expanded in the early 20th century, which included into Britain, where the generic term 'Yale lock' became the standard description for locks of this kind.