Romano-Celtic Mask Puzzle Padlocks by Jerry Slocum

He is the author of 16 earlier books on puzzles and their history including Puzzles Old and New in 1986, The 15 Puzzle, The Cube (about Rubik’s Cube), and The Tangram Book. It includes hundreds of puzzle padlocks including 34 Roman mask puzzle padlocks. His personal collection of over 40,000 mechanical puzzles is believed to be the world’s largest. Jerry Slocum, a retired Aerospace executive, is a historian, collector and author specializing in the field of mechanical puzzles. Mask Puzzle Padlock Solutions and MechanismsĪppendix 1: Catalog of the 156 Mask Puzzle PadlocksĪppendix 2: Padlock Groupings Based on Lock Covers by Vanessa MurosĪppendix 3: Analysis of Roman Mask Padlocks in the Slocum Collection by Vanessa MuroĪppendix 4.: Replicas of Mask Padlocks & Money PouchesĪppendix 6: Care of Roman Mask Padlocks by Vanessa Muros

The publication provides a fully-illustrated catalog of the known 156 examples, categorises their types according to construction and style, and explores the technicalities of the subject by the process of constructing replica mask puzzle padlocks.Ĭhapter 2: Cultural Attributes by Vanessa MurosĬhapter 4.

The authors examine the cultural context, the origins and uses of the padlocks, and provide detailed solutions to the puzzle mechanisms. The padlocks were designed to secure small bags or pouches and their distribution extended across Europe with the majority found in the Danubian region and in the vicinity of Aquileia. This book presents a little-known and ingenious artefact of the Roman world: a small puzzle padlock whose font plate bears a face or ‘mask’ of ‘Celtic’ style.

Romano-Celtic Mask Puzzle Padlocks by Jerry Slocum