As most of you know, I'm not knowledgeable on Houdini in any aspects. I still find his cuffs very interesting.

I have spent a few hours looking through and comparing photos of Berliner cuffs. In one of the
Handcuff Annuals, a fellow collector showed his Houdini Berliner which was his favorite cuff of the year.
I found another photo of a similar Berliner which a German escape artist, Hilmar, didn't manage to escape from
in Wintergarten, Germany in 1900. The picture can be found in Houdini's book Handcuff Secrets.

The appearance to both the Hilmar cuff and the Houdini cuff felt very familiar and I started to compare to other
pictures of Berliner cuffs and the few I have in my own collection.

I then realized that both of them must be altered Mühlenfeld Berliner. I know of three variations on the Mühlenfeld
Berliner; one without clevis (belt loop), one with a squared clevis (like the one on the Dortmunder) and finally one
with a smaller and rounded clevis, which I have in my own collection.

Both the Houdini Berliner and the Hilmar cuff looks like altered Mühlenfeld Berliner. On the Houdini Berliner it
seems like a top is welded on the top of the cuff and on the Hilmar cuff a tube is attached to the top. Compare the
general design and the details and let me know your thoughts.

Lars

www.holstcollection.com


My Mühlenfeld Berliner


Michael Busch's Mühlenfeld Berliner

Hi Lars,

I do not believe the key pictured with the "Hilmar Berliner" is actually the key to the cuff. The key shown is double bitted but has multiple cuts down either side not in the manner of warded locks but very much like German made double bitted lever padlock keys.

In fact, I believe Houdini, when taking this picture for his own publication, placed a complicated looking double bitted lever padlock key next to the cuff in oder to make it appear that it had a far more complex of a lock then it really did.

This would not be the first time Houdini had "posed" things to give a certain impression. Knowing how Berliner cuffs function internally, I do not think the cuff was fitted with such a locking mechanism.

As for the tuble like "nozzle" fitted to the cuff... I believe this tube perhaps functioned like an old time "chamber lock." Meaning that the key would enter one way in the opening of the tube but would then be required to make another turn inside the tube to drop down into the actual handcuff lock.

This is really simple security but it would require a Berliner key with a longer shaft. Meaning, if most "Handcuff Kings" back then were simply using the original keys to escape similiar cuffs they may encounter a regular Berliner key would not be long enough to navigate the tube and reach the lock.

Once again, simple security but functional if Houdini believed al lthese guys were doing was using original factory made keys to get out of cuffs.

Cheers, Steve Santini

Hi Steve,

Thanks a lot for your input! Showing a more complicated key than needed makes a lot of sense as it looks much more complicated and
adds magic to the performer.

The key for the Houdini Berliner on the other hand is not that complicated, rather even simpler than the original key.

My basic thoughts was not really about the locks themselves but my believes that these two Berliner basically are altered
Mühlenfeld Berliner.

If you agree to my assumption, the following question is by who or whom the cuffs were altered? Were they factory made or did
someone do it on behalf of the escape artists? What do you think?

Cheers,

Lars

Hi Lars,

It is just my opinion but I tend to believe that it was the escape artist or a locksmith/machinist he knew who did the modifications.

Houdini had many cuffs that he had altered to destroy other escape artists. Usually this was achieved by merely changing the cuff so it would take a non standard key.

In doing this, Houdini was assured that he and he alone would have such a duplicate key and any other escape artist who for instance owned a set of Berliners would only have the usual factory key and not be able to open the cuffs.

I do not think the factory would have made such a cuff because if the factory did in fact come up with a "high security" special key version one would think they would not just make one of them but instead would offer such a cuff to police and prison services. We do not see such cuffs offered for sale in any of the company literature.

Cheers, Steve

Hi Steve,

It sounds very likely that the factory didn't offer these cuffs in a "high security" version but they were modified by a machinist/locksmith.

As I know there are two existing Bean Giant cuffs altered in a similar way, one is a barrel version and the other takes a key with altered bits.
If another escape artist put them on, a standard Bean Giant key wouldn't help them open the cuffs.

My general intention with this posting was to show the original cuffs together with two altered Berliner that turned out to be Mühlenfeld Berliner from the beginning.

In Handcuff Secrets, Houdini states the Berliner were made in four styles, I wonder what four styles he was thinking of? Maybe he thought
of the different shapes to the lock house; squared, oval, round etc. Despite from that, all Berliner I know of have the same general
construction - that's what makes them a Berliner.


Cheers,

Lars

Hi Lars,

If there is one constant thing we see where Houdini is concerned it is that he made stories up all of the time.

About his accomplishments, about locks, about cuffs, etc, etc.

The reasons for this were two fold.

Part of it may be due to general ignorance of facts he himself did not know and the other part we have to assign to pure showmanship.

Knowing Houdini, it is very likely that the various styles of Berliner he mentions may have even included one of his own making!

While we today know of various "letitimate" forms of Berliners he in his time may actually have not encountered all of the factory made variations.

Cheers, Steve

In fact, I believe Houdini, when taking this picture for his own publication, placed a complicated looking double bitted lever padlock key next to the cuff in oder to make it appear that it had a far more complex of a lock then it really did.


Keep in mind that Houdini never had or saw the key to these cuffs.
These were presented to him during his slander tial by the bailiff and opened in front of the judge to prove that he was actually opening the cuffs as opposed to "tricking the fair citizens of Cologne".
One of Houdini's assistants removed the cuffs from behind the judges table and gave them to Houdini once the fanfare died down.
It is believed that Hardeen or Nugent may have made this key.

IF we could prove Houdini was telling the truth and these are in fact the cuffs you mention. Problem is we can't on either point but once one knows how a Berliner lock works it is obvious the key pictured with them could NOT be the correct key to these cuffs.

S.S.

I beg to differ. The key in the photo WORKS perfectly in the cuffs!!!!!!!!!!

Morris,

You claim the key works the Berliner cuff perfectly. May I ask, which one of them are you referring to?
Do you mean "Houdini Berliner" or the "Hilmar Berliner"?

Do you own any of the cuffs or know the owner or is it just an assumption?


/Lars

Lars,

I was at one of the Cannon Conventions and got to handle the cuff.
We are talking about the Houdini cuff.
There is a magazine called the Virginia State Trooper (or close to that) and Hardeen was intervieed. I believe this is 1949. In the discussion, Hardeen asked Houdini what is the cuff and why does it not have a key?
Houdini replies, this is the only cuff like it in the world and I had to pick it open in the court room in Cologne in front of the judge.
Th quote is not perfectly quoted and is from memory. I can quote this acurately if desired.
At some time after this went to press a key was made for these cuffs.

My previous posts on this thread refer to the Hilmar Berliner and NOT the Houdini Berliner.

And I stand by my belief that the key shown photographed with the cuffs is not the key that actually opens them, (The Hilmar Berliner).

Steve Santini

Hi, I don't think the double bitted key is the right key for the pictured nozzled cuff. Berliner are not complicated and the key is wider than the nozzle.

Ian