Life, 1928-11-30 · page 52 of 52
Life — November 30, 1928 — page 52: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for Abercrombie & Fitch, a luxury sporting goods retailer. The page promotes "Sesamee," a new **keyless lock system** that uses a combination based on personal numbers (birthdate, telephone number, etc.) rather than traditional metal keys. The ad markets this as a modern innovation for luggage, portmanteaus, and other leather goods. The copy humorously suggests that old-fashioned tumbler locks are becoming obsolete, positioning the Sesamee lock as a sophisticated Christmas gift for wealthy consumers. Multiple leather goods are pictured—golf bags, airplane cases, saddle bags—all equipped with this new locking mechanism. The appeal is to readers' sense of modernity and convenience: forget carrying bulky keys; instead, remember a personal number. It's essentially an early version of the combination lock concept, marketed as cutting-edge technology to an affluent audience in the 1920s-30s era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE Give these new, magical oe ‘Sesamee lock Size 10x 18 —with 1— 2 Bo as350 ae Sise 11's 16”—with 1—_2— 3 pockets #150 $34, $36.50 Raseet Saddle Pigskin Portmantesa ze" —41ls, 3 30” Armd pole 32" ‘ngSlts. ‘Same in Cow! The old iron door key, many inches long and weighing a half-pound, is gone. The until-now-modern tumbler lock key seems doomed to partial or total extinction. The new idea is to buy articles with a Sesamee lock. A magical number, based on a birthdate, telephone or other un- forgettable “‘vital statistic,” opens a Sesamee lock. What a novel, sensible and fore- sighted Christmas gift—to choose an article with the famous A & F trade-mark and further to see that it is equipped with a Sesamee lock. Of course we can supply almost all these articles and any kind of luggage with regular keyed locks if you prefer them. Write for our Christmas Gift Book. It contains a wealth of suggestions. Any article on this page will be shipped carriage free anywhere in the United States Pigehia sport beg with bookless fasteners 18835. 20”. pate ee Junior Wardrolette— Airplane case, For Carries complete ward: Pighio— it — 835. 38" S10 2" Seaylese Willow Calf Golf whide trim bottom. Hom wm Abercrombie & Fitch Co, 22" THE GREATEST SPORTING GOODS STORE IN THE WORLD MADISON “— EGE & 45 STREET, N.Y.C. comicbooks.com a a ang —— ae a