It's likely that at one point in your life, you will require the services of a locksmith. If you're anything like me, you'll need a locksmith more than once. Luckily, as a Virginia Beach resident, I've found locksmiths in Virginia Beach that are reliable. In fact, because I'm a "regular customer", I've become interested in their trade.

Now that I spend most of my days in my house, I've also found the time to learn more about it. For this reason, and also to pay homage to Virginia Beach locksmiths I've used over the years, I decided to write about this commonly overlooked profession, starting with locksmithing. This article lists five fascinating facts about locksmiths.

1: Locksmithing is an ancient trade

Emerging as early as 4000 years ago, locksmithing traces its origins to Ancient Egypt and Babylon. Early locks were made of wood and were opened by a huge wooden "key" that looked like a wooden toothbrush. The oldest known lock was an Egyptian "pin tumbler" discovered near Nineveh.

Did you know that keys also used to be a status symbol? Keys used to be worn as rings by some wealthy Romans. Besides the convenience of having their keys on them all the time, this served to show others that they were rich enough to have possessions under a lock.

Metal locks appeared in 870-900 AD, developed by English craftsmen. Royals fueled the demand for intricately designed locks. Metallurgy hit the mainstream in the 1700s. Recognized as the first one to seriously attempt to design a safer lock, Robert Barron invented a double-acting tumbler lock, known as the "Barron lock" in 1778 England.

Interestingly, the British government was prompted by a burglary in 1817 to hold a competition to create a superior lock. The winner of the contest was Jeremiah Chubb, who made the "Chubb detector," Chubb's lock included a detector, specifically a spring that caught a picking tool that had been raised too high. Meanwhile, Joseph Bramah and Henry Maudslay were the first to mass produce locks in 1784.

Nowadays, locks have become more varied and secure. Electronic locks, including biometrics, are one of the most recent innovations. Of course, complex locks require the knowledge and competence of professionals.

2: Harry Houdini worked as a locksmith

The world's most famous escapist-slash-magician needs no introduction. Since most of his acts involved setting himself free from complicated locks, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he himself was an expert lockpicker, like a locksmith. Virginia Beach-born Wilhelmina Rahner, a.k.a. Beatrice Houdini, was his wife and assistant. Together, they did the impossible and awed thousands.

Houdini, Erik Weisz in real life, came from a poor family, so he became a locksmith apprentice at 11 years old to earn some money. It was there that he learned how to pick just about any lock. Even more remarkably, Houdini is said to have offered his locksmith services for free to those in need.

3: Locksmiths undergo apprenticeships

Just like Houdini, most Virginia Beach locksmiths I've talked to did an apprenticeship to hone their skills. New York state laws require locksmiths to undergo training and take a licensure examination. Apprenticeships aren't mandatory, but as Houdini's case illustrates, it could be one of the best ways to master the art of locksmithing.

One of the advantages of being an apprentice locksmith is the pay. Taking a beginner's course is recommended as a starting point, but if you can earn instead of spend money to learn something better, why not? If you're employed as a journeyman after or during your apprenticeship, you could earn up to $1,000.

With apprenticeships, a future locksmith also builds a good network of locksmiths as well as the reputation and experience needed to start his own business. It may sound like I'm convincing you to learn locksmithing, and that might not actually be a bad idea. Learning basic locksmithing could save you the trouble of finding a locksmith whenever you need one. Then again, if training for over a year and paying around $10,000 doesn't appeal to you, you could always find a reliable locksmith. If you're in my part of the world, one good choice is Speedy Locksmith LLC – Locksmith in Virginia Beach. They're licensed, and more importantly, skilled and honorable.

4: Lockpicking is part of locksmithing

I'm sure most people who get locked out of their houses and cars won't think of taking up a locksmithing course as a solution. They do what normal 21^st century people do whenever they encounter a roadblock: search for an answer on the internet. After all, is there anything that doesn't have a YouTube tutorial or a how-to blog post yet?

Picking a lock doesn't seem that hard, especially when you've watched movie characters open mean-looking locks in seconds. As long as you have an item as simple as a metal pins, or a lockpicking set you can grab for a few bucks on Amazon, you're good to go, right?

That's what I thought, too. But picking a lock doesn't come as naturally as breathing, not even for masters like Houdini. The proper equipment isn't cheap either. Another thing I learned from practicing lockpicking as a teen is that you compromise the security of your own locks whenever you pick them.

That is not to say, however, that locks should never be picked. Inevitably, we lose or misplace keys and we have no choice but to use alternative tools. Better yet, we must ask help from those who know the workings of different types of locks, those who would have and know how to use the best lockpicking tools—locksmiths!

5: Locksmiths are security experts

We often think of locksmiths only when we are locked out and left with no choice. However, we should actually take advantage of their expertise by seeing them as security experts rather than professional lockpickers.

Also, locksmiths do more than duplicate keys for us. In reality, we could ask them to advise us on how to make our properties more secure. We can also rely on them to install complex security systems in our offices or homes, including deadbolts.

But first, you should know how to spot a trustworthy locksmith. As I mentioned previously, New York locksmiths have licenses, which you may ask them to present before you transact with them. Additionally, locksmiths who use official-looking vehicles, uniforms, and invoices are usually more reliable than those who come in unmarked cars and plainclothes. Be wary of trusting locksmiths you found via Google as there have been many online scams in the past few years. Patronize a familiar, local locksmith as much as possible. Remember that reliable locksmiths will give their prices upfront and generally won't negotiate. Locksmiths who simply drill and replace your locks may not be skilled—or licensed.

Conclusion

Since you stuck around until the end of the article, here are a few bonuses locksmith hacks. First, if it's not urgent, don't call a locksmith beyond office hours. They usually charge higher for servicing at odd hours. Second, try to get a quotation from a few locksmiths before selecting one so that you can estimate the most reasonable fee. If a locksmith offers a price way below what others are charging, be suspicious as they might still be in training, or worse, they could slap additional "service charges" later on.

Locksmiths don't always get the recognition they deserve, but they are integral to keeping our homes and communities safer. Thank your locksmith by using their services not just in the worst-case scenario and choosing to transact only with licensed professionals.