Small circular metal tin of electricity meter security seals

Small circular metal tin of electricity meter security seals, used with crimping pliers to seal equimpent against tampering or fraud. Circular steel tin containing ribbed wire and lead seals.

Part of the Bob Gray collection of electrical objects.

Electricity must be paid for, but some people have always been tempted to fiddle with the meter and get it for free. To stop this dangerous and loss-making activity, electricity supply companies developed a range of ways of sealing main fuses and meters using a special textured wire and lead seals crimped with suitably embossed tools. When reading the meter, company officials would check to see if the tamper-proof seals were intact. From the late 1980s the job has sometimes been done using paper or plastic seals instead. Both methods instantly reveal if anyone has tried to get into the meter and tamper with its mechanism. This tin contains both wire and unused seals from the mid twentieth century.