The statute

The second limb has an intent element

On this page14

The second limb Two different prohibitions in one sentence The making branch is qualified twice And the possession branch requires an intent Which is the structure of a great many criminal provisions Improperly is the unusual word Any such key refers back to the first limb And any such mail lock extends it to the lock Nothing in it reaches a container Which is the point of quoting it And nothing here applies it to anybody Nor does anything here assist in defeating a lock The remaining five sections are about jars References

With the intent unlawfully or improperly to use, sell, or otherwise dispose of the same.

The second limb

Whoever knowingly and unlawfully makes, forges, or counterfeits any such key, or possesses any such mail lock or key with the intent unlawfully or improperly to use, sell, or otherwise dispose of the same.

Two different prohibitions in one sentence

Making, forging or counterfeiting, which is conduct. And possessing with an intent, which is conduct plus a state of mind.

The making branch is qualified twice

Knowingly and unlawfully. So neither an accident nor a lawful making is within it.

And the possession branch requires an intent

Unlawfully or improperly to use, sell, or otherwise dispose of the same. Possession on its own is not the offence as described.

Which is the structure of a great many criminal provisions

And it is worth noticing because a summary that drops the intent element describes a different and much broader offence.

Improperly is the unusual word

Unlawfully or improperly, which are not the same. Improperly is broader and softer and sits alongside unlawfully rather than inside it.

Any such key refers back to the first limb

So the narrow category carries through: the keys in question are those described in the first part of the section.

And any such mail lock extends it to the lock

Which is the only place the section reaches the lock itself rather than the key.

Nothing in it reaches a container

There is no marking requirement, no labeling requirement and no packaging requirement anywhere in the section.

Which is the point of quoting it

To show that the federal provision naming a key is about a crime, so the container question is genuinely separate.

And nothing here applies it to anybody

Whether any conduct falls within either limb is not determined on these pages and is not a packaging question.

Nor does anything here assist in defeating a lock

Which is a line this property does not approach, on a page about lock parts.

The remaining five sections are about jars

Which is the honest division for a group whose federal law is a theft statute.

References

18 U.S.C. 1704, which provides in part: "Whoever steals, purloins, embezzles, or obtains by false pretense any key suited to any lock adopted by the Post Office Department or the Postal Service and in use on any of the mails or bags thereof, or any key to any lock box, lock drawer, or other authorized receptacle for the deposit or delivery of mail matter"; and "Whoever knowingly and unlawfully makes, forges, or counterfeits any such key, or possesses any such mail lock or key with the intent unlawfully or improperly to use, sell, or otherwise dispose of the same"; and "Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both." This is a theft and forgery provision and says nothing about containers, labeling or packaging. Nothing on these pages addresses the lawfulness of making, holding or selling any key or key blank, locksmith licensing, restricted keyways or key duplication. law.cornell.edu

Written from 18 U.S.C. 1704 and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. That section is a theft and forgery statute about keys to Postal Service locks and says nothing about containers, labeling or packaging; it is quoted because it is the federal provision that names a key. Nothing here addresses the lawfulness of making, holding or selling any key or key blank, locksmith licensing, restricted keyways, key duplication, or whether any mark has legal effect, and nothing here would assist anybody in defeating a lock. This shelf is shared identically by nine groups and the sewing notions property enumerates the inventory.