Lock Identification

[ClassicMark]

I came across an 1801 flintlock that is stamped with REA... I'm guessing this is the company but cannot find anything on it.

There is a heart shaped stamp with an X in the center with the following letters in the heart:
V at top of X
E on left side of X
C at the bottom of the X
I on the right side of the X

If anyone has any information on the company or the markings please let me know. Thank you all in advance.

[gsimmons]

Need to see pictures. There are way too many variations.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Sounds like a lock from the East India Company. But pics are vital to be sure.

The V should be read as a U (like some Latin inscriptions) and so VEIC = United East India Company