Lockbox Mystery

My wife and I frequently visit T. J. Maxx. There is always something interesting to catch my eye, whether it is a new snack, kitchen gadget or home furnishings. Recently, I spotted a clear lockbox that just begged me to buy it for a puzzle! (How many of you remember the Sprocket Thistle Manor locked room mystery?)

After I brought it home, I thought about how I could adapt an earlier puzzle that I had published in Mind-bending Variety Puzzles Volume 2:

I created a prototype for my kids to solve. The items inside the box provide clues to the 3-digit code.

There are so many fun ways to obfuscate a 3-digit code! I realized that I could abstract the lockbox, just like I did in the published version. After all, the fun is cracking the code. Assembling images is less labor-intensive than staging a physical box.

In this issue's puzzles, the lockbox is set in a medieval kingdom. Let me know what you think of this type of code-breaking!