Getting a safe
hookedoncoins
Posts: 1,231 ✭✭✭
Hi,
I am wondering where I could get a cheap safe to hold my coins in... It would have to be between 1.5ft X1.5fx inside to 2ft X 2ft inside.
Any suggestions?
-Jarrett Roberts
I am wondering where I could get a cheap safe to hold my coins in... It would have to be between 1.5ft X1.5fx inside to 2ft X 2ft inside.
Any suggestions?
-Jarrett Roberts
0
Comments
I think I saw some handgun safes at www.sentrysafe.com
I have an 80 pounder that I got at Sears... nice climate for the coins, hard to get at and very cumbersome... something like $80-$100.
Jeremy
airplanenut... i'll have to check out sears... how big is yours (ftXft)?
-Jarrett Roberts
Suggest you go to your local bookstore and browse the section before you buy - might save you some money and give you a little confidence in what you are buying.
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Will cost about $580 with shipping and is 1.6 CU/FT. Nice safe though. Free shipping doesn't come without grief though. State tax not includ . N.Y. sucks.
B.
A Tax is a fine for doing good.
to be lighter requiring permanent install to prevent being walked off with. A 200 lb safe will deter most scum bags.
Just remember "internal bolts" are not the same as internal hinges. Most safes have internal bolts. Internal hinges are internal so that they can't be pried off easily (can't get to them). The hinges on many fire proof safes are external and easy for burglars to pry off; strong bolts and weak hinges = "weakest link" of a chain.
hours on the net and check it out . The same item can be had for 30 percent or less if you look hard enough.
Your correct. I consider weight and inaccessablity. If installed properly, leverage cannot be attained to pry the safe open. Other protection is also required,
dependant on location. If one has the knowledge and the means, you are screwed. I believe this is where insurance kicks in. I have one other deterent.
Consider me a little crazy, but anyone skanking my stuff, if they know me at all (Thieves often know something of their victims), I still have one gun that
wasn't in the safe.
We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
-Jarrett Roberts
-Jarrett Roberts
With the coins, it comes in at about 150 lbs., it's bolted to the floor with toggles that go all the way through and clamp underneath, and it's well hidden.
It is getting a bit cramped, though, so I moved some coins to my safe deposit box at the bank.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>metal doesn't burn... >>
Doesn't have to burn for it to get hot enough inside the safe to destroy everything.
<< <i>... what exactly does fire have that makes it fireproof? >>
They're packed with insulation between the outer and inner shells.
Russ, NCNE
Even if the hinges are pried off, they still wouldn't be able to get the safe door open, unless it only has bolts on the opposite side from the hinges. On mine, it has two bolts on each side of the door.
Russ, NCNE
The metal doesn't burn, but "fireproof" safes have a lot of insulation to keep the inside temperature below a certain "Maximum Temperature" for so many minutes/hours. If your coins get too hot you are in trouble (they might tone nicely, but don't count on it, and those slabs and plastic holders melted around your coins could be a disaster!).
The inside of a strictly burglar proof safe will rise in temperature FAST in a fire. Best (and more expensive - but not necessarily a lot more) is a small fireproof safe or box inside a good burglar proof safe.
Failing that, use a bank safety box. Bear
Camelot
That's because you have a "good" safe. A lot of the fireproof safes don't have the bolts on both sides.
I'm only offering suggestions - that Hookedoncoins do some research. I've seen plenty of lower priced fireproofs with outside hinges and bolts only on the otherside - they are basically childproof (up to about age 14). You are right about the hinges, if the bolts are like yours.
Okay, I feel better now. The note was more about confirming that I did right when I considered what safe to buy, than it was about questioning your judgement.
Russ, NCNE
Until some big moose comes along and deficates by your tree - ATing your coins (might add value? ). Also Bear, at our age are you sure you want to trust your memory as to which tree?
To add to the paranoia, when THE big meteor falls from the sky right on top of your bank and turns your coins into cosmic vapor - well never mind.
stman
Pushkin's comments about fireproof vs. burglar proof are right on the money- I have a small, inexpensive fireproof safe that I got as a gift, but it has no boltdown capability and could be physically carried away by a thief. (If our ferocious poodle/terrier mix didn't lick him to death first, that is).
I never use the fireproof safe I have. I suppose I should keep my coins in safe deposit at my credit union, but I like to have them nearby, y'know? Unless I'm traveling, I am bad about leaving valuable coins lying around unprotected. I'm trying to clean up my act a bit before I regret it, though.
Question my judgement anytime (it a compliment) - in my household there are no questions - the judge (my wife) issues verdicts and I just hope its a light (not life) sentence.
<< <i>Does yours weigh 99 pounds empty? >>
Stman,
It does indeed.
Russ, NCNE
Hernia repair surgery costs upwards of $20,000 these days - be careful!
Toe replacement is even more.
Although the scene of a burglar lugging a 99 lbs safe down the street with a crushed toe (alternately pushing in on his groin), does seem rather funny.
Loaded up with the coins, it comes in at about 150 lbs. Of course, first the slimeball would have to find it, then he'd have to rip up the entire floor underneath to get it out since I didn't use the wimpy bolts that came with it, but instead used giant toggle bolts that clamp under the floorboards. And, he'd have to do all that in less than 15 seconds since the alarm, including a 115dB siren, would go off.
Russ, NCNE
I just heard 2 stories regarding safes and getting coins stolen that I thought I'd share with everyone. The first one is my wife heard of a collector through a friend at work who had gotten his coins stolen. He did not have a huge collection, but big enough to be a large lost (approximately $50,000). His insurance company would only pay him "face value" of each coin. Meaning, if he had a 1884-0 Morgan MS-66, face value was $1. So even though it may have been worth approximately $300, his insurance company still paid him $1. He had a Lincoln stolen, so his insurance company gave him face value: $0.01; unfortunently it was a 1909-SVDB. I guess he received about $500 for his insurance company, and the value of his coins were again approximately $50,000. That is why I have a safe deposit box. It's a small price to pay for the comfort of having them safe.
The second story is about a safe that was dug into the floor. It was sunk down into the cememt of the basement, so it was flush with the floor. This person thought it was bugular proof by doing it this way. However, since it was a floor level, when here basement flooded a little from a big storm, the safe filled out with water. Most everything was a loss in the safe after sitting for a while with water in the safe.
-Geoman
for $20-$90/yr, you can have almost total safety. The only drawback is limited access. So, I always
try to keep about a dozen coins at home for viewing, under $1000. This works for me, may not
work for others.
Brian.
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
Brian.
The only thing in them are bricks.
I love it, excellent psychological warfare!!!
Brian.
It has a removeable shelf, and, get this--- CARPETING I have quite a lot of slabs, many 2x2x14 boxes, some folders, some proof sets, and some room still
Jeremy
PS- I don't need to bolt it- it is such a pain to get to... a males room is the best security device one could want
<< <i>What about the bank safe deposit box alternative? >>
Brian,
There are a couple of issues with safe deposit boxes. One is that one large enough to hold all of my coins is $280 a year. The other is insurance. The bank provides none, so even if the coins are protected from thieves, they aren't protected from disaster. I would have to add an additional rider to my policy. A third consideration is that it is easier to control the environment with one's own safe.
That said, I also have a bank safe deposit box, albeit a small one that has some coins in it.
Russ, NCNE
Have you considered the ANA insurance for collections stored in safe deposit boxes?
Very cheap if you are a member. Also, I have about six 5x10 safe deposit boxes, You're right, it
adds up, about $600/yr. , but I have peace of mind. , unless living here in Florida, A hurricane
takes down my bank branch. Not much chance of that (I hope)
Brian
Never having had to make a claim, I can't tell you how good the insurance available via ANA is. However, their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Phone waiting periods during off-peak are typically 15 mins. and mostly they end up telling you to write them about your problem. Renewing annually isn't a problem, but updating your coverage amount usually is -- always is, in my experience, if you try to change it mid-term. Even though the renewal form lets you revise it, you still end up having to wait to see if they did, then call them to check, and then write them to get it done. Mid-term changes I've only had a 50-50 success rate in getting them to modify my coverage. I was hoping that the company that bought the original provider would improve the customer service, but they have not. I emailed ANA one time and never received a response beyond acknowledging receipt of my note. Still, it is cheaper than homeowner insurance riders -- which often require an expensive appraisal.
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
It is bolted into the foundation at the bottom and a few extra bolts through the back and side bolted into the house frame.
On the bottom, I have 2 mint sewn bags of 2000 P cents I plan to look through someday when I get time.
We are looking at, first, almost having to tear the house down just to get it out, but then having to deal with probably 500 lbs.
And if they want to force me to open the safe, there is a gun on the first shelf of the safe and one hidden outside the safe with easy access if you know where it is.
I have insurance through a company which advertises in the coin weeklys and are much more reasonable than the ANA offers.
Other than my three dogs, I don't know what else I can do
Walmart.. in the neighorhood of $150
Check out the safes online at Office Depot.
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I hear ya Boston. Anyone believing a persons life is worth more than what he is stealing best not be caught stealing my coins or he/she will be DOA.
As far a safes go. I would think the gun safe in the basement would be best. They couldn't be stolen or opened and in a fire the heat goes up, so a lot of suff in the basement with protection probably will not get hot enough to hurt coins inside. JMO.
Jon
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
Hi everyone
I started to collect coins at a very young age. I actually got my dad interested in coins then and we started to buy proof and mint sets 68 to 81 including the brown box silver Ikes. The thing was that we kept them in a bank deposit box over those years and many of those coins toned, some are very dark and the coins paper and cardboard packaging deteriorated or colored some. So we figured that the bank vault must had some kind of humidity control. I think the ideal enviorment
for coin storage is cool and dry. Another thing about keeping a room too dry, it invites static electricity.
Aside from that, earlier this year while yard saleing I had just walked up someones driveway
when I heard this guy say, I'll take it. It was a nice safe for $10.
Leo
The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!
My Jefferson Nickel Collection
Yep, the Sentry brand are no good. Staples also sells newer Brinks safes, which use a dry "midlew free" insulator, designed specifically to solve that problem. I have both, my color silica gel needs recharging once a week in the Sentry and once every two months in the Brinks. Plus I like the snap off bolts inluded with the Brinks. Crowbar won't get it out the door, they're gonna need hacksaws and a sledgehammer too