Home U.S. Coin Forum

Getting a safe

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

Comments

  • PushkinPushkin Posts: 2,029 ✭✭✭
    Before you purchase a safe, determine what your main reason for it is: burgler proofing or fire proofing. They have different standards and serve different purposes.
  • PlacidPlacid Posts: 11,299 ✭✭✭
    Gun safes are best for coin storage. No idea where to buy a cheap one thou.
    I think I saw some handgun safes at www.sentrysafe.com
  • airplanenutairplanenut Posts: 22,148 ✭✭✭✭✭
    http://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
    JK Coin Photography - eBay Consignments | High Quality Photos | LOW Prices | 20% of Consignment Proceeds Go to Pancreatic Cancer Research
  • hookedoncoinshookedoncoins Posts: 1,231 ✭✭✭
    My main reason for getting one is burglar... I live in a nice area right now, but there is always the chance... and I wouldn't want to come home one day and see that all of my coins are gone.

    airplanenut... i'll have to check out sears... how big is yours (ftXft)?

    -Jarrett Roberts
  • PushkinPushkin Posts: 2,029 ✭✭✭
    There is a good discussion on safes, including the difference between burglar proofing and fireproofing in the 4th edition of "Coin Collector's Survival Manual" by Scott Travers. He goes into the various (UL) Underwriter's Laboratories ratings for both burglar proofing and fire proofing. The "TL" ratings are an indication of the time it will take a professional burglar to break into the safe, and other factors, and the"class" ratings for fire protection. Safes for burglar proofing usually have internal hinges, while fire proofing safes have external hinges - also issue such as mounting to floors, a "fireproof" safe inside a "burgler proof safe", etc.

    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.image
  • mrdqmrdq Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭
    LOTS of forum input here --> From the unofficial FAQ

    --------T O M---------

    -------------------------
  • Just bought a SENTRY A5889 2hour fire safe through shoplet. com. This is a 2 CU/FT 2 hour fire resistent safe. $337 with free shipping. Check AMSEC safes.
    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.
  • I've been looking for one, also. I have a number of guns and coins, so i need burgler and fire protection. But, i can't find one under a Grand!!!!! ARRGHHH. . . . .

    B.
    A Fine is a tax for doing wrong.
    A Tax is a fine for doing good.
  • To add. Fire resistant safes are heavier and and do have internal bolts to make it harder to open. I was looking and found burglar "resistant'
    to be lighter requiring permanent install to prevent being walked off with. A 200 lb safe will deter most scum bags.
  • PushkinPushkin Posts: 2,029 ✭✭✭

    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.
  • I hear you. Gun safes get expensive. Size counts!! Consider it an investment and the cost with be easier to accept. Spend a couple
    hours on the net and check it out . The same item can be had for 30 percent or less if you look hard enough.
  • Pushkin,
    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.
  • mdwoodsmdwoods Posts: 5,546 ✭✭✭
    Join Costco. You can order a safe from them online. Prices include delivery, or used too. Mark
    National Register Of Big Trees

    We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
  • PlacidPlacid Posts: 11,299 ✭✭✭
    You can find most anything on eBay.
  • hookedoncoinshookedoncoins Posts: 1,231 ✭✭✭
    Pushkin... I think I will take a trip over to Barnes and Noble tommorow and check out that book. If possible, I want a cheap, burglarproof, fireproof, 2ftX2ft safe.... hopefully it is possible.

    -Jarrett Roberts
  • hookedoncoinshookedoncoins Posts: 1,231 ✭✭✭
    I would think that a burglarproof safe would be good for fire too... metal doesn't burn... what exactly does fire have that makes it fireproof?

    -Jarrett Roberts
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭
    After I got burglarized, I bought this one at the local Office Depot. It holds eight PCGS blue boxes, my two Eagle certified albums and a little extra room for misc. coins.

    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
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭


    << <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

  • PlacidPlacid Posts: 11,299 ✭✭✭
    Sentry Fire-Safe products which offer fire protection have a patented insulation. Any fire resistant safe contains insulation, which in turn, contains water crystals; thus the high content of moisture. In addition,the Sentry advanced safes close airtight to offer water resistance, which may also cause moisture to accumulate inside your safe.
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭
    Pushkin,

    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
  • PushkinPushkin Posts: 2,029 ✭✭✭

    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.image Best (and more expensive - but not necessarily a lot more) is a small fireproof safe or box inside a good burglar proof safe.
  • BearBear Posts: 18,953 ✭✭✭
    Do what bears do, bury your coins under a tree in the forest.
    Failing that, use a bank safety box. Bear
    There once was a place called
    Camelotimage
  • PushkinPushkin Posts: 2,029 ✭✭✭
    Russ,
    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 14imageimage). You are right about the hinges, if the bolts are like yours. image
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭
    Pushkin,

    Okay, I feel better now.image 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
  • PushkinPushkin Posts: 2,029 ✭✭✭
    Right Bear,

    Until some big moose comes along and deficates by your tree - ATing your coins (might add value? image). Also Bear, at our age are you sure you want to trust your memory as to which tree?image

    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.image
  • stmanstman Posts: 11,352 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Russ I have a safe like yours. I also made sure it had 4 bolts, 2 on each side. Does yours weigh 99 pounds empty?

    stman
    Please... Save The Stories, Just Answer My Questions, And Tell Me How Much!!!!!
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,530 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I saw some gun safes at Wal-Mart the other day, and Wal-Mart is bound to be cheaper than most anybody, right?

    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.

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • PushkinPushkin Posts: 2,029 ✭✭✭
    Hey Russ,

    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 lifeimage) sentence.image
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Does yours weigh 99 pounds empty? >>



    Stman,

    It does indeed.

    Russ, NCNE

  • PushkinPushkin Posts: 2,029 ✭✭✭
    99 lbs

    Hernia repair surgery costs upwards of $20,000 these days - be careful!image

    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. image
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭
    Pushkin,

    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
  • GeomanGeoman Posts: 2,491 ✭✭✭
    Get one big enough, or heavy enough that someone just can't pick it up and walk out with it. The ones the several others have mentioned that can be bolted to the floor sound like a good idea. Me personally, I am looking for a safe also. However, I want one very heavy, so no one will be able to carry it off. I will get 3 others of my trusted friends over so all 4 of us can carry it.

    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
  • wingedlibertywingedliberty Posts: 4,805 ✭✭✭
    The best safes in the world are safe deposit boxes at your local bank.
    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.
  • Here's another informative thread on this topic from earlier this year: http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=62892. It has a good discussion on gun safes, among other issues.
    Askari



    Come on over ... to The Dark Side! image
  • wingedlibertywingedliberty Posts: 4,805 ✭✭✭
    What about the bank safe deposit box alternative?

    Brian.
  • PlacidPlacid Posts: 11,299 ✭✭✭
    I have two safes. I don't keep my coins in either one. I figure the "crooks" will see the safes and think they scored and spend their time and energy removing them from my home.
    The only thing in them are bricks.
  • wingedlibertywingedliberty Posts: 4,805 ✭✭✭
    Placid:
    I love it, excellent psychological warfare!!!


    Brian.
  • airplanenutairplanenut Posts: 22,148 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I think this is what I have: http://www.officedepot.com/shop/catalog/sku.asp?BC=1%3A11%3A1111%3A1111001&ID=671341&LEVEL=SK&SID=1SR2FG5A1N938PCC0W8BHRVURTB74CA9&PP=301001

    It has a removeable shelf, and, get this--- CARPETING image I have quite a lot of slabs, many 2x2x14 boxes, some folders, some proof sets, and some room still image

    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 imageimage
    JK Coin Photography - eBay Consignments | High Quality Photos | LOW Prices | 20% of Consignment Proceeds Go to Pancreatic Cancer Research
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭


    << <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

  • wingedlibertywingedliberty Posts: 4,805 ✭✭✭
    Russ:
    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
  • Wingedliberty: The chief problem with hurricanes is that they can flood a safe. The largest boxes are ... you guessed it -- on the bottom. If your bank is above the highest historical flood stage, you're probably okay.

    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.
    Askari



    Come on over ... to The Dark Side! image
  • I have a Sentry gun safe, about 5'X2'X2'. Empty weight 300+ lbs.
    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
  • FlashFlash Posts: 1,090 ✭✭✭
    I am wondering where I could get a cheap safe

    Walmart.. in the neighorhood of $150
    Matt


  • Check out the safes online at Office Depot.
    image
    My posts viewed image times
    since 8/1/6
  • My only advice to the original topic is to figure the size you want, and then go one and perhaps two sizes up. You can never have a big enough safe!
    "I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my Grandfather did, as opposed to screaming in terror like his passengers."
  • DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    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
  • LucyBopLucyBop Posts: 14,001 ✭✭✭
    Is there are concern about what materials these safes are made out of which could possible outgas and wind up toning the coins? Or is this a non issue?
    imageBe Bop A Lula!!
    "Senorita HepKitty"
    "I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
  • leothelyonleothelyon Posts: 8,459 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Failing that, use a bank safety box.

    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

  • critocrito Posts: 1,735
    "Sentry Fire-Safe products which offer fire protection have a patented insulation. Any fire resistant safe contains insulation, which in turn, contains water crystals; thus the high content of moisture. In addition,the Sentry advanced safes close airtight to offer water resistance, which may also cause moisture to accumulate inside your safe."

    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 image
  • Boy, that Walmart advertizing is sure paying off! They have a lot of people fooled into thinking their prices are always the lowest, NOT! I went to Walmart and bought an antenna for $74.99. About a week later I saw the same exact antenna at Home Depot for $59.99. They should not be able to advertize as ALWAYS having the lowest prices when they do NOT! I got lucky as far as safes go, I have a friend who works for American Security. I got a 900lb safe for $600, it retails for $3000. It has the best of everything!
    You can fool man but you can't fool God! He knows why you do what you do!

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file