Need a reason to keep coins in a bank vault, my house burned down today!
Tarmac
Posts: 394 ✭
So I am at work and I get an email from my neighbor saying that smoke is coming out of my downstairs window. I live 10 minutes away and get home in 5 min. As I pull up I see thick smoke but no fire, however you all know the saying...where there's smoke....Well, it was there we just did not see it.
About 30 sec after I pull up a pumper pulls up and they start yanking the hose off the truck and hooking up to the hydrant. I'm thinking, is this all necessary, it's only smoke. Fast forward, 10 min. the whole front of the house is gone, burnt to a crisp. Something electrical they say.
I don't think it's sunk in yet. I am still in disbelief, this only happens to other people, right? Wife is devasted but not me. Not yet?
The postive? No coins lost, my entire collection lives at the bank. As a matter of fact the only thing we lost were some clothes, books, bedroom furniture [which we wanted to replace anyway], a 19" TV [now we have an excuse to get a plasma TV], an older stereo, and some other crap. Now that I think about it we really didn't lose anything of importance and minimal value.
Maybe tomorrow reality will set in but I consider us lucky, it could have happened at night and we would be history. So time to deal with insurance adjusters, living in a cramped apartment [we have 3,800sf now] and rebuilding. I dread the thought! Maybe it's time to try something new housing wise in a new location or home style?
Anyway, learn from my almost unfortunate experience. Do not keep valuable collections at home and if you do keep them off the ground! The firemen poured a few thousand gallons of water onto the fire and got it out in less than 20min but left about a foot and a half of black smelly water on the floor downstairs and soaked flooring/carpet upstairs. A floor safe would have either burned or been flooded. Again I feel very very lucky!
About 30 sec after I pull up a pumper pulls up and they start yanking the hose off the truck and hooking up to the hydrant. I'm thinking, is this all necessary, it's only smoke. Fast forward, 10 min. the whole front of the house is gone, burnt to a crisp. Something electrical they say.
I don't think it's sunk in yet. I am still in disbelief, this only happens to other people, right? Wife is devasted but not me. Not yet?
The postive? No coins lost, my entire collection lives at the bank. As a matter of fact the only thing we lost were some clothes, books, bedroom furniture [which we wanted to replace anyway], a 19" TV [now we have an excuse to get a plasma TV], an older stereo, and some other crap. Now that I think about it we really didn't lose anything of importance and minimal value.
Maybe tomorrow reality will set in but I consider us lucky, it could have happened at night and we would be history. So time to deal with insurance adjusters, living in a cramped apartment [we have 3,800sf now] and rebuilding. I dread the thought! Maybe it's time to try something new housing wise in a new location or home style?
Anyway, learn from my almost unfortunate experience. Do not keep valuable collections at home and if you do keep them off the ground! The firemen poured a few thousand gallons of water onto the fire and got it out in less than 20min but left about a foot and a half of black smelly water on the floor downstairs and soaked flooring/carpet upstairs. A floor safe would have either burned or been flooded. Again I feel very very lucky!
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Comments
you realize how little a tv is worth when you think about it.
as in, possessions can be replaced.
Glad to hear everyone is safe.
God bless.
Leevee
Question: Your neighbor sent you an e-mail??? Did your neighbor not have your phone number?
Yes, isn't that odd? He had my home # but not my cell or work. And I was in a panic and could not remember his last name so I could not find it on my computer with his home number. I figured I 'd get home before I remembered.
Just a speed bump on the road of life.
Again, glad you and your family are ok!
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
Nice to hear that material losses were minimal, as well, but no material good is more precious than life.
Paul
I hope others can learn from this disaster. A fire can hard to recover from even if your family is safe. BUT, it can be very costly if your coins burn up too. Many people have no insurance, etc. If their coins were lost for whatever reason, the financial loss could be an even bigger disaster than the fire. I have some coins in my collection that were stolen from a fellow board member during a robbery. HIs gold/platinum coins were broken out from their holders and sold for scrap. But, at least one of his sets were revovered. One sinlge coin I know about was sold on E-bay after the recovery. It sold for $1400. The thieves used a Red Book to price his coins. They had a price tag of $1.50 on the PCGS slab!!! Because of their stupidity, he DID recover more than half of his collection. Sorry about oyur loss, BUT, I'm glad you and your family are safe! Ray
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
A friend's house burned last year and the insurance adjuster estimated it at around $50,000, the actual total after the public adjuster came by was over $200,000.
Not sure what to do? Never fear, after you speak with the insurance company's adjuster, you will not be able to get a public one fast enough.
I wish you well!
BTW: in his case the back of his house burned. it took just about a year to get back in the house.
<< <i>Question: Your neighbor sent you an e-mail??? Did your neighbor not have your phone number? >>
My neighbors don't have my email or work numbers--a fact that needs to be corrected I'm thinking. Plus, I think you owe your neighbor a really nice dinner or something because it sounds like he called the fire department first and it could have been a bigger loss! Good luck with the recovery process, and I would heed the advice for an independant adjuster...I can hear it now..."Well, this looks like flooding, there was a rainshower last month so this is damage caused by flooding, nope, not covered". Perhaps I am being cynical.
....................Now that I think about it we really didn't lose anything of importance and minimal value.
a point that seems to be lost on many when the discussion arises about Bank Box vs. Home Safe is the replacement of the lost coins; they can't be replaced when they're destroyed by a fire or stolen by a thief. the belongings you lost can be easily replaced, glad to hear things weren't worse than you've described and that no family members and no pets were harmed.
good decision on the bank box.
Wow, sorry about your house. That's really terrible. Thankfully no one was hurt & you can rebuild. My best wishes to all.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
My #1 Low Ball Peace Dollar Set
This got me thinking; none of my neighbors have a way of contacting me after I leave the house. Might pay them a visit and give them my cell phone number.
Joe
TorinoCobra71
Ironically what did the most damage was the water from the firefighters!!
We decided to rebuild and sell, move to another area. Were mulling this over anyway for almost 3 years and this was the motivating event.
My advice to others out there, if you think it won't happen to you..... Make sure your neighbors have a way yo reach you by cell, or tele or even email. My neighbor [an on the ball guy] emailed me and I was lucky enough to be online at the time.
siliconvalleycoins.com
Hang in there, it's a big pain in the butt. The same thing has happened to me, only much worse, and time will heal everything.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.