Bank Vault Fire
falcoin
Posts: 8 ✭✭
50 years ago when I was a young collector I was friends with the local branch bank manager who was also a collector. He graciously let me store a box in the back of the bank vault. My box contained coins and stamps. One night the branch bank had a devastating fire that completely leveled the building. When I saw it the next day (I worked across the street), the only thing recognizable in the smoldering ruins was the bank vault. My friend the bank manager told me that the heat had warped the vault door and they needed experts from Mosler to finally open the door. When I finally was given my box I was shocked. Not only no damage to the coins but all the paper (stamps, covers, documents) were intact with no heat or water damage. Today I own a former bank with a Mosler vault and I'm confident it would survive a conflagration. If you store coins in a bank safe deposit box I believe they would survive such a fire.
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Interesting story, thanks for sharing !!!
@falcoin I had to read it twice. You said, “Today I own a former bank with a Mosler vault and I'm confident it would survive a conflagration” so not just the vault but the actual bank building? Wow! What you can store in there!
Please do not lock yourself inside that Mosler vault. They are very hard to open.
Sorry for the confusion. The building would go up like a torch but I'm confident the contents of the airtight vault would survive. The vault contains better inventory, bullion, and safe deposit boxes we rent to our customers. Yes, we are a B&M!
Don't take this the wrong way, but I hate you.
I always wanted to own an old bank building with a vault. I know of a couple businesses in the area that occupy such a building, and I have heard of people living in old bank buildings.
I recall visiting a cigar store that used an old bank vault as their humidifier room. The vault door and other steel parts were extremely rusted and very weird looking. Peace Roy
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In one little town around here, there is a bank building now being used as a residence. That bank building was built around 1985. The town is very small and the bank office had insufficient business.
I am somewhat apprehensive that the 1972 vintage bank building where I have my safe deposit boxes could soon meet the same fate.
Small town we used to party in back in high school had a bar in an old bank building. They repurposed the vault into a cooler.
I dont think all bank safes are like that. When I go into mine, I see a pop up ceiling. I have faith in it against faith, not really against fire.
It would take a lot of heat. And I mean a WHOLE LOT OF HEAT to warp a
vault door. I can't imagine. It's my business to know about things like that. Never seen THAT. And I thought I'd seen pretty much everything fire damage related. Could you please PM me as to the location, date, etc. I'm very interested. The information could save lives. Thank you.
I enjoy the story and Welcome to the CU family
My company owns a building that used to house a bank. One of the vaults is still intact, with the door open and disabled for safety.
The shop you purchased a toned peace dollar last summer and I showed you some Walkers. Thanks by the way for the kind comments you posted on the forum about your visit.
Is the OP @falcoin Falmouth Stamp & Coin? If so, I have been in a number of times and I guess I do know that safe. Never knew the space was a former bank.
Exactly the same in my situation.
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And what do you think is above the pop up ceiling?
@falcoin... Welcome aboard...and interesting story. A company I worked at in the PNW had an old bank vault in it. Ground floor, door disabled, surrounded by a couple feet of cement. It was used for financial records storage. Cheers, RickO
I was following this one with interest when it was on the market. Unfortunately, it was not a place I wanted to live.
106 Church Ave, Casco, WI 54205
That's a beautiful building.
MS64 in my opinion.
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I always assumed it was covering the ductwork for heating/cooling, and also the wiring, etc. I was hoping there was a thick slab of concrete up there, too.
It would make no sense to have a door that could stop a tank and a ceiling that could be pushed up and crawled in and out of.
https://i.pinimg.com/474x/92/7f/06/927f06e2b7c2f42b15dae609646af302--antique-safe-antique-iron.jpg
What year would this safe date>
When I was a kid, I worked for 'Radio Shack'. One of their local stores was in a building that used to be a furrier. They had a nice 'walk'in' to a substantial sized room. The store manager used that room for inventory storage. The vault door was locked open, and no one had the combination. Being an amateur locksmith at the time, I offered to set up a combination for him. He was thrilled and, in turn, promised me 4 hours pay. The job only took about 15 minutes. I was pretty happy !
this was a fascinating post. thank you
Minor Variety Trade dollar's with chop marks set:
More Than It's Chopped Up To Be
a restaurant owner that I know expanded next door which was a small bank. he built around it and opened a sports bar there. not many know but just the same. If it were mind I would have stuck some gold in it and kept it a big secret, that's just me though
Bank vaults come in lots of flavors. Older ones were built in place. Steel welded up and blocks of stone layed up. Newer ones are precast steel, cement, rebar, etc. delivered and placed. Doors were separate and required specialized install for fit and finish. No one wants to recycle old vaults. Peace Roy
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My firm operates in an old brick bank building built in 1881. There are three old vaults in the basement, and one on the first floor. We had them all disabled. In the basement one is concrete, one has a dirt floor, and one a wooden floor. I'm still waiting to find that buried sack of double eagles.
Has anyone taken a metal detector to the ones with dirt or wood floors !?!
I don’t know of anyone using a metal detector.
Pop those ceiling tiles and there is probably precast concrete or even better concrete poured in place
Rainbow Stars
There was an abandoned branch office for sale on the "Double A" Highway between Alexandria, Kentucky and Maysville, Kentucky. Design would make a nice looking home. Warmer than Wisconsin.
Nice. Looks like each vault was made by different companies?
I guess that would make sense so that not one company would have access knowledge of all three. Thanks for the pics.
Love those vault pictures!
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I'm not sure I like how easy it was to open afetr the 'drop test' but this is a little interesting
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