For those of you who keep your collections in your home.....

gecko109 · May 3, 2010 10:50AM

Please look at this thread!

My apologies in advance if some feel this is too off topic. I just felt it is important for the collectors here to know about this.....especially the collectors who enjoy keeping their coins in their home.

Bochiman · May 3, 2010 10:54AM

Lock bumping has been mentioned on the TV news, and newspapers, for over 1-2 years in my area.
I believe in SDBs for my coins. I couldn't care less about lock bumping as all it takes is smashing a window or kicking in a door if someone wanted in to rob you anyway.
Besides, I have deadbolts as well, on all the doors

gecko109 · May 3, 2010 11:00AM

The deadbolts are even bumpable Bochi. Unless you buy specific "bump proof" locks. I do understand your point about other ways to enter a home, but I dont think a burglar wants to smash a window in a densely populated neighborhood, especially if they can just lockbump their way in with no noise.

Bochiman · May 3, 2010 11:11AM

Sure, everything can be defeated. My point is that I have a couple of options on there but it all comes down to the point that, even with the alarm system wired in our windows/doors, all it takes is for someone to break a window, or kick in a door, and then do what they want. They may not have a long time, but every home is accessible.
The best we can hope for is to deter them from trying by offering some security options that would limit their time/reward for robbery.

Bear · May 3, 2010 11:13AM

The only thing I keep in my house is my 1941 and on
penny collection. It must be worth all of 10 dollars.

mrpotatoheadd · May 3, 2010 11:18AM

<< The only thing I keep in my house is my 1941 and on
penny collection. It must be worth all of 10 dollars.

>>

What matters more than what you keep in your house is what other people think you keep in your house.

itsnotjustme · May 3, 2010 11:24AM

SDB is a good thing.

Of course with a cordless drill and reciprocating saw, the walls of any wood frame house become an easy entry point. A little noise, yes, but nothing that would stand out as abnormal in a residential neighborhood.

notwilight · May 3, 2010 11:34AM

Other than widgets, all I keep in my home are photographs, Sigs and a couple of Remmingtons. --Jerry

Bochiman · May 3, 2010 11:35AM

<< What matters more than what you keep in your house is what other people think you keep in your house. >>

Yep.....and my neighbors are thinking......"baseball bat, pepper spray, tazer, and a bunch of old original XBox games as well as some pocket change pennies and nickels"

tmcsr69 · May 3, 2010 11:46AM

Locks are designed to keep out the honest people. Any dishonest person will find a way in. Lock bumping, while easy, is still an acquired skill that is above the ability of the average bad guy.

keets · May 3, 2010 11:56AM

this is old news. the obvious solution is to keep everything in an SDB. guns and dogs are nice thoughts as is a sturdy home safe, but they'll only deter and not stop thieves.

drwstr123 · May 3, 2010 12:02PM

You can only slow them down....

crazyhounddog · May 3, 2010 12:05PM

That sucks!!

adamlaneus · May 3, 2010 12:09PM

Keets makes me sad.

AnkurJ · May 3, 2010 12:12PM

Yikes!

Justacommeman · May 3, 2010 12:16PM

I have an imposing looking bullmastiff named Alabama. However, unless I'm being robbed by a giant ice cream cone Alabama isn't going to help much.....lead, premium locks, alarms and a SDB for me............MJ

Adam, VERY impressive display!

etexmike · May 3, 2010 12:27PM

Some artillery placed in strategic locations around the house and a couple of SDB's help to keep things where they should be.

Mike

19Lyds · May 3, 2010 12:52PM

<< Some artillery placed in strategic locations around the house and a couple of SDB's help to keep things where they should be.

Mike >>

Yes but the artillary only helps if your home when the bump occurs.

BTW, this subject was brought up at least three years ago if not longer on these forums.

It's a tool and some folks use it. Your best strategy is to store your valuables in a SDB or have a good alarm system.

Broadstruck · May 3, 2010 1:17PM

This is old news and even the better Schlage and Medeco $200+ so called non bump locksets have since proven via the web to be fully bumpable. There are some aftermarket products that you can use on your doors to secure them while you are in your home... but nothing that can be used when you leave. Adding a security storm door can be a deterrent as an intruder would need to bump two different locksets to gain entry. An alarm system is still the best way to protect your family.

pennyannie · May 3, 2010 1:47PM

I keep a lot of coins at the house, most of the time do not even lock the 5 exterior doors. ( in fact for years after building this house we did not even know where the door lock keys were) 4 of the exterior doors are undivided french doors with 90 percent glass, combined with the 60 plus windows i am not going to be able to keep anyone out that really wants in.

I am betting the would be thieves will be distracted by the keys in the ingnition of the corvette, buick grand national, dodge srt4, ford crewcab superduty 4x4, chevey monte carlo ss or the yamaha raptor or kawi v-force. If they pass on those they better hope they can dodge bullets. I do not mind shooting thru my walls

I am lax in the security department but at least i do not live in a subdivision. There is only one way in and one way out of my property and it would be hard to sneak in.

30AnvZ28 · May 3, 2010 1:55PM

<< I keep a lot of coins at the house, most of the time do not even lock the 5 exterior doors. ( in fact for years after building this house we did not even know where the door lock keys were) 4 of the exterior doors are undivided french doors with 90 percent glass, combined with the 60 plus windows i am not going to be able to keep anyone out that really wants in.

I am betting the would be thieves will be distracted by the keys in the ingnition of the corvette, buick grand national, dodge srt4, ford crewcab superduty 4x4, chevey monte carlo ss or the yamaha raptor or kawi v-force. If they pass on those they better hope they can dodge bullets. I do not mind shooting thru my walls

I am lax in the security department but at least i do not live in a subdivision. There is only one way in and one way out of my property and it would be hard to sneak in. >>

+1. I havent driven my camaro in a few years while we rebuilt it. It sits outside, and runs. When we went to put it in the paint shop, I looked for my keys for days... only to find them in the ignition. That is also where the keys to my Honda are right this second.

Baley · May 3, 2010 2:01PM

we also don't have locks... you can just unzip the tent and take anything you want...
ride off on the bicycle and our puppies will lick your heels while our children wave goodbye to you... my wife will say, come back, you forgot your muffins!

Broadstruck · May 3, 2010 2:08PM

My 4 year old Son just needs to feel secure that Zombies can't get into the house...

I think we're safe as thankfully they lack hand coordination to bump a lock!

keets · May 3, 2010 10:51PM

perhaps the stupidest thing that someone can do is exactly what several members have done in this thread-----make it publicly known that you have stuff in your house and tell what the security is you have in place.

ricko · May 3, 2010 10:55PM

This is periodically revived, I believe by professional locksmiths, when their business is slow. I have bumped locks, part of training when I learned to be a locksmith. It is not as easy as it looks when a professional does it. I never worry about it.... and yes, all my coins etc are kept at home. I have said it before, the paranoia on this board would amaze a group of mental health experts. Cheers, RickO

drei3ree · May 3, 2010 11:06PM

To keep your family safe, get a gun and alarm system. To keep your valuables secure, document and buy good insurance! Other than that, relax 'cause there's not much you can do that's worth the worry.

Stew · May 4, 2010 1:59AM

<< perhaps the stupidest thing that someone can do is exactly what several members have done in this thread-----make it publicly known that you have stuff in your house and tell what the security is you have in place. >>

That is the first time what I have been thinking each time this subject comes up has been said.

Bravo Keets

pennyannie · May 4, 2010 5:09AM

Do you believe everthing you read.....

My home address is

Posting this info is no big deal, if you really want to find out credit card number and such it is not that complicated. As far as RYK neighbors knowing what i have in my house to steal if might be a long drive.

Knowing what someone has and stealing it are 2 different things

If you have kids and neighbors, recieve telephone calls, buy things on the net, recieve mail, recieve ups shipments, have dish network or the like, have lawn care, order a pizza, have a repair person to fix something. People already know what you got.

Keets- You post enough on these forums that a would be crook is going to assume you got plenty at home anyway wether you have anything or not.

I am not going to live in fear of being ripped off. I have been robbed in the past in a different house. It is basicly just blind luck if you get ripped off. Some on here go as far as locking anything worth more than a quarter into a bank SDB and enjoy their coins through pics they have taken. What ever floats your boat and makes you feel the most comfortable, go for it.

I actually feel real safe where i am at. They will have a hard time sneaking up to the house the way it is laid out on my acreage. I suppose they could parachute in though

I have sensors in the driveway but not in the air. But now they know not to come down the driveway but beside it after they cut the fence. Of course they still have to make it thru the tank overflow since they at not driving on the driveway......

In the small town that i live in i am surrounded buy small gated communities where there are between 10 to 30 houses in each one with most having between 1 and 20 acres of land for each house. I got the codes as they were being built. I do think it is funny that they go to this extreme and then all the kids that deliver pizza or have friends over know the gate combos. If i want to drive into one that i do not have the combo for i just ring any house and tell the person who answers my name is so and so and i think one of my cows has gotten in to their subdivision. I have never been turned down to get in.

MsMorrisine · May 4, 2010 5:22AM

vicious cattle.

now that's real paranoia....

kurtdog · May 4, 2010 9:42AM

The only thing I have in my house worth stealing is my very extremely gorgeous and lovely young wife.

PS: There, Dear, are you happy, now...did I say the right thing?

yellowkid · May 4, 2010 9:49AM

I sleep well when these guys give me some room on the bed. The coins are kept in the bank!

ricko · May 4, 2010 10:07PM

Just looked at some of my gold coins.... did not have to go to the bank, they are conveniently at hand. As they have always been. Although I have never had to do it... I just have to ask, is looking at a picture as satisfying as holding the coin in your hand (OMG - slabbed or with gloves of course)? Those memories of the coins in SDB's - I guess that is the same as looking at your checkbook - except you can write a check and get something - in real time. Oh well, to each his own.... Cheers, RickO

Broadstruck · May 4, 2010 11:58PM

I was in 2 building supply stores yesterday and took a spin through their door lock set departments. This Masterlock dual security bar was the only item aftermarket additonal security product they sell. It's fully testable in the packaging and I ventured over to the Door samples to try it. It failed as it slides along the floor with the door when opened.

gecko109 · May 4, 2010 11:59PM

<< Just looked at some of my gold coins.... did not have to go to the bank, they are conveniently at hand. As they have always been. Although I have never had to do it... I just have to ask, is looking at a picture as satisfying as holding the coin in your hand (OMG - slabbed or with gloves of course)? Those memories of the coins in SDB's - I guess that is the same as looking at your checkbook - except you can write a check and get something - in real time. Oh well, to each his own.... Cheers, RickO >>

And let us not forget the SDB lockdown instituted by FDR. You could not access a SDB without the presence of a U.S. treasury officer....thats a fact! History OFTEN repeats itself. And something like what I just talked about is usually preceeded with the words "for the good of the country", "strategic metals", and other dazzlers.

gecko109 · May 5, 2010 12:03AM

<< I was in 2 building supply stores yesterday and took a spin through their door lock set departments. This Masterlock dual security bar was the only item aftermarket additonal security product they sell. It's fully testable in the packaging and I ventured over to the Door samples to try it. It failed as it slides along the floor with the door when opened. >>

Those look neat for my sliding windows. Instead of just "jimmying" a couple locks, any would be burglar would now need to actually break glass to gain entry. Typically, thieves do not enjoy making such a raucus, especially when houses are spaced about 7 feet apart from eachother where I live.

Edited to add: Its also a nice feeling to know that if you take the 3 houses to the immediate south of my house, and the 2 houses to the immediate north, you get a combined 3 Chicago police officers. My neighborhood is jammed packed full of city workers, with a large % being cops and firemen.

ziggy29 · May 5, 2010 12:04AM

My coins are insured, including what little I keep at home. And if someone is going to specifically target me, I'd rather they "lock bump" while we're not home than make that very hard and cause them to engage in an armed home invasion while we are home. It's just stuff, it's more or less replaceable and it's insured. We have some additional security measures I won't disclose, but in general I'm all for reducing the crimes of "opportunity" but if I'm a specific target, much better to break in when we're not home than when we are.

gecko109 · May 5, 2010 12:07AM

<< My coins are insured, including what little I keep at home. And if someone is going to specifically target me, I'd rather they "lock bump" while we're not home than make that very hard and cause them to engage in an armed home invasion while we are home. It's just stuff, it's more or less replaceable and it's insured. We have some additional security measures I won't disclose, but in general I'm all for reducing the crimes of "opportunity" but if I'm a specific target, much better to break in when we're not home than when we are. >>

Ziggy, you and I fully agree on this part! Im worried about the lock bump at 3am while me, my wife, and my 3 yr old are sound asleep. Perhaps a couple of well placed battery powered motion detectors are in order.

ziggy29 · May 5, 2010 12:11AM

<< Ziggy, you and I fully agree on this part! Im worried about the lock bump at 3am while me, my wife, and my 3 yr old are sound asleep. Perhaps a couple of well placed battery powered motion detectors are in order. >>

We also have a dog that barks at anything and everything that goes bump in the night. So if someone were prowling around outside, we wouldn't be sound asleep through it. She wakes us up barking even when there's just a cat on the front porch.

yellowkid · May 5, 2010 12:35AM

<< Just looked at some of my gold coins.... did not have to go to the bank, they are conveniently at hand. As they have always been. Although I have never had to do it... I just have to ask, is looking at a picture as satisfying as holding the coin in your hand (OMG - slabbed or with gloves of course)? Those memories of the coins in SDB's - I guess that is the same as looking at your checkbook - except you can write a check and get something - in real time. Oh well, to each his own.... Cheers, RickO >>

Ricko when the worth of my collection hit 6 figures I decided it was time to do something with them, we are away a lot and I didn't need the aggravation or worry. I found that I was looking at the pictures of my coins as often as the coins themselves, why not move the bulk of them to the SDB ten minutes away from here? I'm pretty much retired so finding time to go to the bank is no problem, in fact I am headed there now!

dsessom · May 5, 2010 1:07AM

Aside from the house alarm, my dog, and firearms, I just installed this nifty DVR with 4 (upgradable to 8) motion-activated night vision CCD cameras in my house. The DVR connects to my Internet router in the attic and I can view any of the 4 cameras on my cellphone at any time. The whole setup cost $350 at Newegg.com! I highly recomment it to anyone, especially if you have an iPhone or any phone that can access the Internet. You can monitor your house from anywhere in the world. Best $350 I ever spent!
Plus I can see when my 19 year old son comes home when I'm not there, and is cleaning out my cupboards and buying Pay-per-view...

Linky:Night Owl H.264 Internet & 3G Phone Accessible 4 channel DVR w/ 4 Night Vision Cameras & 500GB HD

renomedphys · May 5, 2010 1:30AM

According to several reports from insurance companies, having a dog or two in your home is just as effective a deterrent as an alarm system.

I agree, it's not so much what they could steal, but who could be harmed in the process. My coins very rarely visit my house, and almost never do they all come home, but I would gladly give them all up to anyone holding a gun to my or anyone in my family's head.

As for the usual chaff, junk like computers and TVs and junk jewelry, any robbers would likely be doing us a favor to take as much as they can carry. I'm a cheap ba$tard when it comes to luxury items, and for the most part, it's stuff I'd probably enjoy living without anyway.

notwilight · May 5, 2010 2:43AM

I found out after I bought my home on a cul de sac that crime rates are much lower when the bad guys only have one way out. The don't seem to like the idea of dead end streets. I still am prepared to protect my family. The bad guys may not know I have an SDB.

ProofCents · May 5, 2010 4:36AM

The best way to protect coins in your home is to not let anyone know you collect coins

notwilight · May 5, 2010 4:45AM

<< The best way to protect coins in your home is to not let anyone know you collect coins >>

...or anything of value. Let the paint peel and the weeds grow in the front yard. Allow defunct cars and washing machines to accumulate there. Hire a pair of toothless hillbillies to sit on the front porch in rocking chairs. Drive an old truck with lots of dents, rust, and a wooden cover on the back; the bed so full of permanently resting junk that you can't even go to the grocery store without hauling the groceries home in the kids laps.

--jerry

doh · May 5, 2010 4:52AM

There's nothing like a big ol' cup of paranoia in the morning, huh?

pennyannie · May 5, 2010 4:59AM

<< 

<< Just looked at some of my gold coins.... did not have to go to the bank, they are conveniently at hand. As they have always been. Although I have never had to do it... I just have to ask, is looking at a picture as satisfying as holding the coin in your hand (OMG - slabbed or with gloves of course)? Those memories of the coins in SDB's - I guess that is the same as looking at your checkbook - except you can write a check and get something - in real time. Oh well, to each his own.... Cheers, RickO >>

Ricko when the worth of my collection hit 6 figures I decided it was time to do something with them, we are away a lot and I didn't need the aggravation or worry. I found that I was looking at the pictures of my coins as often as the coins themselves, why not move the bulk of them to the SDB ten minutes away from here? I'm pretty much retired so finding time to go to the bank is no problem, in fact I am headed there now!

>>

When my collection was well over 100k at home i did finally get a little paranoid. I had stuff hidden everywhere and i had some great places, some i even would forget about. I have a safe that weight probably close to 1000 pounds with coins but figure thieves would just let it tuble down the stairs so i always left the door of the safe open and empty when gone on vacation. So 2 years ago i sold 75 percent of my collection and re focused on a few different series and put the bullion in the bank. Insurance will cover what i have at the house. The only down time in my house is from 2:30 am to 5:am when my wife goes to work in her home office.

When i got paranoid about the amount of stuff i had at home i decided it was better to sell it down to a comfortable (for me ) level so i could enjoy it again.

My Elvis decanters are proudly on display at my office, who would stoop so low as to steal those?

pennyannie · May 5, 2010 5:04AM

I hope to build a new house sometime this year, my new office in this house is going to be a safe room. I have seen some cool ideas and plans for those.

The new house will not have 32 foot ceilings, 75 windows and 6 exterior doors like this one. I am tired of sending a large check to the electric company every month, i will let someone else send them the check.

ricko · May 5, 2010 5:06AM

"My Elvis decanters are proudly on display at my office, who would stoop so low as to steal those?"

MFAO... Good one... Cheers, RickO

PerryHall · May 5, 2010 5:11AM

<< "My Elvis decanters are proudly on display at my office, who would stoop so low as to steal those?"

MFAO... Good one... Cheers, RickO >>

Anyone caught stealing those could successfully plead insanity.

okracer · May 5, 2010 5:42AM

...might have been said, but for lock-bumping, having your alarm system on should provide at least a warning.....

Boom · May 5, 2010 6:33AM

Loud alarm systems that actually work ... bright motion activated lighting,

small stategically placed security cameras and pets with nasty dispositions

all work quite well however THE BEST idea is to NOT keep valuables at Home

to begin with but for those that insist - you might consider placing everything

in a huge, heavy (booby-trapped) safe, imbedded discretely out of sight.

JMHO - FWIW

For those of you who keep your collections in your home.....

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