I got dog like this as well. Barks like crazy at anybody coming up to the porch. Biggest danger for the thief is either going deaf, or being licked to death.
I totally agree with you. I told him the same thing a few posts back. You have to think about down the road if you're going to get serious. In reality, having something is better than nothing. A pretty basic first line of defense will stop family members and people you know. It probably doesn't take much for that. Same goes for druggies looking for anything they can get their hands on to sell. They're not professionals, they have short attention spans and will get discouraged easily if you've done things right. You can make things very hard, frustrating and time consuming to a potential thief if you want to. Probably to the point where most would be discouraged. You have to want to do it though and take it seriously. Security isn't free. I've read that many robbers will NOT automatically be scared off by a large dog. I guess that's a myth. They will test the dog if they think nobody's home because more dogs are friendly than not. If you think about it, that's really true. If somebody has a violent dog at their house that attacks anybody that comes in, they'd have to be a hermit or get rid of the dog.
IMHO - More important than the quality of the safe, is how it's installed. Too many people buy a $1,000 safe and just plop it in a room or their closet. For it to be an effective deterrent, it needs to be bolted in place so burglars can't just lay it on its back and have at it with spud bars. Another good thing is to get to know your neighbors. My neighbors are better than any burglar alarm, because a burglar alarm won't call the cops when someone is peeking in the windows when we're not home. Yet another thing to consider when buying a safe, is how many other things will you store inside it? Sure, you only have $X worth of coins today, but if you had a good fireproof safe, wouldn't you also throw other things inside it that are valuable to you? Birth certificates, passports, vehicle titles, DD214's, guns, jewelry, watches, cash, computer backups, etc. My guns are worth a lot more than my coins, so I bought a good gun safe. But I also store my coins and many of the things mentioned above in it too.
Before you concern yourself with a safe have you done the following: 1) Do not tell anyone who does not need to know you have coins about your collection. Most thefts are from people you know. 2) Have a PO box where all coin related material is shipped, includes supplies/magazines/coins. The best security is prevention, if no one knows you have the collection or where you live it becomes much easier to secure the coins. Especially at your level, where dropping the required funds on a good safe seems cost prohibitive but you are unwilling to get a safe deposit box.
"A theif cannot break into something he doesn't know exists..." http://hiddenpassageway.com/#!/security/
I actually just got a new safe, a Stack On Elite 24 Gun safe. It was 1000 but there was a sale for 550 so not too bad. One half is gonna be for rifles and the other for pistols and coins. Also gonna bolt it to the flore and it weights 500 pounds. My collection may only be worth around 3,000 but its alot better than the $15 sentry safe security chest I had.
I have about two-thirds of my artwork-collectables insured. That's a good way to at least protect the value of what you own. The only problem with it is that you need to keep appraising the collection over time and that's a big problem when you're talkin hundreds of coins. A fire-resistant safe is another good idea. Just hide it well. Many theives aren't going to bother to check for false walls or try to pick a safe lock. Many times it's smash, grab and run. I agree that an alarm system is a good idea IF you can afford it. I can't
No way. If the body was really 1-1/4" solid steel, it would weigh far more than 830 lbs and cost about $5k. Maybe one 1/4" sheet. Theres better options in that price range.
That's about the best I could find in the price range. I mean they do make TL-15/30 safes for around $1200, but they are small and could be carried off. I don't have any way to bolt a safe down in my house, since there are tubes in the floor for heat.
That's something I wouldn't have thought about when considering building materials. Surely something is possible. Whether or not it's worth the effort, or the big nasty holes that will be left behind when you pull your safe out someday, I dunno...
Live in Legoland? I understand the in-floor heating. But Styrofoam blocks? You may be a little confused. Styrofoam is used as insulation, especially on foundation walls. Also, Styrofoam blocks are used as forms for poured concrete walls (insulation as well). In either case, there is solid material behind the Styrofoam. But we're not really talking about "your" house, are we? So why go to the trouble of installing a safe when you'll (probably) need to uninstall and move it when you get a place of your own. For the time being, why worry about a large, bolted-in safe? If you're looking for protection now, invest in a small fire-box like a sentry, and hide it under your bed or in a locked closet. This will give you some measure of protection from fire and theft. Like others have said, a determined thief will get it, no matter what you do. No need to be overly paranoid about it.
The problem with that is not the $ value of my collection, but the how hard it would be to replace. My coin collection has a low dollar value, but there are some coins in there, that I will never be able to replace, like ones I found metal detecting. Although they might not mean much to you, they mean quite a bit to me. This is a MESA safe I have been looking at. http://www.cudakitchen.com/catalog-product.php?p_ref=12734 831 lbs empty. While it may not be heavily secure, it would take a **** of a crew to cart it off. To get something "more secure", would cost about $2,300 in the size.
Honestly, you just have to realize you take chances in life. I have irreplaceable photos of my kids. I go probably way further and beyond than most people do. I have copies of every single photo and video all across the internet. But of course you can't do that with coins. Sentimental value goes a long way but you do what you can without breaking the bank to protect them. Don't be overly paranoid about losing or getting them stolen though. Start off with something reasonable, upgrade when necessary. Calculate the actual odds of your collection getting lost or stolen, it might make you feel better starting off with a smaller safe to protect mostly from fire or damage of some type. If you constantly worry about what you might lose, it takes all the fun and enjoyment of your collection.
Not trying to brag but I just dropped over $3k on one. I told the wife it might not be the last one I get either. Some here have probably bought better ones than mine. Its not unheard of. At some point you just need to bite the bullet and get it over with. Not much different than buying an engagement ring. Sometimes Im glad Im not a youngster anymore. Lol
I have about $15,000 in my collection at the present time. I have already described how it's secured. There is some sentimental value in it, as some of it came to us when my mother-in-law passed away a few years ago (it's what started me collecting). I have lost some stuff (not much, by a family member), hence the reason it is secured more so now than in the past. Like I said, it's more to keep the honest people honest. And I don't live with my parents. High sentimental value does not equal high monetary value. Most theives target the high dollar. Somebody looking to make a quick buck (for drugs, for example) won't take the time to do a thorough search for all the valuables, just what they can easily and quickly grab. I think you're putting more thought into this than you really need to. My previous suggestion should do you just fine for the present time. Use the $1300 to add to your collection or use for your education.
Yet another thing to consider. I think many of us appreciate things of beauty that come from generations past. Keep an eye on craigslist for vintage safes. Some of them are very well built and will offer a very high level of security for their price. If I had more room in my house, I'd have jumped on a few deals I've seen come on on craigslist. One of them was a 2000+ lb 1950's era beauty that someone was essentially giving away as long as you carried it out and hauled it away. (I think they were asking $200)
He's already dismissed that: Besides, he's looking to survive December 21 with his collection intact:
