This link was posted a good while back in a similar thread, and I have gotten good use out of it: http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=218213 I bet you read most of the pages in that thread(I did when I got ahold of the link).
Buy one of those useless little fire safes used at a yard sale, put a few pounds of magazines and some loose change in it . . . then stick that decoy under your bed. When they find that, they'll probably drop everything else and scoot, thinking they got the best of what you have. Your coins really should be in the SDB . . . just because you like looking at them is not a good reason to risk losing them. You can shoot photos, and look at them whenever you feel like it. Some of you may remember my serious loss several years ago. Do yourselves a favor and heed the voice of experience.
Indeed! I began implementing this security method and have rearranged my back yard accordingly.... Just try and find 'em!
My friend keeps his in an old beat-up floor standing speaker. He put a door on the back, put it against the wall, and stacked a bunch of crap around it. Not my style but seems effective. You don't need to spend huge sums of money for a good safe - I see used GSA safes for sale all the time in the $200 to $400 range - usually Mosler brand. If they're good enough for secret material they're probably pretty decent. And they weigh a TON. We had one S&G lock drilled at work a few years ago on a Mosler safe that had been sitting forever (turned out to be empty). The locksmith was on contract (for drilling GSA safes) and knew where to position the drill in advance. He had the set-up like you'd see in a bank robber movie - it still took a couple of hours to get the safe open. And that big-ass drill was LOUD.
Any size or weight safe can be bolted to the floor or wall. Predrill through the appropriate side of the safe, matched with corresponding predrilled holes in studs/floorboards. Use two to four 3" lag screws and she'll slow down anyone considerably.
While your suggestion would definitely slow down anyone wanting to make off with a safe, drilling through the wall of most any safe intended to house coins is inadvisable. Why? . . . Because adding clearance holes in the safe promotes more rapid absorption of humidity from the surrounding environment. It could become very difficult to combat moisture problems in the safe, particularly if it has insulated walls, and the insulation absorbs water. If the contents are strictly bullion, and not numismatic in nature, this may be a moot point, however, many serious collectors started out as bullion investors, and eventually caught collecting fever. It would be a shame to see great coins someday suffer the fate of a short-sighted safe installation. - Mike
Good point. Mine is in a climate controlled area so I tend to not think about it as someone just setting up would have to. I should also add that doing this to a fire safe would negate protection in a fire. I just thought that would go without saying, but there ya go.
Invest in a good security system so you don't have to worry about hiding valuables in your own home. It'll pay for itself in peace of mind if nothing else.
Lol you guys are funny, I think I might get one of them Old tube TV's Gut it out and use that as a safe. Who the hell would steal one of them, they weigh more then a safe..
Get a real solid wood front door. Then hollow out part of that and have a hidden area, accessible from the side opposite the door hardware (when the door is open). You can pull out your coins whenever you want and NO-ONE will be looking at the front door to find your coins.
So.. you would be standing on your front porch with the door open to get access to the coins, in eyesight of anyone who may care? I like the hiding spot, but maybe we should go with the back door.
Nuglet.... but people are more likely to bust in a back door than a front door.... Right????? But.... perhaps you can disguise it by bringing some paint and tools out. People who are passing by will just think you are sprucing things up.