Gun safe storage & dehumidification

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Bluemoon, Feb 19, 2018.

  1. Bluemoon

    Bluemoon New Member

    First time poster here. I have been collecting (or hoarding) proofs and UC mint sets for many years along with inherited collections from my father. I keep the collection in a small 5 cubic ft safe that is now at capacity. I am looking to upgrade my storage and have been shopping some gun safes. Any advice on brands and dehumidifiers would be welcome. I am not really interested in a "TL" rated jewelers safe due to financial constraints.
     
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  3. cpm9ball

    cpm9ball CANNOT RE-MEMBER

    Welcome to the neighborhood @Bluemoon !

    If you're considering a gun safe, just make sure that it has never been used to store guns or gun cleaning supplies. Coins don't fare well with the molecules of lubricants and chemicals associated with guns.

    Chris
     
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  4. kanga

    kanga 65 Year Collector

    Agreed.
    And silica gel is plenty good enough for humidity control.
     
  5. ldhair

    ldhair Clean Supporter

    I used a gun safe for almost 30 years and had no problems. As Chris said, don't mix coins and guns. As kanga said, silica gel will do the job but the safe needs to be inside your home where the heat and air system will keep humidity and temperature under control. When I bought my safe, I removed all the carpet inside. It worked really well for me.
     
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  6. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    Oh No!!! I do have fire arms and coins in the same safe. Have some pricey coins in there too. Just being in the same safe with cleaned fire arms will damage the pieces?
     
  7. wxcoin

    wxcoin Getting no respect since I was a baby

    I guess it depends on how much residue is on the guns. My guess is that sulphur would be the worse.
     
  8. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Just think about it for a few minutes - what do you clean those guns with ? You use a solvent that will dissolve copper - and pretty much every coin there is has some copper in it. You also use oils, greases on those guns. And all of these things put off gasses from those solvents, oils, greases, as well as the carpets, liners, glues, plastics, within the safes putting of gasses - every single one of which is harmful to coins. And all of these harmful gasses are trapped in an enclosed chamber - with your coins.

    Does anything else need to be said ?
     
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  9. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    Nope... Sure doesn't..... Thanks for the boot in the backside. Man, this could have been a true disaster!
     
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  10. Bman33

    Bman33 Well-Known Member

    Ziploc bags not good in safe?
     
  11. desertgem

    desertgem Senior Errer Collecktor

    If the best case scenario is that coins and gun stuff has to share the same safe, Doubled zip locks will provide protection, However ask the bank for some new bright copper- zinc lincolns and rough up their surface and put them between ziplock bag 1 ( your good coins) ziplock bag 2 ( outer one). When the roughed up lincolns start to discolor, gases have penetrated into bag 2, but not yet bag 1, so replace bag #2 and the zincolns and go again. The zincolns are sacrificial being 100% copper clad, will be attacked stronger and easier to see there is exposure possible. this works with a bank safety deposit box also. Jim
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2018
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  12. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Good for what ? Do ziplocks help reduce the airflow that can get to coins ? Yes they do, but - plastic is air permeable - so no matter what you put in the ziplocks air still goes right through the plastic - in both directions, meaning into and out of.

    So if you will ziplocks stop bad stuff from getting to your coins ? No they will not. They will help slow it down from getting to them but they will not stop it.

    Now it's pretty easy to test this for yourself right at home. Take anything that has a strong scent, a slice of onion maybe, Oreo cookies, virtually anything with a strong scent will work. Put it in the ziplock, lay it down overnight. The next day pick up the ziplock, do not open it, and smell it from the outside. You will be able to smell whatever is in the ziplock - thus proving that they are air permeable. If they were not air permeable you would not be able to smell anything at all. But you will, I guarantee it.
     
  13. Bman33

    Bman33 Well-Known Member

    I put coins in a ziploc with a small silica pack and an anti- sulphur strip. I have the silica packs that are blue then turn pink when they dry out. They will stay blue much longer with the ziploc bags than without. I know I have to change the packs and sulphur strips from time to time.
     
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  14. Clawcoins

    Clawcoins Damaging Coins Daily

    What is your budget?
    and how much total space do you think you need?
    how burglar proof do you want it (to keep the kids out of, or really burglar proof?)

    FYI, a cheap $900 gun safe from a sporting good store isn't going to stop a burglar but only for a few minutes using a screwdriver and crowbar. Versus a nicer gun safe at the $1800 price. Or even better at the $3,000, or $4,000 or more ??

    I was at a sporting good store the other day. Looked at the $900 model. The door was a thin piece of metal with nothing behind it. I was pushing it in and the lock/handle was getting loose from it. I could get into that safe with a circular saw in no time.
     
  15. wxcoin

    wxcoin Getting no respect since I was a baby

    I've never been impressed with sporting goods store safes. IMO they are designed for guns and to keep the kids out of. The best safe for the money I've bought was at a Menards store. It was fire rated and heavy enough that it would take some work to take it out of the house when full. Most people would probably rather spend most of their coin budget on coins, rather than on an expensive safe. Most burglars won't want to spend a lot of time trying to open a safe. Ones that do will probably be resourceful enough to break into just about any safe. A safe that is big and heavy enough won't be easy to grab and run with.
     
  16. Clawcoins

    Clawcoins Damaging Coins Daily

    Yes, thus my third line .. "how burglar proof do you want it (to keep the kids out of, or really burglar proof?)"

    which was in reference to the OPs statement about a TL safe. So OP already knows a bit about safes.
     
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  17. calcol

    calcol Supporter! Supporter

    Burglars with even limited experience will be able to open fire safes and cheaper gun safes quickly. Experienced safe crackers will be into almost any gun safe quickly. You can probably depend on these safes to keep out beginning burglars, kids, and opportunists like repairmen, house cleaners, guests, etc. Finally, if a robber puts a gun to your head, you will open any safe. For security for really valuable coins, it’s hard to beat a safe deposit box in a FDIC-insured bank. No, the FDIC doesn’t cover safe deposit boxes. However, FDIC and the Fed have minimal security requirements for member banks unlike safe-deposit-box-only “banks”. In addition, a full service bank keeps its records and cash in the vault after hours, so has an extra incentive for security.

    Cal
     
  18. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    It was an experience with a home renovator that prompted my safe purchase. All my coins were in the top of my closet. Fellow had been renovating my bathroom. Got home one night and a buffalo nickel was on my bedroom floor. And I am wayyy too OCD to leave a coin on the floor. Upon inventory the fellow's helper had taken a faux gold coin. Funny with all the high priced stuff I had up there all he took was a phony. Confronted the builder the next day. His man owned up and returned the piece (I never told him that he had taken a fake).
     
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  19. jafo50

    jafo50 Active Member

    You are lucky that you found the buffalo on the floor or you might never have noticed anything missing for a very long time. Also surprised the worker fessed up. Makes me think the contractor knew about the theft prior to you confronting him.
     
  20. RickO

    RickO Active Member

    I have been storing coins ammo and guns in a large safe for over 35 years and have no problems. I do keep the safe in the house and I do keep desiccant in the safe. There is zero tarnish or issues with the coins. Oh yeah, the interior is carpeted as well. There is a lot of myths around this subject, and I am dispelling this one. Yes, silver, gold and copper coins... NO issues.
     
  21. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    Could you help me get in touch with somebody that can help me fix my account? I apologize for asking this in the middle of a thread. I don’t have the ability to create a thread or a PM.
     
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