Companies which deliver safes are well aware of the sensitivity of their merchandise. They do not show up in a box truck advertising their goods. To an outside observer it could be any sort of comparably sized furniture or appliance. Personally, I agree with Toughcoins- a safety deposit box is the way to go. I wouldn't trust a safe to be secured unless it was anchored to concrete.
I once knew a guy who covered his safe with the shell of an old washing machine. He even had a box of laundry detergent sitting on top of it.
That is an excellent idea. Years ago, my parents moved us all out of an apartment at 3am. Found out later, we owed 7 months back rent. This could work!
Thanks everyone for your input! It seems I left a thing or 2 out of my initial post that I should have mentioned. Executive Summary: My landlord knows, bank boxes aren't available where I live, the safe will go in a corner with 2 load bearing walls, and I'm definitely getting insurance apart from my renters' insurance. Bad phrasing on my part. I'm looking to find out what safes I can buy that get me a discount on Hugh Wood insurance premiums. The steps are concrete, and I'm going to make sure I get "white glove" delivery to avoid damage as much as possible. I'm far more concerned about the floor than the stairs, and this is a bit of a sticking point for me. Believe me, I have. There are very few bank branches around here (SF Bay area) that even have deposit boxes, and those that do have years long waiting lists. If anyone knows of any place in the East Bay that has boxes available and have Saturday hours, I would be glad to hear about it. This would definitely solve about 90% of my issues. If I were able to put only a small fraction of my collection in a secure, offsite location, since about 10% of my collection probably carries 50% of the value, it would be a huge help. My thoughts exactly. In fact, the place I have earmarked for the safe is at a corner of the building as a whole, so there will be 2 load bearing walls within inches of where the safe will go. If putting a 500 lb static load there would collapse the floor, it would probably collapse the entire building, and I don't think that's likely at all. I should have mentioned this in my initial post, I suppose. It is written into my lease that I am allowed to have objects weighing up to 500 lbs. As far as spreading the load, I have considered getting a steel plate or something to bolt to the bottom, both to make it harder for a thief to move and to spread the weight out a bit. Yeah, I'm aware of the tiering system they use. I don't really do shows just yet, so I'd probably start with either home only or home + box. Insuring via my renters' insurance is not an option for multiple reasons, cost among them. I'm essentially 100% settled on either Hugh Wood or Collectibles Insurance Co, and will probably go with Hugh Wood due to their association with the ANA.
I was thinking about getting one for my meager collection but then found an article stating that basically they're not insured...? https://www.cointalk.com/threads/safe-deposit-boxes-aren’t-safe-ny-times-article.343330/
They're not insured by the bank. You can get your own insurance to cover it. The main benefit of using a bank box is that it's a far more secure location than your home, unless you're very rich and can afford extensive security measures. Bank robbers also typically do not go after the contents of boxes, just cash. To guard against the bank accidentally emptying and liquidating your box, visiting it regularly and making sure the box rent is up to date is all that's really necessary. Make sure the staff at the bank know you by name and recognize your face.
Well...I emptied the top shelf and put that stuff “elsewhere”. I’m selling a few seldom, if ever used long guns and making a small little shelf unit in the empty space. Nothing drastic but I’ll be happy to have nearly all my coins in the safe. Ammo and other misc items are stored in separate steel lock boxes (Stack On) that are bolted to the floor in the back of a closet.
My renters insurance allows me to have separate coverage for coins (stamps, jewelry, etc) and firearms. I would imagine most homeowners polices have this option as well.
For one, I would be livid if I lived under an apartment with a 500 lb safe. That is quite literally putting the person below you in danger. The way floors are designed - especially in apartments - they aren’t meant to hold that much weight / sq foot. Same if you were going to put a large aquarium in, etc. Also older apartments had different building codes and what about termites, contractor shortcuts, etc that may have weekend the subfloor even more. That’s a very very bad idea bordering on dangerous.
I have a small safe in a closet that I use to keep some coins. Everything else is in two safe deposit boxes in our Credit Union which costs $14 a year for each box. I wanted a large box but was told there was a waiting list for them. My Credit Union is about 12 miles away, which is not a problem. I could get a larger box from the Credit Union in another town, but that would be about 20 miles. For our safe at home, I have the best security system you can have.... a German Shepherd (Baby) , a Pit Bull (Nikko), a Rottweiler (Samantha) mix ( I rescued her from my neighbor's dog pen at night because her 5 brothers would not let her eat. She was fed with an eyedropper.), Rockie (because he looks like a racoon.), an Australian Shepherd (Tag, because she followed all of the other dogs.) a rescue. No one gets in the yard with her there. Louis (a Chiweenie 16 years old), and two more Chiweenies we weren't expecting. The just turned 4 months. Anyway, they stay in the house if it's too cold or too hot. We have a few acres that is fenced in and our dogs patrol the house. Last summer, someone broke into the house when Baby and Nikko were asleep. They must have heard the noise and attacked whoever it was. All we know is that there was blood all over the house where my dogs caught up with the burglar. We reported it to the police and they called the hospital to see if there was any dog bite victims and they told them that there was 3 of them that just came in. I love our police and my dogs because they both nabbed the crooks, one seriously. Anyway, get a dog for protection. They are cheaper and a whole lot more fun.
Oh, I can get coverage through my renter's insurance. It's just that Hugh Wood costs so much less and is so much easier to deal with (based on what I've read). For example, with HW, you don't even have to have to have an inventory list for any pieces under a certain amount (IIRC, it's $2k?), and you get full market value for any loss. I've also heard their claims process is really straightforward.
Hugh Woods would insure a SDB. Check the 2nd page of "Insurance Coverage Required" they even insure transport/mailing. https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/11673893#Comment_11673893
you may want to call Hugh Wood to see if any specific safes get a discount. I normally stick with Amsec and Gardall, B and C rated. be careful of cheap "B rated" safes. you can peruse this place for your hearts desires to get a good idea of what is out there ... https://www.safeandvaultstore.com/ I've bought mine locally though, as they have a "fixed" delivery staff. they also sell guns and stuff ... and the truck has no indication of what they deliver and install. Also I was told but never checked, The installation of the safe to be covered by warranty has to be done by qualified installers (concrete fixing bolts). I had a jewelers safe at one time. But it was too heavy and would have crushed my rear brick and concrete porch and require fixtures to get to my basement. So I had to downgrade to B & C safes instead.
If you read the fine print about the exclusions in most HO policies, you'll find that they really aren't worth it for the high price you pay for the coverage. ~ Chris
I wonder if any of the Armored Car services like Wells Fargo or Loomis have security storage facilities. If there is such a shortage in a large metropolitan area like the SF Bay, you would think they would take advantage of it. ~ Chris
Not to my knowledge, and I have looked into the possibility. There is one non-bank facility I know of in the Bay Area that does this, but it's so far away as to not be a practical option for me.
As a Vet I use USAA which has insurance rates that I have yet to see any company even come remotely close to.
Read the fine print on the policy rider. If it is pretty much like the industry standard, the exclusions and restrictions will kill you. ~ Chris