Time to buy a safe

I too, have the second floor apartment "challenge." I've recently outgrown my Sentry safe which was around 100 pounds empty. I hired two movers to haul this safe from my driveway to my loft. As I have family member in recovery from a drug problem, I've decided to move my precious metal stack and full coin collection to a secret storage locker. I invested in a really great smart-key lock for the storage locker. My next move is to buy a fire-rated gun safe and have it delivered to the storage locker. At some point in the future, if I am able to buy/rent a home with a secure basement or strong first floor, I may move the large safe there and bolt it to floor/wall as an added level of security.

 

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I'm wary of the "storage locker" solution because of the relative lack of security and the need for climate control. Those climate controlled units get expensive really fast.

 

Don't trust a bank safe deposit box. Research the gold confiscation and the bank holiday of 1933. When the SHTF, you're not getting into your bank safe deposit box. A gun safe is your best bet. If you have bullion, it will be too heavy to move. You should have a gun/ammo along with your coins/bullion.

 

Thanks for your advice, but I refuse to own a gun, and gun safes are too flimsy to bother with for the most part. As for confiscation, etc., that's just paranoia.

 

Sorry but insurance companies get way too much of my money now. I can only imagine what a person would have to go through to try to get the full value for their collection from most insurance companies.

 

The bigger the safe, the more dead bodies...

 

Guns and ammo should not share a safe with any coins worth more than a few dollars. Oils, cleaning solvents,primer outgassing, etc. Keep the coins in the safe and the gun under your pillow.

 

I'm in my late 50s, and I've been in my house for about 25 years.

Bank holidays during that time: 0

Break-ins during that time: 2

Break-ins while anyone was home to use a gun: 0

I'm not interested in patrolling my house 24/7, and I'm not arranging my entire life around a desperate wish for society to collapse. Safe deposit boxes are fine, thank you very much.

 

My wife and I are currently building a safe room (lots of tornadoes coming through lately). She got a good deal from the builder on a safe, and I'm debating whether or not to bring my collection home from the safe deposit boxes it's been in for about 50 years. The problem is my wife has told several people about the room and the safe and that bothers me. What do y'all think?

 

Well, if someone starts carving on you with a knife, you'll have to decide whether you'd rather open the safe for them or lose some pieces.

If it's a SDB, they'd probably start carving on your wife instead, so you aren't bleeding when you go to the bank. Of course, they might do that for the safe as well.

 

After living in Oklahoma for the last 20 years before retirement I moved to my safe room in Wisconsin. As long as I don't hang a beer sign by my driveway my home should be safe.

 

OK, not sure the size of your collection but, some responses given are very correct as to being cautious including the fact you live in an apt. and moving a safe in would bring unwanted attention. I would request you evaluate the size of your collection as to the amount of space required to keep them secured and, how much is your collection worth. If a safe deposit box is sufficient, you can find them for approx. $20 month, $240 annually. If you plan to possibly purchase a home in the future, a few years rent is a small amount for the security and safe keeping without drawing attention to you. Then, when you do get a home, you can safe keep yourself. Good luck.

 

Or during the workday when most people are at work. I presume the safe can be moved in a box and arrives in a truck that doesn't say SAFES or SECURITY.

 

I'm in the exact same situation as you -- I live on the 2nd floor, and of a building which is approaching 50 years old (so no idea of the structural strength of the floor and where the girders or beams are).

I do have Chubb insurance and I paid hefty premiums all these years for the time when my collection would be (somewhat) valuable and I'd be grandfathered for insurance purposes...but I haven't had to provide definitive proof of my coins.

Chubb guy basically said I was covered for a certain amount without proof or something to that effect -- $50,000 or $150,000, etc. I guess maybe they feel someone is not likely to commit insurance fraud by claiming lost items that they never owned or lying about a false robbery in the first place for that amount of $$$$ -- they are more concerned with $500,000 and up or maybe millions-and-up. Not sure, really...probably should give the guy a call soon.

"Uh hi Joe, this is Goldfinger1969.....I wuz robbed....some American Eagle bullion coins....some silver bars..... a 1927-D Saint....my 1804 Bust Dollar in mint condition....a 1933 Double Eagle I found at an estate sale....."

 

Is it just for coins or does it include basic homeowners too ?

Was Hugh Wood (person ? company ?) at FUN ?

I remember some actuarial/insurance firm that was involved in insurance was at FUN -- out of Chicago or Boston or something.

 

You just need a couple of strong guys. My uncle got a gun safe many years ago and we had to take it up to his 2nd fllor which was like 16-18 steps up (my 2nd floor apartment is closer to 8-10). I'd say it was like 300 pounds and it was VERY TOUGH and quite frankly a bit dangerous since none of us weighted more than 175 pounds or so.

You hire professional movers of heavy stuff, big strong guys.....makes a difference if they weight 250 pounds and work out vs. 175 pounds.

 

WHAAAT ???????

 

if you search around you can find many articles of safes being stolen out of a house.
Sometimes, it's too heavy and they abandon it, or bury it for later .. .etc etc.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/staten-island-man-discovers-rusty-metal-box-21000/story?id=55174008

 

Since when do crooks work? They spend their entire life trying to think of ways to avoid work. ~ Chris