Safes for Bullion

Had a few questions on Safes to store PM's.

1) What is your personal favorite safe?

2) Should it be a bolt down into the concrete?

3) What Items do you not want to put in the safe that could harm silver (make tarnish faster) with their chemical content?

4) Any other things I should know?

 

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There are lots a safes commercially available, many perform the same so it difficult to declare a favorite.

Always secure the safe to the floor. Use proper concrete anchors when securing to a slab. Be mindful of cables when trying to drill into post tension slabs. it is important to identify cable locations before driller to avoid damaging or cutting one of the cables. Securing a safe over a wood subfloor is more complicated, especially with fire rated safes that can weigh a couple 1,000lbs.

If you are only putting bullion in your safe, you should be fine. Avoid putting guns in the safe as the cleaning solvents are not friendly. If you have guns, get a separate gun safe. If you are getting a fire rated safe, the doors are typically sealed and moisture can get trapped inside. Dehumidifying equipment or chemicals might be a good idea for safes that have sealed doors and/or if you live in a particularly humid climate.

Dont cheap out on a safe. Ones that are worth buying can be expensive. The safe is just as much an investment as the gold and silver in it. Asses what you are protecting and the space you might need in the future. You don't want to spend $1,500 on a safe that will be too small in a year.

If you are after a "real" safe, make sure you are getting a UL rated safe. UL has three levels, RSC, TL-15, or TL-30. UL tests require that it take a minimum of 5, 15, and 30 minutes respectively for professionals to force the safe open. These times are measured with tools in physical contact with the safe. Actual time is longer because resting, tool swapping, repositioning etc are not counted in the time. A typical smash and grab burger would probably take significantly longer.

A monitored alarm system is pretty much required if you are after a complete security solution. No safe is going to protect your stuff if the burglar has an extended amount of time with it. An alarm system limits their time in your home and forced them to move quickly. Trying to get into a good safe would take too long before security or the police show up.

Location location location. A safe should be anchored in a concealed space that is not a common place for a burglars to look for valuables. The latch side of the door should be placed up against a wall if possible to limit leverage on the door with a pry bar.

 

1. I don't discuss my security setup in public. Neither should you.

2. If a safe can be hauled in by a couple of people with some basic gear, it can be hauled out the same way. IMO, you need a pretty good reason not to secure your safe, but such reasons do exist. For example, in quite a few rural and suburban areas, flooding is more of a risk than fire or theft, so it may be desirable to have the safe on an upper floor.

3. Pretty much anything that can out gas can be problematic. That includes many printed documents, soft plastics, and pretty much anything related to firearms.

4. Be sure you know what you are trying to protect against and what you are buying. For example, if you're only storing precious metals, you may not need as much fire protection as for other purposes. Many of the "safes" sold in retail outlets are sufficient to convince "smash and grab" artists to look elsewhere, but for more serious opposition only serve to say "good stuff here." Give some thought to the type of lock you want -- Electronic Keypads, Mechanical dials, Biometrics and even keys each have their advantages and disadvantages.

Finally, don't take security advice from random internet posters. You should assume I am a random internet poster.

 

Speedbump, your response is right on target. Very nice reply. Another suggestion is if married or have a significant other, get them their own safe or you will not have any space once they put their valuables I it.

 

Buy a big one it will fill up pretty face basically you are paying for dead air space inside the safe. So don't be afraid to buy a big one. I went with a walmart sentry dial special and another card swipe safe.

Guess what both are full now but not all bullions my handgun in in one along with papers comic books.

 

Not many think about this. Great post.

 

1) What is your personal favorite safe? - the one nobody can open or move.

2) Should it be a bolt down into the concrete? YES, YES and YES!!!!!!!!!!!

3) What Items do you not want to put in the safe that could harm silver (make tarnish faster) with their chemical content? Anything - including moisture. Get a desiccant.

4) Any other things I should know? Yes, lots. Do your research - and don't buy a bargain brand safe.

See previous thread. Watch video - lots to learn.

Then go talk to an expert at your local security store. Be sure to research their reputation. You don't want a fly-by-night company installing it - or they will have staff that knows how to uninstall it - without your consent.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I know security set ups are really private. I'm worried about chemical gases that will tarnish Rounds and .999 coins. Does card board, plastic airtites and tubes that carry the Rounds and coins have an effect? I have silica packets in there. Most of which came from a pharmacy and a big one came with the safe.

 

Avoid soft plastics, PVC, rubber, and acidic paper products. Modern plastic products sold specifically for coin storage should be fine. I believe air tites are made from acrylic.

 

One other thing to think about security wise is home surveillance. Camera systems are so reasonable now, can alert you on your phone directly and can be viewed by you from your phone in real time. This way if you receive an alert and see your house is being broken into on your cameras you can call your local PD's dispatch to let them know it's actually a burglary in progress. This will expedite their response greatly and they will respond lights and sirens. 98 percent of alarms are false alarms and officers do not rush to most alarms because of this. People accidentally set them off all the time, they malfunction, animals set them off, storms do, power issues and many more things. Another important thing is not speaking about what you have. People talk too much and this usually leads to break ins and thefts. The person who mentioned employing a reputable company to install hit the nail on the head as well. You don't want employees coming back to break into your house. You also don't want employees tipping off those that do those things in exchange for money or drugs.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Kids-Safe-Ba...343809&sr=8-1&keywords=kid's+safe+combination

 

Is it soundproofed? Because a "kids safe" really doesn't do much good if you can still hear them yelling once they're inside.

 

That safe is only big enough for like aborted fetuses anyway. They're not fully human yet, so they couldn't yell anyway.

 

Yes, make sure it's big enough to put all your stuff in it and room for more.

Mine isn't bolted down but it's kinda heavy & bulky.
here's a pic of mine in my study.


okay, mine is a bit smaller .. but not by much

 

John Ford had an actual bank vault in his residence.

 

I would think there are some new improvements and options, especially tied to smartphone technology and the internet ? You know, if someone doesn't enter a code from a smarpthone or something.

I have a simple Nest Camera which lets me check in on my dog and that can be upgraded to a security camera.

 

We all have different needs when it comes to security. I'm a big fan of having several layers that fit my situation.
The first thing to figure is the response time for the local law to get there. You have to slow down the bad guys long enough for the law to show up. You can't stop someone from kicking in a door and is out in 5 minutes.
There is some new stuff out there that sounds really cool. You join forces with your neighbors. You all get notice of a problem.

 

Got a few REALLY valuable coins that you want separate from the rest?

It's not that outlandish to suggest hiding them in obscure loations. Bottom of a box of K-Cup coffee...DVD or Blu-Ray case...."junk" box in a closet full of stuff....one of the smaller clothing drawers....any place that you would NORMALLY not look to find something of value.

Can't do this with dozens of items unless you have a really big house and want to itemize all the hiding spots...but for 1 or 2 or 3 small items (like a slabbed coin), it's cheap and effective.

 

I Use large Remington and Browning "gun safes" with mechanical (no electronics) combination entry/bolt systems. Special stainless steel shelving has been designed/fabricated/installed which will allow adequate support for 50mm ammunition cans which I've found optimum for coin storage with desiccant pouches in the cans.

The shelves could be made of wood, if you understand how to develop the maximum cross sectional moment of inertia, maximum allowable bending moments exceeded for the appreciable loads (~90#/can).

I've helped others to install the heavy enclosures in structures which an opening normally can't be found, after assuring floor loads aren't exceeded. Basement installations on an exterior wall are normal. Premier installations were installing the "four hardened bolt" safes into reinforced concrete surrounds, so only the front face is shown if they can penetrate the labyrinthian enclosure.

Anchors are nice, but if a thief has a hand held grinder with a 1/16" thickness metal cutting disc, the safe can be accessed quickly, and the anchors can be removed.

I've a high-tech electronic security system which constantly causes problems that technicians can't solve, My best secure system is complete fencing, barbed wire, with patrol dogs. Police are ~1/2 hour away on a good day, if they so desire to respond. They state, NOT for conditions that don't involve human lives. Remember shootings where police stood outside while victims screamed. The ramifications of their firing a gun can be appreciable, including their demise.

JMHEO

 

As you advance in age, I believe you'll question the logic of this process, especially after having family members find and "relocate" your "treasures" to a place that can't be found/remembered?. If you live alone this process may work, but with family, "friends", we've experienced contrary conditions on several occasions. Even if you know who "relocated" your possessions, correction/punishment is extremely unlikely.

I love watching the creatures in my large wooded homestead (~2 city "blocks" area) search for their hidden treasures, including my "patrol dogs" who steal from each other to bury for future retrieval. LOL

JMHO