Suggestions for a fireproof home safe?

[flintseeker]

Hello, forgive me in advance if this question has been asked before...

Much to my surprise, my artifact collection has been growing at an alarming rate. I'm getting nervous putting so many "nicer" points up on the wall in display cases, for fear of some random crook walks by, stakes it out, then steals them (If you look in my front house window, you can see the displays hung on my back wall).

So, to the collectors out there, is there a fireproof safe you'd recommend? I'd like it to be drilled into my concrete basement floor and allow enough space for riker case storage. Heck, I'd even consider a safe large enough to accept multiple (stacked) wooden display cases...

Let me know your thoughts on brands, pricing, etc. I don't want them to sit miles away in a safety deposit box at a bank, but would like them accessible to show friends and store securely when not being seen.

Please share your thoughts...

Thanks!

Shane

[drdave514]

Gun safes are probably going to fit your needs in size, shape, fire resistance and price.

[Cap]

Originally Posted by drdave514

Gun safes are probably going to fit your needs in size, shape, fire resistance and price.

Yep, that would probably be the best way to go. If they were fire resistant it would be labeled on them(some are and some arent). The large ones are safer and it would pretty much take a cutting torch to open it. But some rocks probably wouldn't be hurt by fire I guess, but I would get a fire-proof one anyways.

Once, in NC(mystery hill or something) there was a building with a lot of artifacts in it on display to the public that I went to.(I was like 6 or so and I remember spending most of the time looking at a little battle scene with indians in it... go figure) But I heard that once the building had caught fire with all the artifacts in it, but I guess they were cleaned because there was still a lot on display.

[drdave514]

Cap, fire can destroy artifacts. They will often "fire pop" and be ruined. Flint/chert has a minute amount of water in it that will expand and pop large pieces off.

[Cap]

really? can grooved axes be destroyed by fire?

[joshuaream]

Check out used safes, they can be surprisingly cheap if the business getting rid of them is facing paying to have them hauled away. It can take a while to find one the right size that actually works, but when you do it'll be worth the money. Watch an episode of Storage wars and you can see how long it takes a regular person to open a standard home safe if you don't care about actually keeping the safe. (About 10 seconds.)

Gun safes are easy and relatively cheap, but if the bad guys have a hand cart (floor dolly) they can move them and figure it out later. They are absolutely better than nothing, but the $150 ones from Walmart with a vending machine style round key aren't going to slow down a thief. Someone stole a decent gun safe from one of my moms neighbors, and it was bolted to the concrete floor. They just apparently grabbed it at the top and pulled it forward. With their body weight as leverage, the bolts pulled through the bottom like pulling a nail out of wood. (Bolts stayed in floor, sheet metal on the bottom just bent.)

I have a safety deposit box, but to be honest we make it there about once a year so the stuff in their doesn't get handled very often. It works for some items that have value but little interest (wills, original documents, old jewelry) but I don't like keeping my collection there. (I kind of feel like a weirdo going into a small room in a public building to play with my rocks.)

I prefer having a big, heavy safe at home, decent home owners insurance with a collectables rider, and a documented catalog of items with pictures (and copies of reciepts for purchased items.) Keep the original paperwork in the bank, and a copy in a folder or cd in another room just in case they do get the safe open.

[flintseeker]

Excellent advise, Joshua! I will definitely keep many of your tips in mind!

Thanks everyone else, as well!

Best regards,

Shane

[drdave514]

Josh, I think some of the big gun safes have bolt holes in the bottom. Hammer drilling into a concrete basement floor and using bolt anchors will hold them and not rip like those cheapo walmart jobbies, which have no fire resistance and are really only good for keeping guns away from kids. Bolting those is more to keep them from tipping over than being stolen, in my opinion.

I had all kinds of intentions of getting a safe template and having bolts put in my concrete basement when it was poured. Then I could slip it over. I guess I had too much other crap on my mind an never thought about it.

That's a good tip about keeping an eye out for a used safe. I'm going to do that.

Cap, I don't recall any hardstone artifacts with fire pops but I'd be surprised if there isn't a temp that would crack them.

[joshuaream]

Originally Posted by drdave514

Josh, I think some of the big gun safes have bolt holes in the bottom. Hammer drilling into a concrete basement floor and using bolt anchors will hold them and not rip like those cheapo walmart jobbies, which have no fire resistance and are really only good for keeping guns away from kids. Bolting those is more to keep them from tipping over than being stolen, in my opinion.

The issue is that the cheap ones probably include of what a lot of people think of as decent ones. No offense to China and Walmart, but being made in China and available at a discount store is fine for Christmas lights and toys but not for securing what can easily be tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of art. Again, a gun safe is better than nothing, but it's not the level of protection most people think they are.

[drdave514]

Agreed, I have one of the cheapy ones to keep little hands out. However, I've seen gun safes that rival small bank vaults.

90 minutes of protection at 2000 degrees..... that's what I'm talking about. Good marriage to a concrete floor. Totally adjustable internal panels. Mmmm Mmmm. Not cheap but lots of models available.