Best Safe On A Budget?

Wow. Is this speaking from personal experience?

ShadowCreator the only legal issue that can sometimes be an obstacle course when dealing with boxes is after you die. It varies from state to state but sometimes your will won't allow people access to the box.

What Master Gardener posted is not nearly as far-fetched as GO wishes it were.

I'm interested in this topic also. I just transferred around my accumulation, can't call it a collection, and I have over a thousand dollars worth of silver in a small pistol size safe.

Ruling out safe deposit boxes for the stuff you don't want the authorities to inventory and tax, what do you do for security?

Ah, and, does it work? Thieves can't force you to open a safe no one knows about, but put it's location with your important papers!

Stack-on makes a decent upright, non-fire unit for about $250. Good for preventing the quick heist. Nothing can thwart the thief that is dedicated and has enough time. You pay alot for fire protection. Maybe weigh the cost of a special insurance rider against the coins.




Hey Mr.Positive Attitude, if it hits the fan that bad, no one will want your coins except for bullion anyway. Better start burying ingots in the woods of your compound.

Depending on where you live, if you have the ability to actually set the safe into the ground (for example, the floor of an unfinished basement) it will go a long way towards protecting the contents from fire. Dig a hole a few inches deeper than the actual safe, insert safe, and build a cover out of metal lined with firebrick. Not practical for renters, or in some parts of the country, but pretty effective. Biggest issue is protecting the contents from humidity.

If you want to go the real low-budget route for this, and have the ability to obscure the location of the hole, a dead refrigerator or chest-style freezer works just as well. Not much in the way of physical security, but unless somebody knows that you have a big stash of coins SOMEWHERE and takes the time to really search every inch of the house, it's about as safe (heh, safe joke) as the average homeowner is going to get.

The cheaper the safe, the easier it is to break into. Take a sentry safe for example, a crowbar will pop them open in no time. If you are looking to buy a used safe make sure it is less than 25 years old, most insurance companies won't provide fire protection for safes older because the components that make it fireproof start to break down. I own a safe from 1914. Its empty!! Only thing it would provide is theft protection. If I open the inside panel on the door I can crack chunks of concrete off.

If you are definately gonna get a safe, do check with your insurance carrier as to what type you need for them to cover the contents. Also ask if you need a rider to your homeowners insurance to cover the value of your collection. Typical homeowners policies only cover about $500 on average.

i want something that could stop the hulk

A topic that does come up frequently. First of all to really be safe from theft, I suggest you just send all your coins to me. If a crook breaks into your house, they will find nothing. See how easy that was.
Safes are really not to smart if your worried about theft. As it is delivered half the neighborhood will see that and wonder just how much money do you have laying around.
Friends, neighbors and even relatives may see it when visiting. As they mention it to others the amount of money you have in there will grow exponentially until you have millions hidden away. That will inspire someone.
A gun to you or your family's head will open that safe regardless of how big and strong it may be.
Unless that safe is air conditioned, items inside will be exposed to the same air for as long as you keep it closed. Humidity will just stay there. If you keep it in a basement, every time you open it, humidity will enter.
During a fire all will usually be safe? Not really. A metal safe will get hot, the plastics inside will melt. Cardboards will smolder. All that on your coins. Newer cents made with Zinc will probably start to melt.
A neighbor went on vacation some time back. While gone a moving van pulled up. Nosey neighbors asked the movers what was going on. They said the people that lived there liked it so much where they were at the decided to move there. Naturally when the vacationers came home and found an empty house they were horrified. Neighbors could not remember the movers. OH, the safe. Yes the movers took that too and it was bolted to the floor. AHH, an alarm system. The movers took that also.

I bought one of those big gun safes and bolted it own to the floor. I really do not think anyone could ever take it or get it open was expensive $ 800.00 will hold allot of coins though and I do not tell anyone I collect coins of have them in the house.

Thought it was big enough but have it alomst full now?