Coin Safe

Ever considered just putting them in a standard empty one pound coffee tin in the refrigerator? Place it on a bottom shelf behind some other jars and stuff. I think that a safe advertises that something of value is hidden inside. And what thief would think of going through the frig looking for valuables? Fine, Super Dave or someone of his ilk is already telling me that any GOOD thief would go there first. But I doubt that very highly. They don't have the time or effort to open EVERY jar or tin in the frig. It will be fireproof and you can seal the lid against moisture. They even make special "fake" containers for that purpose. It was just a thought. Remember, I'm a newbie so what I say is worth what you paid for it...

Back in the bad old days I spent some time with some not so good ol' boys who made their living by finding other peoples goodies. If you live in a high end house in a high end neighborhood, & have goodies worth stealing they will find them. The refrigerator or freezer is one of the first places they look. If you have a safe they will open it. If you don't live in one of those neighborhoods your burglar will most likely be a drug addict or a teenager, neither one of which can open a safe, so if it's bolted down or heavy you're probably OK. They will, however, look in the fridge because that's where the beer is.

So far I only use book safes that I make. It's better then nothing and most thieves only spend a few minutes in a house anyways are are just going in to do a quick grab and dash.

Besides, most apartment places kinda frown on bolting a safe to their floors.

basicbob, this pvc pipe idea is intriguing but your friend must not have many coins. You can't fit a lot on a 4" circle unless stacked high and then it would seem is should jam. Or, am I missing something?
Jim

I am surprised no one has mentioned a GOOD security system, and a mean dog.

By a GOOD system, I do not mean one of those systems you see advertised on TV. It is a simple job to cut the phone line and disable those.

Most cities now have RF systems available that do not depend on phone lines. That, along with a GOOD (there is that word again) safe, will deter MOST theives. (The good ones are gonna get what they go after).

MM

On the PVC pipe thing, I think all he had in there was bullion grade gold coins, not even unc. and 3 inch rolls of $100 bills, and he must have had a small chain anchored to the back side of the screw on plug cap so that he would never have to fish for it it dropped.

If you live in a house there are many ways to store and hide coins. A safe is usually not to good an idea due to what is in there when you close it stays in there. Some large ones come with dehumidifiers or you could start spending a fortune on silica gels to rid the safe of moisture. Also, if you have guest over they will eventually see a safe and word gets around so a safe could actually be an attraction to some not so nice people. Just bringing a safe into your place could cause notariety in the neighborhood. The walls have ears and the windows have eyes and neighbors are nosy regareless of what some may think. Although friends and relative may be trusted they all have a habit of blabbing stuff they shouldn't but do anyway. Word not only travels but gets exagerated. A small 2x2 foot safe could end up as a wall to wall safe with a little gossip to help out.
As far as I'm concerned the best thing to do is just find a place to make a fake wall, room, etc. If you live in a house and there is a stairway to a basement, for example, it could be made to look like it is walled in below and a partial room put there. Corners of a basement could be made to look like a large indentation and a small room with a secret door put there. If that is done the door should be made heavy enough to make a solid sound when tapping on it. There are many places where such things could be done. One person I know had a unfinished basement and added an entire small room at one end with fake walls.
One nice thing is you can just add a dehumidifier to the basement to keep the entire place dry which is healtheir anyway.
Then there are attics, crawl spaces instead of attics, etc.

fire protection on the PVC thing is also non existant.