Chatwood invincible

Hi guys,
this is my first post on your forum and I have a couple of questions for you good guys.
basically we have inherited a Chatwood invincible safe which came with the house, the house belonged too my partners mother with which my partner grew up in.
The Chatwood safe comes with 2 keys and we believe they are not originals because my partner can remember the safe and at the time it only had one key and unfortunately the single key was lost, this in turn resulted in a lock smith coming out and opening it and then supplying 2 keys.
so to recap we have a Chatwood invincible safe it has a a number stamped on the lock which is 29955.
does any of you guys know the history of this safe and of course is there any value with this ( if any ) .
hope to hear from you guys and I really would love to know the history about this safe.
regards Sasha

Welcome Sasha, see if you can upload some pictures, here's how
https://www.antique-locks.com/showth...-to-your-posts

Hope these pictures help.

I assume there is a handle on the other end.

It isn't designed as a safe. It is a strongbox, designed to have the door on the top. It is fairly limited security, which is not helped by the carrying handles. I am out of contact with UK prices, but would expect value to be fairly minimal.

Yes it does have a handle on the other side it has a piece of wood that it sits on to balance it out.

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Originally Posted by Sasha

Yes it does have a handle on the other side it has a piece of wood that it sits on to balance it out.

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This is known as the Chatwood List 1 Fire-Resisting Chest on the
principal of Moisture Generation & Non Conduction.

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Originally Posted by safeman

This is known as the Chatwood List 1 Fire-Resisting Chest on the
principal of Moisture Generation & Non Conduction.

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Sorry, forgot date of manufacture about 1876.

Most of the manufacturers made something of the sort. Yours looks particularly good, as one would expect from Chatwood. I have seen them by Whitfield, which were just one of their fire resisting safes with 2 handles riveted in place. Milner made one with what was, effectively, the lock from a cash box holding the door. (I won't say "securing" the door). Yours is rather nice having that arm to hold the door in place.

There were some made for moving valuables around. There was an army surplus place near Doncaster a long time ago. They had any number of those. They were a plate safe design- i.e. no fire resisting lining and actually weren't half bad for the purpose. They had 2 fixing holes through the back- I suppose I should call it the base- anyway the surface opposite the door, so they could be anchored through the bed of a vehicle. I seem to remember those had a very hard undrillable plate over the lock.

Hi guys,
thanks for all the information its very interesting to know the age and what the safe actually is.
so does anybody have any idea what this is valued at.
at the moment my partner wouldn't sell it or do anything with it she just wants to use it mainly because it has sentimental values for her.
i bet it looked good in its hay day!!!!
just for curiosity reasons how would I go about selling this safe without using eBay or similar sites but going to a collector or someone who would take pride in doing it back up to its former glory.

sasha

Value would be minimal.

Best way to sell it would be a free listing in a local advertising paper, or Ebay.

Hi Sasha,
Am I right that it measures approx 14" by 11" by 11"?
Here is what a somewhat better preserved one looks like.
Regards
Tom

Hi tom,
thats the measurements correct but if you see in the one of the pictures it has been placed on a plinth to hide one of the handles to make it look like a safe and not a strong box.
it was the history about I wanted to know about and not forgetting the value of it, but the has been answered already, it is only worth minimal which could mean anything really from £ 50 to £ 150 but I'm not interested in selling my partner wants to keep it for settlement reasons if anything .

sasha

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Originally Posted by Sasha

Hi tom,
thats the measurements correct but if you see in the one of the pictures it has been placed on a plinth to hide one of the handles to make it look like a safe and not a strong box.
it was the history about I wanted to know about and not forgetting the value of it, but the has been answered already, it is only worth minimal which could mean anything really from £ 50 to £ 150 but I'm not interested in selling my partner wants to keep it for settlement reasons if anything .

sasha

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Well, I am probably the only Chatwood collector and as I have the better example shown, would not seek it, so I think £40-£70 is going to be a good price to hope for sadly.
You have the other details from other contributors, so I hope we have been of some help
cheers

Hi tom,
my appologies about the measurements, the true measurement is 24x16x16.
not sure if this would make any difference with anything.
thanks for all the information your forum has provided for me.
sasha

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sasha

Hi tom,
my appologies about the measurements, the true measurement is 24x16x16.
not sure if this would make any difference with anything.
thanks for all the information your forum has provided for me.
sasha

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I had thought that it may be bigger, but was not sure from the picture.

Not sure if this is correct as I think it says sliding door cupd?