Ultimate & One-off Freestanding Safes

[oldlock]

Description says it has keys. Either way it's too expensive considering relocation & refurb costs.

[Chubby]

I hadn't read the details.

I agree it is too much trouble. If anybody could pick it up for virtually nothing it would be a nice project safe. Certainly worth doing some work on it. I wonder what model it is.

[Safeone]

Regarding the Tann Bankers Mk9 that I had last year. Found a few pics which are/should be below.

The 'X-Ray' stamped components seem to be on the spring loaded re-locking assembly housings.

I have put three red squares on one of the pics to show where these units are located, I have also put a picture on showing a close up of a unit where the stamped words 'X-Ray' are just visible.

Please click on pictures for better views

[oldlock]

Nice, one thing that allways struck me about Tann units of this vintage is the build quality - everything is well engineered and built on a massive scale.

[Chubby]

I remember playing with a small size Bankers' Cash. The inside of the lock pan was almost solid with AEDs etc.

What was the difference between a Banker and a Bankers' cash? Was the cash a lower specification?

[safeman]

I hadn't read the details.

I agree it is too much trouble. If anybody could pick it up for virtually nothing it would be a nice project safe. Certainly worth doing some work on it. I wonder what model it is.

This is a Ratner RQ 390 the details of which I attach.

It was listed from 1976 and apart from a few particularly Ratner features, type of detachable bit keys for instance, it is the exact equivalent of the Tann Bankers Mark 8.

[Chubby]

I remember that they seemed to have a queer policy at that time of supplying products badged as Tann only to banks. A jeweller might order a Tann product but when it arrived it would be the same product but with a Ratner name plate.

[safeman]

I remember that they seemed to have a queer policy at that time of supplying products badged as Tann only to banks. A jeweller might order a Tann product but when it arrived it would be the same product but with a Ratner name plate.

You're not far off the mark there Chubby. When the Ratner Safe Company was purchased by Borewood Holdings in
1970, they continued to trade as a separate unit as they had a valuable section of the market with such companies as Mecca, Waitrose, H.Samuels, and Ernest Jones on their books.

The standard Borehmwood range of products were quickly badge engineered to replace the original Ratner products, some with slightly different specifications to conform to the original product.

Within the J W Levy commercial sales arm of the group, Ratner continued to trade very successfully from a small office in Southwark until everything came together under the banner of John Tann Ltd, the sales division of John Tann Security, the manufacturing company, in 1971.

Ratner benefited from a strong brand loyalty particularly in the Jewelery Insurance market which explains why the label continued up until 1982 with the Tann TS Range being offered as the Ratner RQ 1,2,3,and 4.

[Chubby]

Tann used to refer to their "unbeaten" (note not unbeatable- actually never, ever forced) range of heavy safes. I have never, ever seen one opened by a criminal. I think they didn't want to put the Tann name on anything that wasn't a real banker! Given the sophistication of banks' systems I just can't see how anybody would ever get into one. Imagine drilling or cutting a Reliance strongroom door, then being faced with a Tann Banker! I once heard that a bank can't close for more than 4 days without an act of parliament. I don't know if that is true but even over Xmas and Easter they close for only 4 days. So that would be your maximum timescale. Unless you know just where to cut you wouldn't stand a chance! I suppose that is why coming through the wall and then raiding the deed boxes of customers was the usual route.

[Safeone]

Putting aside the shear strength of the banking systems vaults and what lies within them I think you should also be mindful of the massive leap forward in electronic / computer run security & monitoring systems.

I can only speak from what I have seen and have been told, no doubt there are things available that are not in the public domain, but the sensitivity of some of the now superceeded anti tamper devices is/was amazing. A sneeze could set them off and these were a completely wireless set up, back this up with 24hr monitored cctv (all recorded of course) even CO detectors situated above the vault doors which were switched on in the banks closed hours. Just how long could you hold your breath !!!

So kitting up to do the job lets do a quick check list : Drill that does not vibrate. Two tins of invisible paint. Some tool to disable the microwave alarm system (E-Bay ?)Breathing mask and very long tube to extract exhaled breath and that gets us just to the vault door...............