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  1. #11
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    Another fashion statement, Van Heusen garments in a safe deposit vault. They also make the point that matching underwear might be important to you. It's a little odd to see a vault door with no visible locking mechanism.

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  2. #12
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    Here's a sort of pulp-fiction illustration from 1968 by Mort Kunstler. Not particularly noteworthy until you start looking at it.

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    First, notice that the door seems to be opening in the wrong direction, the boltwork seems to be facing outward. No wonder the policeman was able to open it.

    Second, it looks like there are about 26-30 locking bolts, an unusually large number.

    Third, cash and gold bars are piled on the floor of what appears to be a safe-deposit vault which would at least inconvenience customers (if not tempt them).

    Fourth, they made a hole in the ceiling and are dangling by ropes to avoid setting off an alarm. But making the hole was OK? Would there be no sound or motion alarms?

    Hey, it's visual fiction. At least it's entertaining.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by wylk View Post
    Here's a sort of pulp-fiction illustration from 1968 by Mort Kunstler. Not particularly noteworthy until you start looking at it.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    First, notice that the door seems to be opening in the wrong direction, the boltwork seems to be facing outward. No wonder the policeman was able to open it.

    Second, it looks like there are about 26-30 locking bolts, an unusually large number.

    Third, cash and gold bars are piled on the floor of what appears to be a safe-deposit vault which would at least inconvenience customers (if not tempt them).

    Fourth, they made a hole in the ceiling and are dangling by ropes to avoid setting off an alarm. But making the hole was OK? Would there be no sound or motion alarms?

    Hey, it's visual fiction. At least it's entertaining.
    Extremely entertaining in that it raises more questions than it will ever answer!

    Like why didn't they break in through the nearby ceiling vent, which by design necessity must offer easier access than the hole they elected to make in the solid ceiling?

    Also, should they grab as many bundles of notes as they can carry, or as many gold bars? Obviously that does rely on us knowing or being able to estimate a few things. Such as the price of gold at the time, the denomination of the notes, etc...

    Just noticed as well that the man on the top of the vault is literally dangling the hanging woman from his bare hand. He must be exceptionally strong, or she extremely light, otherwise his hand must have become painfully and inextricably trapped...

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arcade Al View Post
    Also, should they grab as many bundles of notes as they can carry, or as many gold bars? Obviously that does rely on us knowing or being able to estimate a few things. Such as the price of gold at the time, the denomination of the notes, etc...
    In 1968 I believe the US was still on the gold standard at $32 per ounce. Assuming 20-pound bars that would be $10,240 per bar. If the bundles are 200 notes (just a guess) of $50 each that's essentially the break-even point. Bonus if they are $100 notes, plus each bundle weighs a whole lot less than the bars and are more easily spent (unless the serial numbers are recorded which could complicate things).

    Right now the spot price of gold is $1,260 per ounce so a 20-pound bar would be $403,200. A bundle of $100 notes would still be $20,000 which tips things in favor of the gold assuming you can manage the weight and "spend" the bars successfully.

  5. #15
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    This one is unusual but in a positive way:

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    It's a hand-painted mural on a curved wall. I can't find too much at fault with the door. More at http://in-art.co.uk/gallery/murals-i...reception-hall and he does custom murals.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arcade Al View Post
    Extremely entertaining in that it raises more questions than it will ever answer!

    Like why didn't they break in through the nearby ceiling vent, which by design necessity must offer easier access than the hole they elected to make in the solid ceiling?

    Also, should they grab as many bundles of notes as they can carry, or as many gold bars? Obviously that does rely on us knowing or being able to estimate a few things. Such as the price of gold at the time, the denomination of the notes, etc...

    Just noticed as well that the man on the top of the vault is literally dangling the hanging woman from his bare hand. He must be exceptionally strong, or she extremely light, otherwise his hand must have become painfully and inextricably trapped...
    Also the bullion bars are upside down. Almost always in movies and pictures the mock bullion is stacked with the wide part of the bars at the bottom. TRy picking one up which is stacked like that! The reason they are that shape is to have the broad part at the top so you can lift them.

  7. #17
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    Here is a publicity print for an 1896 play "The War of Wealth" written by Charles Turner Dazey. The bank's cashier has been locked in the vault which cannot be opened due to the time locks. The bank owner frees the cashier by blowing it open. See http://ultimatehistoryproject.com/up...of_wealth_.pdf for a summary of the play.

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    No doubt the depiction of this was exciting and dramatic for the audience. But I wouldn't want to be that close to an actual explosion. And it looks like it's being blown from the inside? Probably a case of artistic license winning over realism.

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by wylk View Post
    Another odd example is a stock vault image modified to represent financial issues of the new agricultural product in Colorado (http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/mo...-business.html):

    Attachment 11705
    This has turned out to be a little more Deja vu than I expected. News stories from around July 22 2016 indicate a marijuana grow operation in Ohio was conducted in a room protected by a bank vault door. I only found one image (from a news video) and it looks more like a gun-safe door than what you'd find in a bank. Authorities broke in via the wall instead.

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    Descriptions include http://local12.com/news/local/adams-...ssive-pot-grow and http://www.wmur.com/news/sophisticat...-door/41032792.

  9. #19
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    I'm not sure I see the point of having a vault door that opens to the outside where bundles of cash are piled in the sunlight. I'm sure the artist had something in mind. At least it's pretty.

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  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by wylk View Post
    Here's a sort of pulp-fiction illustration from 1968 by Mort Kunstler. Not particularly noteworthy until you start looking at it.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Weird - Bank Vault Heist 1968 Mort Kunstler.jpg 
Views:	54 
Size:	224.3 KB 
ID:	15164

    First, notice that the door seems to be opening in the wrong direction, the boltwork seems to be facing outward. No wonder the policeman was able to open it.

    Second, it looks like there are about 26-30 locking bolts, an unusually large number.

    Third, cash and gold bars are piled on the floor of what appears to be a safe-deposit vault which would at least inconvenience customers (if not tempt them).

    Hey, it's visual fiction. At least it's entertaining.

    Don't worry about tempting customers — those gold ingots must be fake!! Stacked like that (as fake ones always are, looks neater) real gold bars are impossible to pick up. hat is why they are made that shape, real ones are so heavy the wedge profile allows one to get fingers around to grip. (Sadly, I have not been lifting gold ingots, only bronze ones, but they are still quite heavy and quite valuable.)

    Now I see that Chubby already made the point.
    Last edited by chubbbramah; 20-02-18 at 08:16 PM. Reason: I read further down ...

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