Unusual safe/vault images

[wylk]

I thought I'd start a thread on unusual imagery of safes and vaults. For example, adapting "stock images" in strange ways.

Here's an example from ATR Aircraft (http://www.atraircraft.com) trying to get across the notion that their planes will make you money. From my perspective, I see an airplane that won't get off the ground.



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):

[wylk]

Another one, not quite as weird. This is often seen with articles about the security of cloud computing.

[wylk]

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



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.

[Arcade Al]

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



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...

[wylk]

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.

[wylk]

A 1961 advertisement for Amplex, maker of powder-metal parts, ran this add including a safe deposit vault with a Diebold (I think) door --

[Chubby]

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.

[wylk]

A shoe store in Bangkok includes a room resembling the interior of a safe deposit vault. The boxes contain shoes and the far wall mimics the inside face of a vault door. I think the person who did this made a reasonable-looking door and worked from a picture of a real one.

[chubbbramah]

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



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.

[wylk]

A 1991 advertisement for the Suzuki GS500E --



The door looks somewhat like a vault door except the hinges are way too small and there aren't any visible locks. There also seems to be a vent and the floor looks like the wire mesh used before pouring concrete. This looks like it's either a prop or maybe the door to something like an electrical vault.