Welcome to our world exploring the Historical, Political and Technological aspects of Locks, Keys and Safes

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 14
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Posts
    266
    Country: Germany

    Default Old safe, new burglar?

    A maybe silly question, but had any of your old safes had recently contact with a new burglar? If so, did they ignore it? Did they try to open it? With or without success? I hope they ignore it because of respect to their age.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Bulgaria
    Posts
    686
    Country: Bulgaria

    Default

    There was a burglar near where I lived in UK who used to use a disc cutter to open old safes. He got quite good and would simply cut round the lock. I don't think he was ever caught.

    The old fireproof safes are no match for modern tools! Unfortunately plenty of businesses rely on safes of this type.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Devon UK
    Posts
    3,117
    Country: UK

    Default

    It is also true that some of the good old safes are much stronger than many a modern safe, but often the insurance companies are reluctant to accept this reality, when someone waves a certificate for a new safe infront of their face.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Bulgaria
    Posts
    686
    Country: Bulgaria

    Default

    Chubb used to have a promotional video about this. It started with a bit about a supposed Victorian burglar opening a Chubb safe and then a modern one doing the same with modern tools. It ended with an OA attempt on a new Bankers Treasury. Must be 20 years back, I should think.

    I agree 100% with the sentiments in the post above. I would rather trust my valuables (ho ho ho) in a Chatwood Diamond than in .... well let's just say many new safes which would actually cost far more than the old Chatwood.

    Does anybody on the forum remember those Ratner bankers with the 3 locks. Triple locking is quite unusual in my experience. Boy, those were tough!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Posts
    266
    Country: Germany

    Default

    The best German safes should be from around the 1980s. The security rating was at that time D10 and D20. Not much technical innovation since then, but a drop in manufacturing quality. An old safe probably loses against an experienced burglar with the right tools, but a simple burglar might not do much damage. We hat a burglar in our office which hat the standard burglar tool with him: a screw driver and also a tool to open unlocked doors. He was stopped easily by the first plain internal office door which was locked. And perhaps there are burglars who value historic objects and do therefore not attack them?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Bulgaria
    Posts
    686
    Country: Bulgaria

    Default

    I don't think there are many burglars who respect historic safes!

    One good plan is to have a relatively simple strongroom door which will stop anybody getting to a more elaborate safe. Many banks, in the old days, had a book room quality door opening onto a bookroom quality strongroom with the main door opening onto the bookroom. Any cowboy would be stopped by the booksafe door and so would not damage the main door.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Traverse City, MI USA
    Posts
    29
    Country: United States

    Default

    I'm up to 4 old safes, (and very little to put in them) so while they might be easy to get into, they'll have to decide where to start.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Devon UK
    Posts
    3,117
    Country: UK

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bighammer View Post
    I'm up to 4 old safes, (and very little to put in them) so while they might be easy to get into, they'll have to decide where to start.
    Is this a competition? 😺
    Without counting, I think I have 12 at home.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Posts
    266
    Country: Germany

    Default

    Wow! I believe with 12 safes the burglar should be caught in the morning opening the last one.

    In case someone here hasn't read Allen Pinkerton's Thirty years a detective: https://archive.org/details/30yrsadetective00pinkrich
    On page 256ff he writes about THE BURGLAR, i.e. how criminals stole money from bank vaults. Interesting is also that in the chapter about HOUSE BRAKING there is no single safe mentioned.

    Martin Hewitt

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Devon UK
    Posts
    3,117
    Country: UK

    Default

    Wow! I believe with 12 safes the burglar should be caught in the morning opening the last one.
    They are all Chatwoods -he is more likely to be caught trying to open the first one!

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •