Lets ID this cannonball safe.

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David, that picture is from the same Ebay auction I mentioned. Do you have any more of them? I have not yet had a reply from the shop in Pueblo, CO. My National was not lettered like that one. That safe was redone so who knows if it is accurate. I have searched the base on this one carefully and got down to the original paint. Only the base had been repainted. No evidence of any lettering. I did find a little gold leaf on the top of the safe between the top stripe and the stripe on the front so I believe National Safe and Lock Co. was at the top.

Thanks Doug for your input. I am surprised more information on National is not available. Virtually nothing turns up online. I am pretty good at digging up old documents, newspapers, or trade paper articles but am coming up empty handed this time. I can't find anything on the 1904 and 1906 patents claimed on the tag either. I found another tidbit about Steelcraft buying National which apparently went through a change at one point.


The Steelcraft Corporation of America is a Delaware corporation organized last May to take over the business of the National Safe Company which had acquired the business of the National Safe & Lock Company that was organized In 1884 The product consists of Are and burglar proof bank vaults chests safety deposit boxes and similar devices The Steelcraft Corporation proposes to extend the business through the purchase of other plants operating In the same lines and will operate under much the same management that handled the affairs of the National Safe Company for a number of years with the addition of representatives of the HW Dubiske Co which is doing the present financing There is now being offered an additional $500,000 of 1 preferred stock bringing the outstanding amount of this is are up to $662,500 of an authorized $3,000 000 There will also be outstanding 6,625 shares of the class A common stock and 30.000 shares of class B common The statement of the company adjusted to include the proceeds of this financing indicates total assets of $1,205,827 and after deducting $69,000 of bonds and the current liabilities there are net assets of about $880,000 to apply against the outstanding capital stock These figures do not include any value that attaches to the two patents covering the construction of fire proof safes and vault doors

I have been painstakingly documenting the artwork. There is just enough to get it back to original. I have it mapped out full size for reference. It will all be corrected on computer.





I did some disassembly on the door and was amazed at what I found. First I discovered that there is a bearing at the base of the hinge, very nice.



When I pulled the door cover I was shocked at what I found. The door is supported by two trolleys mounted to the door pivot shafts by bearings. The trolleys run in grooves machined into the door cover. They are adjusted by turning the large decorative finials which are threaded onto the shafts. This adjusts the door vertically. The shafts pass through over sized holes in the hinge cradle. These shafts are adjusted horizontally by four set screws on the cradle. Quite a bit different than what Victor or Mosler used.







Found the numbers under the top hinge finial.