Safe Delivery

[71buickfreak]

It was common practice to bust a wheel off on a safe to make sure someone could nor steal it.
I would think most thieves are too lazy to move 3500 lbs.

I am sure that happened some places, but there is an actual story on the busted wheel for this safe- it was being moved from Stillwater National Bank to the museum, they were rolling it down the brick street and the wheel shattered...

I can just imagine the scene in January 1975....

 

[71buickfreak]

It was common practice to bust a wheel off on a safe to make sure someone could nor steal it.
I would think most thieves are too lazy to move 3500 lbs.

I am sure that happened some places, but there is an actual story on the busted wheel for this safe- it was being moved from Stillwater National Bank to the museum, they were rolling it down the brick street and the wheel shattered...

I can just imagine the scene in January 1975....

I really want to know how they got it down the stairs!

 

[FullAuto]

I saw that safe when I looked through the OAS inventory before the auction and thought it was cool. Had no idea it weighed that much though.

It doesn't look like it would weigh that much just by the size, but when you pull the door you can tell. My other safe is ~1900lbs and you know grabbing this one you it's the real deal. The doors are 6 inches thick and the walls are similar.
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Also behind the dial, it has a plate that holds a glass vial. The guy at Mayflower said the plate is usually missing and the fact mine is there adds slightly to the collector value. Then he notice the vial. He told me he had seen pictures of them and read about them but had never seen one in person that was still intact. He told me I'd need to have it removed before they'd move it.
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[BReeves]

Had to look. Looks like what's inside the vial is tear gas.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Locksmithing-3110/2011/2/Glass-Vials-Safe-Door.htm

 

[FullAuto]

Had to look. Looks like what's inside the vial is tear gas.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Locksmithing-3110/2011/2/Glass-Vials-Safe-Door.htm

The guy at Mayfair said that tear gas was most common to put in them. Then he said in the late 1800s, they also put nerve gas or cyanide gas. He said they didn't care if they killed them back then and since they didn't have electricity or alarms places, they would come into the bank in the morning and find a dead guy on the floor. Since there was no way to know what was in the vial and the safe was that old, he wanted it removed.

But.... after some more research, I believe the nerve gas and cyanide gas to be more of a old wives tale. There is a pretty good safe expert on ar15.com and after talking with him, he is confident it's only tear gas although he had heard "stories" of the nerve/cyanide gas.

 

[SoonerP226]

But.... after some more research, I believe the nerve gas and cyanide gas to be more of a old wives tale. There is a pretty good safe expert on ar15.com and after talking with him, he is confident it's only tear gas although he had heard "stories" of the nerve/cyanide gas.

A friend of mine knows (knew?) the owner of an OKC jewelry store. The store came with an old (WWI-era) safe, which they'd been using for several years, blissfully unaware of the chemical anti-drill device hidden within it 'til a security guard took a look and warned them about it. IIRC, it was mustard gas, but that was a good 20 years ago; I just remember that it was something very unpleasant.

 

[FullAuto]

A friend of mine knows (knew?) the owner of an OKC jewelry store. The store came with an old (WWI-era) safe, which they'd been using for several years, blissfully unaware of the chemical anti-drill device hidden within it 'til a security guard took a look and warned them about it. IIRC, it was mustard gas, but that was a good 20 years ago; I just remember that it was something very unpleasant.

The stories the guy I had talked to were that the lethal stuff was discontinued around or just after WWI. My safe pre-dates that. That was the guy from Mayfair's concern also; it's age. I guess the jury is still out. I'll try not to break it. LOL