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Antique Safes/Grandpa's Antique Safe

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Expert: - 11/25/2008


Question

antique safe
Hi.  My grandfather passed away almost four years ago and was a pack rat.  He kept an antique safe in the garage and unfortunately we don't know where he kept the combination.  We were thinking of selling it or paying about $80 to have a locksmith open it.  Your estimation of what it's worth or any other information/advice you could give us would be greatly appreciated.  We think it was built in 1896 by the Keystone Lock & Safe Co.  Thanks!

Answer
Adam

Your safe looks like a York Safe, but it may be an Alpine Safe.  Keystone Lock & Safe Co., was basically a small locksmith and safe company.  Many companies that sold safes would put their name or logo on the safe as a means of advertising.

The handle appears to be broken off on your safe, the paint is badly scratched and the hinge "acorns" are missing.  These are just some of the problems that I see from your picture.

Realisticly, your safe is worth $0 to $100 in its current condition.  Once you get it opened we can re-evaluate it.

I think that you are being rather "optimistic" about having a locksmith open your safe for $80.  If you find one working that cheaply, its because they don't know what they are doing and plan on learning as they go, with your safe being the victim, can you say swiss cheese!

Your safe should be able to be opened using manipulation, if you can find a safe man in your area that is trained in manipulation.  If not a professional safe tech will open the safe by drilling a very small hole and using a fiber optic scope, decode, and open the lock.  Manipulation is not a guarantee but you should figure around $350-$450 to have the safe opened and repaired.  This doesn't include replacement parts, which are obsolete.  A replacement handle could cost $150-$300 to have made.  The missing acorns can be made for around $25-$35 ea.
Touch up paint could make the safe look better, but restoration will significantly improve the value.  Beware that you could easily spend more money on the safe than it will be worth in the end.

Andy
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentAndy was incredibly polite and helped me a great deal. I was surprised with the depth of knowledge and advice he was able to provide me with regarding my problem. This site is GREAT!


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Terry V Andreasen (Andy)

Expertise

Safe and Vault related Questions; Antique Safe Repair and Restoration; With over 40 years in the Safe & Vault industry, if I can't answer your question I know where to get the answer. Current Project: Restoration of two Tilton & McFarland Safes from the 1860's. Will answer Safe & Vault related questions concerning age, value, restoration, moving, opening & repairing, parts, operation and history. Note: It is not my intention to teach you to open safes or to provide information which may aid in the unlawful opening of a safe. I will not give out drill points or information which I deem inappropriate.

Experience

40 years in the Safe & Vault Industry. Service Manager for one of the largest Safe & Vault companies on the West Coast. Graduate of Lockmasters Safe Lock Servicing, Safe lock Manipulation and Safe Deposit Lock Courses. Graduate of Locksmith Institute. Certified Instructor for the California Locksmith Association teaching Basic and Advanced Lock Servicing, Basic Safe opening and Repairing. Factory Trained by AMSEC, LORD Safes, LeFebure, Mosler, KabaMas, LaGard and Sargent & Greenleaf

Organizations
Safecrackers International and the National Antique Safe Association

Education/Credentials
Graduate of Locksmith Institute 1972 Graduate Lockmasters Safe Lock Servicing 1974 Graduate Lockmasters Safe Lock Manipulation 1975 Graduate Lockmasters Safe Deposit Lock Servicing 1985 Instructor Certified - California Locksmith Association - 1985 Factory trained by AMSEC, MAJOR, STAR, Johnson-Pacific, Kaba-MAS, Allied-Gary, ISM, Lord, Brown Safe, EXL, Mosler, Diebold.

Awards and Honors
2009, 2010 & 2011 Listed in AllExperts top 50 Experts. All Experts Categories - Safes & Security Containers, Locksmithing, Antique Safes. Retired US Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer (CW3), with 32 years of total service. With numerous awards from Vietnam, Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. US Navy - 1971-1981 US Army Reserve 1984-2006 US Army Retired Reserve 2006-present

Past/Present Clients
US Secret Service, FBI, BATF, Local Law enforcment agencies, Diebold, Hamilton Pacific, Red Hawk Int., Chubb International, Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, Mechanics Bank, El Dorado Savings Bank, many Credit unions and smaller banks. McDonalds, Togos, BurgerKing, TacoBell, Carls Jr. FoodMaxx, SaveMart, Lucky's, Albertson's, Raley's, Safeway, NobHill, Bell Markets, PW Markets. Great America, Century Theatres, Cinemark Theatres, UA Cinemas, and many homeowners and small businesses. Provide warranty service for lock and safe manufactures. Service area is Northern California - Fresno to Oregon, including western Nevada

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