Expert: Mike Palmer - 10/4/2009

Question
Hi would you know the cash rating for a Millner fire safe I have been offered. Its circa 1900 has a small brass label showing 0.741 and a large circular brass plaque showing "Millners Patent Improved Fire Resistance & Strong Hold Fast Safe" it weighs approximately 1.5 - 2 tones and measures 4 foot wide by 2 foot 4 inches deep and 5 foot wide.

Answer
Hi Ian

Milner was one of the country's oldest and most successful safe makers.  Consequently there are hundreds if not thousands of them still in use Nationwide.  However,this particular Milner safe is well over 100 years old and totally obsolete so it will have no insurance cash rating although some insurers will give a nominal £1,000 cash rating on any steel box with a lock on it.  

If the escutcheon plate (keyhole cover)is still in place, it will almost certainly refer to it having a Patent Solid Powder Proof Lock.  This is confirmation of its extreme age as this refers to black gunpowder.  There is no way a safe made around 1900 could be expected to resist modern criminals armed with power tools - in fact the safe could be opened in 15 minutes or so just using simple hand held forcing tools.

It will also have a loose 'fire proof' fill of sand, sawdust and alum which will have degraded over the years so it is no longer suited to fire protect documents.

All in all, it is worthless and would cost you more to get it moved than it is worth (although I suspect weighs nearer 8/9cwt than than 1.5 tons).  The only thing of value is the heavy brass name plate which can be sold on eBay although as Milner safes are so plentiful, this is one of the more common plates and would not fetch as much as rarer items.

I hope this helps

Regards,

Mike Palmer FSyI
Insurance Liaison Coordinator
Guardian Safes Limited