Expert: Terry V Andreasen (Andy) - 10/26/2009

Question
I have a Schwab Safe which has a plate on the front which reads Data Rite Line Bank.  Another plate on the front reads Underwriters laboratories Listed Record Container-Fire Cert. 150 2 hr No. 708041.  A plate inside reads Underwriters Laboratories Relocking Device No. A 22293. Another plate inside reads SPEC F2-ND  Y2647.  A customer rep. at Schwab said this safe was probably manufactued in the early 1900's.  He didn't have an estimated value.  The safe probably weighs 2000 lbs and is 70 1/4" high, 50 3/4 " wide and 35" deep.  I have the combination to this safe and it does work. I would like to know the value of this safe and if you know of any antique dealers or collectors who are interested in this type of safe.  I would be willing to deliver this safe in a reasonable distance from  Roanoke, VA.

Answer
Al,

Unfortunately your contact at Schwab is either a moron, or didn't do any checking for you.  

Let me explain, Fire safes go back to the early 1800's (around 1836 or so).  Fire safes were designed to protect documents from fire.  Paper chars around 412 degrees farenheit (F), and combusts at 451 degrees F.  These record safes were designed and tested to ensure that the interior temperature would not exceed 350 degrees F, for at least what ever period of time that the safe was tested to, usually 1 hour, 2 hours or 4 hours.

In your case the safe is tested so that the interior temperature will not exceed 150 degrees for at least a 2 hour period.  The reason the manufactures needed a lower temperature was not to protect paper from fire, but to protect film or data media.  Film and computor record storage (remember the old "A" drive and "B" drive floppy discs we used to use?  Hence the name "DATA Rite Line Bank".  When did the industry start using computors, well to give a "brief" time line:
1948 the industry started using the first "magnetic drum memory"
1956 IBM introduces the IBM 305 RAMAC with the first "hard drive memory storage"
1967 IBM creates the first floppy disc.

Now using the above info, and knowing that SMNA quit testing safes in the early 1960's this would place your safe sometime between 1950-1962.  The Data Storage safes were originally built to store the large magnetic tape reels used on the early machines.  Over the years as computors have become smaller and smaller and storage has also become smaller, the need for these large safes has dropped to an all time low.  There is very little want or need for these dinosaurs any more.

Value:
Fire         $1000    While having excellent fire resistance, because of its size it is not desireable, and hard to sell.
Burglary     $0       These safes have limited to no burglary protection and should not be used for overnight storage of cash, jewelry or valuable documents.
Resale       $1000
Collectible  $0       These safes have no collectors value
Antique      $0       These safes are not antique.

To give you an idea of their resale value, the last 5 that we picked up, we were paid $2000 to dispose of them.

Good luck, but you may wind up paying someone to haul it away.

Andy