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Antique Safes/Excelsior Safe

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Expert: - 4/25/2009


Question
We purchased an old Victorian and it has a large wall safe that says Excelsior Safe Co, Cincinnati, O.  You guessed it, we lost the combination...  I can't find any info on this company.  Have you heard of them or do you know how I can try to get in contact with them to see if they have the original combo?  I can take photos if that will be helpful.  Thanks so much for any info!
Kathe

Answer
Kathe,

To the best of my knowledge there never was an "Excelsior Safe Co" that was a manufacture.  You may have a safe that was sold by a lock or safe company, named Excelsior - the safe is probably manufactured by someone else.  I will need to see photos of the safe to determine what you have.  Many distributors "re-labeled" the safes they sold, with their name - for advertising reasons.

Please send me photots of the safe, to include full exterior, and detail pics of the dial, handle, hinges, castors, labels and art work.  The pics should be of sufficient resolution that I can zoom in to study details  of the photos.  Photos that are not in focus, or of insufficient resolution are worthless to me.

Send the pics to me at:  andy@securitysafeusa.com

I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Unfortunately if your safe is fairly old, I doubt that the manufacture is in business, which means that obtaining the original combination is also slim to none.
You will probably need to contact a local safe company to have them open and repair your safe - costs will probably range between $350-$500 to open and repair, and should only take about 2-3 hours.  You don't want a locksmith that may cause damage to your safe, as parts are probably not available either.

Andy

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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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