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Question
recently aquired a safe from art metal company in jamestown ny. made by underwriters laboratories. Safe # S55766 class B. The lock is made by sargent& Greenleaf Inc. I need to know comb. and what year it was made, and what it is worth.
Richard,
Your safe was made by the "Art Metal Construction Co.", not underwriters labratories, which is a testing company. AMCO was founded in 1888 and continued in business through the late 1950's and possibly the early 1960's. Based on your info that the safe had a UL class B label, this would indicate that your safe was made during their latter years.
AMCO basically produced metal office equipment. The safes were of light weight construction and offered only protection from fire. A class B label would have been for 2 hour exposure to fire.
There are no records of the original combination, and in fact the combination was probably changed several times over the past 50 years. You will need to contact a local safe company to have your safe opened, repaired and a new combination set. Cost: $350-$500
Value of your safe - as these safes were basically light weight office equipment, they have no historic value, and generally don't hold up well with age. There are no parts available for these safes and they are difficult to repair. Some of the safe were manufactured with asbestos insulation. These safes do not meet current burglary or fire resistance standards. Resale value of your safe: $0-$150
If you need a referal to a safe company in your area, let me know where you are.
Andy
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Answers by Expert:
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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