Locksmithing/Hall's Safe

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Expert: Terry V. Andreasen (Andy) - 2/16/2009


Question
Moved into a house with an abandoned safe in the garage.

The safe's dimensions are almost 5ft tall, by 3ft wide, and 3 ft deep.  It has double doors, and the tumbler is 0-130.

The identifiable markings are the front are very clear and printed:

UNION DEPOT & R.R. CO.

HALL'S SAFE & LOCK CO.
CINCINNATI

C. HOLMSTED, DEALER DENVER, COL'O

Interested in seeing what's inside the thing.  Any advice on how I can do it myself?  I have a stethoscope already, probably just watch too many movies though.  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Todd,

Yeah, you watch too many movies!

It can be opened by feel, but all the stethoscope does is amplify what you feel.  It may give you a little better indication of a gate opening, but not the way the movies make out!
But if you have plenty of time you might figure it out.  Note: on a three wheel lock there would be 2,197,000 possible combinations and on a four wheel lock there would be 285,610,000 possible combinations.   Good luck.

If your safe is an original Hall's safe, it could have been built between 1848 to 1892.
Here is the basic info on Hall's Safe and Lock Co.:
Hall's Safe & Lock Co., Cincinnati, OH. Hall's Burglar Proof Safes.  Joseph L. Hall began producing safes in 1846 and founded Hall's Safe & Lock Co. in 1848.  The company sold 50,000 of its safes by 1872, when it was producing 15 to 20 a day.  In 1892, the company merged with two other companies to form the Herring-Hall & Marvin Safe company.  Two of Joseph's sons went with the merger but after several years they broke off and formed the Hall's Safe Company.  There was a law suit brought by HHM as they had the rights to the name Hall.  After several years of legal squabbling, the court ruled that HHM did not have rights to the name Hall, but they did have the rights to the name Hall's Safe & Lock Co.  The sons were allowed to use their name but not in the "possive" term, so they became Halls Safe company. (note the lack of an apostrophe).

What other info do you need?

Andy

Locksmithing

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Terry V. Andreasen (Andy)

Expertise

Safe and Vault related Questions; Antique Safe Repair and Restoration; With over 38 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

38 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 ClearStar

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 - Listed in AllExperts Top 50 Experts. All Expert 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 and Western Nevada)

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