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As
an expert supplier of high security safes for home and business,
I have found that most stamp dealers, investors, and collectors
do not have a clear understanding of the security measures that
are necessary to protect their investment from burglars or, in particular,
from fire attack. I am myself a stamp collector, and I would like
to offer fellow collectors some facts to help them understand how
today's state-of-the-art safes really can protect their contents.
Today, the average person with a modest amount of jewelry, coins,
stamps, or watches, some gold or silver, perhaps negotiable securities,
cash for emergencies, and family memorabilia easily can justify
the cost of an adequate home safe. Even more so the collector!
Even if the homeowner has electronic alarm protection for the premises,
the professional burglar knows that the response time may be fifteen
or twenty minutes. Likewise, a simple safe alone will not offer
protection if the burglar has a weekend to work on the safe. The
best solution is to have both: a house alarm and an adequate safe.
There are several factors to consider before selecting a safe.
-
Protection Against What? Fire or theft,
or both? With respect to fire: How hot a fire, and how long
will the fire burn? With respect to theft: Against an amateur
local thug, or against a professional burglar with high-tech
tools, saws, and torches?
- Protection For What? The value of the safe's contents:
Are they investments with a high dollar value or invaluable personal
items?
- The Cost. The answers to the first two points will
determine your investment cost.
Fire Protection
You can obtain an inexpensive safe easily from any large discount
store, such as K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Fedco, hardware stores, etc., for
under $100. This no-frills model usually will offer one-hour fire
protection, but it is not equipped with the appropriate hardware
to resist any aggressive burglar attack.
A fire safe essentially is a box that is insulated and enclosed
in a thin wall of steel (¼-inch to ½-inch) and is rated to withstand
a fire over a specified period of time. The "one hour" safe keeps
the interior temperature below 350ºF, even if the outside temperature
reaches 1,700ºF. A "two hour" safe maintains the same inside temperature
of 350ºF for twice as long with the outside being exposed to a temperature
of 1,850ºF.
The basic fire safe provides just what the name implies: protection
against fire. All of its design is directed to supplying fire protection,
and little attention is given to burglar attacks.
Underwriter Laboratories has established three major categories
that express the degree of content protection from attack by fire:
Class A -- 4-hour protection at 2,000ºF
Class B -- 2-hour protection at 1,850ºF
Class C -- 1-hour protection at 1,700ºF
The most popular ratings in the coin and jewelry industries are
the Class B and Class C.
As a part of the U.L. heat testing requirements, a reheat test
and a mechanical drop test are included.
Burglar
Protection
To defend your property against a professional burglar, you need
a safe that will resist attacks by pry bars, jack hammers, high
speed diamond drill bits, rotary saws, carbide disks, and perhaps
even explosives. You also will need special high security locks
that resist drilling and manipulation.
Underwriter Laboratories has established a standard of tests to
be met by safe manufacturers that will resist various levels and
types of attacks within a given time frame. To be approved and receive
these labels, the safe must have demonstrated its ability to withstand
these tests.
There are several UL safe ratings, each one offering more protection
than the other. Many of them, however, are no longer seen in new
safe manufacture as new technology has provided higher protection
for a minimal price increase.
Money (steel) safes for the home are rated "B" or "C" and are available
as in-floor installations or above floor (with floor-mounting hardware).
They offer a fair amount of security against physical attack and
are priced approximately $350 to $1,500.
The most popular and most secure UL approved steel safes are the
TL-15, TL-30, TL-30X6, and TRTL-30X6. In addition to withstanding
all of the UL testing attacks, they also are time-rated in attack
duration. These safes can vary from $1,300 to $4,000, depending
on the size.
Consider
a safe, like this TL-30 composite model, which has been tested
and approved at a specific resistance to fire (2 hours) and
burglary attach (30 minutes). |
The TL-15 safe will resist entry when attacked
on the door with common hand tools, picking tools, mechanical or
portable electric tools, grinding tools, carbide drills, and pressure
applying devices or mechanisms for a total attack working time of
fifteen minutes.
The TL-30 safe has the same testing as the TL-15,
but will resist attack for a period of thirty minutes.
The TL-30X6 safe offers the same thirty-minute
protection as the TL-30, but it resists attacks on all six sides.
The TRTL-30X6 safe offers the same six-sided,
thirty-minute protection as the TL-30X6, but in addition resists
attacks from oxy-fuel gas cutting or welding torch (quantity of
gas consumed in one test limited to 1,000 cubic feet combined total
oxygen and fuel gas).
It should be noted that the attack time as given does not mean
that the safe resists intrusion only for the time period indicated.
This is the minimum amount of resistance time required
for the rating.
Fire and
Burglar Protection
At one time you could obtain only a fire safe (with minimum burglar
protection) or a burglar safe (steel, with no fire protection).
However, there are now safes available with both door and body made
of a composite material that contains high strength metallic nuggets
buried within a high stress concrete. In addition, this aggregate
includes internal drill deflector bars that are encapsulated between
extra hard steel plates, making penetration extremely difficult.
These safes also are supplied with sophisticated combination key
and/or electronic digital keypad locks that offer further security.
Most materials resist heat to a point, but steel, being a conductor,
soffers very little resistance and can cause an oven-burning effect
on the contents of a regular "burglar" safe. Today's composite safes
dissipate heat and offer great resistance to burning.
Due to the nature of their construction, these composite TL-15
or TL-30 safes weigh approximately 800 pounds for the smallest size
(2 feet-by-2 feet-by-2 feet). The cost is about $950 for the small
size up to $4,500 for a large safe.
Size
Consideration must be given to the proper size of a safe. Do you
have the sufficient dimensions for trays or storage containers?
Do you need the flexibility of movable shelves? What about an unforeseen
need for additional room for memo items, consignments, or just more
room for items not previously considered? The best answer is to
figure out exactly what you need, and then DOUBLE IT.
It is more expensive to find yourself having to buy a second safe
at a later date. With a high security safe, the next larger size
usually costs very little more -- it is the storage space you're
doubling, not the price.
Weight/Installation
The location of the safe is important for maximum efficiency and
easy access. However, the weight of the safe also must be considered.
Floor-bearing capacities limit the location of a safe in most homes
and many businesses. The ground floor is best. Moving a safe to
an upper level by elevator, unless it is particularly designated
for freight, can be a problem because of the weight restrictions.
The size of doorways also can limit access. A safe only can be installed
if the floor and access pathways permit its passage and setup. These
factors also may determine the size of the safe you can purchase.
Locks
There are a great variety of locks available in terms of operation,
security, and convenience. The basic safe usually is equipped with
a main combination lock. This main lock many times has an additional
auxiliary key lock. These locks can be a mechanical combination,
key, or electronic keypad design.
The electronic lock allows immediate lock programming and change.
It also can be connected by a duress (silent alarm) contact in the
security system.
Boltwork
Typically safes have been supplied with bolts on the hinged and
leading edge door. Today, most high security safes are supplied
with door bolts in all directions to defend against attacks
from different angles. Bolts should be a lubricated single piece
of fabricated high-strength material with no welds to break. It
should be further noted that the fewest moving parts in the interior
boltwork design offer the best security. Multiple welding of parts
and/or multiple gearing offer a better chance for the security system's
failure.
Relockers
The best security in a safe is offered by internal relockers. These
work independently of the main locking device and can be either
passive or active. They are hidden in the door and when the safe
is attacked by jack hammer, heavy shock, high speed drill, carbide
disk, torch, or explosives, they cause the system to lock the bolts
closed.
Alarm Systems
Many safes are equipped with external alarm contacts, and internal
(out of sight) alarms also can be provided. Heat sensors and motion
sensors can be supplied as well.
Internal
Security
If internal security is a consideration, a method of utilizing
the main and auxiliary lock on the main safe door can be effected.
Internal locks are another option. There are sophisticated systems
available, where even a microprocessor with a modem can activate
a lock by telephone.
Warranty
This is a very important factor to consider. Usually the safe manufacturer
will offer a one-year warranty on parts, labor, and material. In
many instances your safe supplier will extend the warranty.
Service
Make sure your safe supplier is a reputable firm. You cannot afford
not to be able to open your safe! A good service operation will
offer complete and maximum service.
Used Safes
A used safe may offer protection for an apparent low cost, but
keep in mind that an old safe was built to withstand burglar attacks
mounted with tools available when that safe was made -- not necessarily
today's state-of-the-art tools. Also, if you are looking at a used
fire safe, it is important to remember that old safes were made
to absorb moisture, and that the retardant used in their construction
had a limited effective life.
Cost
When buying a safe, it is important to remember that you will receive
the level of security that you pay for. Safes are not cheap, but
their cost must be weighed against what you are trying to protect.
For dealers, this might mean a complete inventory that took years
to build. For the private individual, it might mean a lifetime effort
and accomplishment of investing or collecting.
High security safes vary in range from roughly $1,000 to $10,000,
based on the level of protection you need and the size of the safe.
You should expect to find a wide variety of prices in the many safe
categories, as well as varying delivery and installation fees. It
is up to the buyer to evaluate the relative importance of the differences.
Consider, for example, the relative costs of maintaining a safe
as opposed to a safe deposit box. The safe deposit box's yearly
rental would be approximately between $175 (for a small amount of
stamps) to $450 for album storage. Private insurance (if available)
is about 1½ percent a year on the value claimed or $300 per year.
For one year the cost would be:
Deposit Box @ $175 to $450
Insurance @ $300 $300
Total Cost $475 to $750 Per Year
Five year's storage of a small collection in a safe deposit box
would cost between $2,375 and $3,750. For less than either amount
you could purchase a high security, UL approved TL-30 safe with
both fire and burglar protection, including delivery and installation
in your home, and cover your insurance premium as well!
Trade-Ins
This is always a problem. You may want to consider your old safe
as a storage location with minimum security. If you wish to get
rid of it, the best way is to try selling it yourself. You will
probably get a much higher price than most safe companies will be
able to offer.
Insurance
Demands
Underwriter
Laboratories rates safes for protection against fire and burglars.
The most popular ratings today for a burglar-resistant safe
are TL-15, TL-30, TL-30X6, and TRTL-30X6. |
If you wish to insure the contents of your safe against burglary,
your insurance underwriter will advise that a certain minimum UL
tested, approved, and labeled safe be utilized.
Every insurance underwriter has some formal guidelines. Their willingness
to insure the contents of your safe is dictated by the degree of
security your safe offers against various types of burglar attacks.
It is important to note that although the UL rating of the safe
is a major part of the policy acceptance, the safe's location, the
presence of alarms, and other security factors also form an important
part of the insurance company's final decision.
APS insurance broker Hugh Wood Inc. offers premium credits for
both "fire" safes and "rated" safes. The credit is higher for a
"rated" safe. APS members who are insured through Hugh Wood and
who have recently purchased, or are planning to purchase, a safe
should contact their representative to have the appropriate credit
applied to their policy.
The
Author
Robert
F. McLaughlin works with Maximum Security Safes. He began collecting
stamps when he was growing up in Brooklyn. He notes, "This gave
me an interest in history and gsseography that far exceeded my classroom.
It also gave me my current penchant for travel. Combining my background
in mechanical and electrical engineering, protecting stamps with
adequate means was a natural. I knew what was needed and am now
happily supplying it!" His current collecting interest is world
sport sets.
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Buying
