info on antique Herring Farrel Banker's safe please...

NatSafeMatt

Hello everyone…any information on this safe would be greatly appreciated. It hasn’t been delivered yet so these picts are just picts of picts on my computer screen…i can post better ones when the safe gets here if need be. It’s measurements are 58 inches tal, 32 wide, and 28 deep. Thanks a bunch!!

Dean Nickel

Love to get better pics of the bolt work and the locks inside and out. Nice find!

Doug MacQueen

Matt, these may help with the paint. Also do a search on here for Herring Farrel. There is another nice chest with original paint stuck in the Misc. Question section. Doug

bbcci

Hi Matt, Looks like you have you have your work cut out for you on this one. A nice looking safe! Can’t wait to see what to see what it looks like when your done.
I took this excerpt from a Terry Andreasen reply.
"FARREL–HERRING SAFE COMPANY 1869-1885, Philadelphia, PA
1861 merger between Herring & Farrel, but they kept the names separate until 1869. The two factories remained in Philadelphia and New York. Safes manufactured at the Philadelphia plant were labeled as Farrel-Herring and safes manufactured at the New York plant were labeled as Herring-Farrel.

In 1885, the concerns were consolidated under the Herring label, though some safes were still labeled as Farrel occassionally. In 1892, the Herring Safe & Lock Company, including the Farrel Safe works, merged with “Hall’s Safe & Lock Company” and the “Marvin Safe Company”, to form “Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company”. HHM lasted until they were acquired by Diebold in 1959. During a subsequent “anti-monopoly” suit brought against Diebold, they were ordered to close down or sell HHM and the York Safe company.

Ok, now you have a brief history of the safe companies. If your safe has the Farrel-Herring logo on the Castor supports, the safe would be from the 1869-1885 period. Accurately IDing, ageing or evaluating the safe will require photos."

There is also a great picture on this site of what appears to be original artwork on a similar model.
herring farell safe

Hope that is some help. Bill

NatSafeMatt

Thanks a bunch Doug and Bill…it is greatly appreciated!! When it gets here Doug you’ll have to check it out…i’ll let you know.

Doug MacQueen

Thanks Matt. Bill, you may want to tell Terry that he might want to amend his history of Herring Farrel a wee bit. This chest is from a 1867 catalog. Doug

bbcci

Good eye Doug! Thanks for the correction.

Tom Gordon

That is a very interesting triple door. Was that body construction common in 1867 and was it cast?

Doug MacQueen

Almost all burglar chests at this time were built up of laminated plates, with just a couple exceptions. However, Herring did include hard cast plates of "Franklinite’ iron which was high in manganese, very similar to Speigeleisen. The small Marvin of the 1860’s and the large Corliss cast cannonball safes of the 1870’s were the two notable exceptions to this laminated style. Doug

NatSafeMatt

Doug…thanks for the picts of the black one…there are some simularities between the two…see ya soon. Matt (Nahum 1:7)

Ironworker

Hi. I’m new here so I wasn’t sure if I should start new thread or keep this one going, since my safe is almost identical to Matts. I’m looking for a value and year model, also is this a champion? Will post more pics if these turn out. thanks. Wes

Ironworker

A few more pics.

Ironworker

Hi, can anyone tell me what PT means on the casters of some of the Herring and Farrel safes. My Herring I posted above does not have this?

Tom Gordon

Do you think it is a shortening of “patent”?

Ironworker

The short for patent is Pat. so I don’t know what PT is?

Doug MacQueen

Pretty sure the PT stands for patent. If the Yale timelock is original to the chest, that would probably date it around 1890 or so. As for “Champion”, I have seen it used on Herring fire safes several times but not on the money chests. But in written info, it sounds like it was used for the chests as well. Kind of like Herring’s widespread use of “Dexter” for the various lock models. Doug

Ironworker

Doug MacQueen wrote
Pretty sure the PT stands for patent. If the Yale timelock is original to the chest, that w ould probably date it around 1890 or so. As for “Champion”, I have seen it used on Herring fire safes several times but not on the money chests. But in written info, it sounds like it was used for the chests as well. Kind of like Herring’s widespread use of “Dexter” for the various lock models. Doug

Hi, can anyone give me a value on this safe and would the history affect the value. A brief history is that I found this safe in Carbondale Colorado about 15 years ago, it was at a garage sale and was actually in the garage since 1929. In 29 it was taken out of the bank of aspen in Aspen Colo during the crash. I bought it from I believe the bank presidents daughter, the family gave us more in depth info but was verbal. I think this can all be documented with research, anyway it makes for a long and interesting story. If someone can shed any light on this it woud be great and thanks.
If you need more pics than I have supplied let me know.

[unknown]

Doug MacQueen

Personally, provenance means little to me, but it does to many people. All antique safes have a history. Unless it corresponds to something or someone famous, it won’t mean much, other than to locals of the area. However I do appreciate a gem of a safe more than most, and because of that I tend to over value them. Easy several thousand in my mind. Doug

JW9976

New here because I cannot find any information on the safe that I am currently the owner of.
All caster supports say Herring Farrell but Herring made the NEW PT. CHAMPION
Combo lock on left door is a dummy, the one on the right door is both the combo and the opening mechanism.
I also have a 9 inch key that inserts in the back of the combo lock (maybe to change combo?) I am trying to figure out the history but also would like to open the drawers and safety deposit box, as I dont have the key for that, but I do have the main combination. One of the drawers is broke so I could take the lock apart.

Cepasaccus

What a beauty!

Yes, the key is for changing the combination.