safes in britain

JForsyth

are there any of the american safes in the UK such as the cannonball style ones? And if not would it ever be possible to ship one over from america? If anyone knows thanks for your help.

KitBear

I have seen a few in my time but not as many as i’d like to see, You could have one imported but i’m sure the cost of the safe wouldn’t be Your primary concern as shipping it would be prohibitively expensive, By air you would get it quicker but you would spend a fortune on fuel due to the weight, It would be cheaper by sea but it would take longer and the man power could cost you extra.

Just some things to take into consideration when shipping a safe, If You have the money it can be done, Weight, Distance, Transportation method and manpower are issues which can push up the price rapidly.

Why do You think vault doors go for cheap prices 🙂

Why a cannonball safe anyway, Have You always wanted one or are you just concerned about a nitro attack? I would just stick to the standard, It’ll save you quite a lot in the long run.

JForsyth

Yeh if anyone were to bring one over it would have to be by sea, and yeh I love the look of the cannonball safes, I personally prefer them to normal square ones, they are different, I also quite liked the look of this type of safe http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Safe-The-Mosler-Bank-Safe-Company-/200647326241?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb7833a21#ht_742wt_149 . with the cannonball style door, also I assume if anyone were ever planning to resell one in Britain you wouldn’t have much of a problem because of the rarity of them in this country.

Dean Nickel

While the cannon ball safe is cool I think one better is the Corliss.
http://www.antique-locks.com/showthread.php/972-Corliss-pics

Both the cannon ball and the Corliss are not seen on the Northwest coast of the US very much anymore.

As for shipping once it is on a pallet then it is a forklift problem unless you try to ship a large one.

JForsyth

yeh the corliss are nice but they are even harder to find than cannonballs and more pricy

Doug MacQueen

If you are interested, I may be able to help you find a cannonball or a Corliss. That little Mosler chest is nice and in my mind a good deal. There aren’t many like that around. Doug

JForsyth

thanks ill keep that in mind, what would a cannonball safe in good condition/restored set you back? I prefer the cannonball safes to the corliss.

Doug MacQueen

The prices vary considerably but then again so do the cannonballs. Restored ones can range from around $5,000 to as much as $20,000. There are not many with very good original paint and those prices are all over the map as well. In fair to poor condition they can sometimes be had for well under $1000 to as high as $5000. The miniature salesman samples seem to be going for as much and sometimes more than a full size one. Doug

JForsyth

thanks Doug, If I were to buy one i would probably want to get one with the timelock and restored, and I would assume the nearest one to the east coast.
Do you know any which would do?
Thanks

Doug MacQueen

If you prefer the smaller cannonballs to the Corliss, you should look on this site and Google images to see what type you would like. Diebold, Mosler, Victor, The Manganese Steel Co of New York (also TISCO) and Ely Norris seem to be the more common ones. Halls ,HHM, National, Baum and Cary less so. Then there is the Hibbard Rodman Ely type continued by The Manganese Steel Co. Also there are the little older Marvins which are truly cannonball shaped. I don’t want to give the impression that all of these types are readily available, especially in a restored condition. But there are a few that are, although at this point they may need to be retouched. There is a Victor very nicely restored by Geoff Joli (it is pictured on his website, Safeworks.org), that was available last time I checked. Unfortunately it now needs some work to bring it back to the spectacular job Geoff originally did on it. He does not own it though. It resides in an un- air conditioned warehouse in Florida Doug

JForsyth

yeh i assume you meant safeworks.net, and yeh the victor safe looks great, I do like the Mosler, Diebold, Victor, The Manganese Steel Co of New York and Ely Norris. I prefer the cannonball type safes which have a flat back rather than a spherical back (i.e. for instance it can be placed flat against a wall), Also i dont mind whether there is a compartment below the main safe, but given the choice of one with a compartment and one without I would take the one which had the lower compartment in the base. If i did decide ever to purchase this sort of safe i would wait until one that had been fully restored came up for sale as im not up to taking any restoration. I will be away for the next 2 weeks so probs wont be able to check this thread, but will check it when I return. Many thanks for your help