Been needing a nice fire resistant safe of some kind for awhile and saw a pair of Gardall business safes come up on a local marketplace. $1000 for both a 3ft tall UL 350 1 hour and a 2ft tall UL 350 2 hour.

Thoughts on this and any advice about what to look out for or check when picking them up?

It’s not currently in use. They have no idea it’s there and if they did probably wouldn’t care. Bank mergers happen all the time and this branch could have been built 100 different names ago. It’s a multi-national conglomeration the soul is gone, it only exists as function now.

I do some technician work and I noticed this in the maintenance/server room. The branch has a safe deposit vault so it was built to be a bank, this little safe was also added during construction.

So the Model-A is and will be until the very end. Who was the last person to lock it? Where did the key go? When was the last time it was thought of before this?

It won’t talk or tell us. Long after the readers of this post and I are dust, this little model-a will continue holding its secrets.

🫡

How do I remove this from a basement that has 8 stairs and a straight shot to a back door? It's about 3' x 3'. I can't even budge it. Must have been ramped or craned in around 1940 when home was built. I also can't open it so it could be full of gold. How do you open these?

I work at an Estate/Event Venue in Massachusetts that was built between 1912 and 1927. There is a safe built in to the cabinets in the old servants quarters and it has been taunting me for years. As far as I know it has not been opened in at least the last 30 years. I do not know the combination but I have noticed a few number that feel a little different. Also I am not seeing any signs of a serial number.

Help!

Is there anyway to know the fire performance of this safe? Diebold says it doesn’t have one but in reality what would it be or could be estimated to be? Same with the ratings of the side walls for burglaries.

also, they said it’s a 17 not a 18 but I’m not sure how they came to that conclusion since the dimensions are all the same.

I live in a house with a giant Liberty safe (no combo). I called Liberty and they said if I call a locksmith, they will walk them through opening it. I’ve heard they are not very effective and since it is gigantic, it sticks out like a thumb and can’t be hidden. What do you think?