Home Safe For Stamp Collection?

I keep all my better material in safe deposit boxes, but it occurs to me that I should have some sort of protection in the home against fire and theft for the material I'm working on and/or haven't gotten around to taking to the bank.

The market for "safes" is a bit of a marketing minefield. Specs are all over the map and vary from brand to brand. What logically would seem appropriate, a "fire safe" actually would likely be the worst thing in the world for philatelic material, due to the release of water/steam within the safe as a cooling mechanism in the event of a fire.

Some sources recommend a "media safe" for stamps, but those are incredibly expensive for any decent size.

Lower-tier "gun safes" are little more than security cabinets. Higher-end safes seem a better option, but still may not offer temperature protection in the event of a fire.

Insurance coverage does not factor into the decision, as my policy covers my collection in or out of a safe.

What research/recommendations do people have for home protection of stamps/documents against fire & burglary?

Thanks.

I see no response to this very old query, but wonder if anyone has any ideas. I ruined a number of expensive (to me) stamps by putting them in a cheap safe which had way too much humidity. For short term storage (vacation trips) I use my gun safe, but am nervous about long term storage and am approaching a move which will not include the gun safe. Does anybody have any new ideas? Thanks

Ollie

You didn't put a desiccant in the safe? Beyond that, I suppose the way to treat it would maybe be to leave the safe open as much as possible, and just lock it up when you're out of the house. If you have it all insured on an itemized rider, then you'd really only have to keep safe the really hard to find or unique stuff. Common but expense could be replaced in no time with the check you get.

There are fire-proof safes that pack sufficient insulation to keep the interior temperature well below 451°F (the spontaneous ignition point for paper).

Safe deposit boxes should be viewed as an off-site storage option that provides some level of security. However, if you read your bank's SDB policy, you'll discover that they assume NO responsibility for whatever you put into one.

Personally, I let the insurance company worry about it. That's what I'm paying those annual premiums for. Note that I keep an accurate up to date inventory of all my albums as well as full color high resolution scans of album pages containing high value stamps (i.e. my Zeppelin plate blocks, Columbians, etc.) and the purchase receipts for same.

For what it is worth, I have a Liberty safe with a 30 minute fire rating not just for stamps but other things as well, and then a fireproof keyed box inside that for additional protection. The box does not offer any real level of security, but is a pretty "safe" (no pun intended) place for stamps, certs or currency and so forth both from a security standpoint and in event of a fire.

You can of course go beyond that, depending on how much you might want to make modifications to your house like adding a solid core door with a frame that is bolted or attached to the framing with lots of 3 1/2" screws and so forth with a keyed deadbolt, and so on and so forth. I did this and said safe sits in a windowless room (closet.)

A large Rottweiler also provides an added level of security.

safe equals humidity equals tears.

And best not to store it in a lake

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...ash-new-york

I always wonder about big show dealers who drive their stock all over creation. At times, the outside temps have to be quite high yet I doubt their stock is air conditioned during the drive. Why doesn't the gum get ruined during summer temps on the road?

These are to preserve important papers for future use, not for archival storage.

Would you put your collection in the oven at, say, 300 degrees? The paper may not burst into flames, but the plastic mounts would melt, the wax paper would bleed onto what is next to it. the gum...would change.

If you stored extra cash in the safe, you could turn it into the bank for new bills. You could pull out contracts and use them in court. But you would not be proud of those stamps in your album.

Most fireproof safes keep the contents safe by adding humidity, as others have pointed out. But even more than that, you want air circulation. You need to flip through your albums from time to time. Locked tight in an airtight room is not a good storage option unless you have it climate controlled.

Keep the temperature below 75 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Keep the relative humidity (rH) below 65% to prevent mold growth and reduce insect activity. Avoid very low relative humidity because relative humidity below 15% can cause brittleness.