Antique MEILINK Safe.

[SEANO]

I found the MEILINK Safe pictured at a yard sale early afternoon yesterday. A friend of mine is building a new house and getting rid of items before the move-in/out, via a garage sale. An important point is that the safe combination is unknown. He was asking $50. I offered $40, which he excepted.

I inquired about the history of the safe. He told me he bought it at a higher-end estate sale approx. 20 years ago. I have known him for many years, and have no reason to doubt him. He spent some time trying to open it after he bought it by using a "Combo" that was written on the bottom of the safe (which seems fishy to me). He was unable to open it and eventually just rolled it to the back of his oversize garage. Gradually it became forgotten and covered with lots of garage/house junk over the years.

Rotating the safe you can tell something is in there. It's likely a pipe-dream that there is anything worthwhile. I find it hard to believe previous owners would let that go unchecked before selling it. Regardless, its very intriguing and invokes dreams of it being loaded with treasure, much like winning a big lottery, ha. More likely its just a shelf that came loose, of some wise A threw in a couple of pennies to get more cash for the original estate sale.

I am currently working on rounding-up some friends to brainstorm a way to open it. The safe might be worth $50-$200 with a good combo, but there's no way I would let it go with out feeding my curiosity.

99% plus chance nothing worthwhile is in it, but its that 1% that fuels the quest.
I will let you know when we find that 99%.

Of course I am hoping this is not a Geraldo event.
For the younger GS Hunters here's link to the Geraldo story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mystery_of_Al_Capone's_Vaults


Any opening recommendations?

 

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[stefen]

Might let a locksmith open it...rather than fubar'in the safe...

 

[Lost&Found]

If there is a combination written on it this video shows the correct sequence using the combo to open it. Hope it helps

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s_RVa3bSjbE

 

[stefen]

If there is a combination written on it this video shows the correct sequence using the combo to open it. Hope it helps

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s_RVa3bSjbE

The video is the manufacturer's solution, however the problem is that Seano's combination is not valid...

Consequently Seano ia asking for any opening recommendations?

 

[JimDon]

My bet is that the noise from the inside is the document door. That being said I hope i am wrong and it is full of treasure. Keep us informed.

 

[iloveshinythings]

I assume the easiest way to open it would be to use a torch to cut off the hinges, and open it from the opposite side, but I'd definitely hire a person to open it. If it's empty it may cost you some money, but if it has something in it, at least you won't burn whatever is inside if it is documentation or something else valuable.

Also, if you hire someone, they can reset it and you'd have a handy safe..... on wheels!? BOLT IT TO THE FLOOR.

 

[bigcaddy64]

I found the MEILINK Safe pictured at a yard sale early afternoon yesterday. A friend of mine is building a new house and getting rid of items before the move-in/out, via a garage sale. An important point is that the safe combination is unknown. He was asking $50. I offered $40, which he excepted.

I inquired about the history of the safe. He told me he bought it at a higher-end estate sale approx. 20 years ago. I have known him for many years, and have no reason to doubt him. He spent some time trying to open it after he bought it by using a "Combo" that was written on the bottom of the safe (which seems fishy to me). He was unable to open it and eventually just rolled it to the back of his oversize garage. Gradually it became forgotten and covered with lots of garage/house junk over the years.

Rotating the safe you can tell something is in there. It's likely a pipe-dream that there is anything worthwhile. I find it hard to believe previous owners would let that go unchecked before selling it. Regardless, its very intriguing and invokes dreams of it being loaded with treasure, much like winning a big lottery, ha. More likely its just a shelf that came loose, of some wise A threw in a couple of pennies to get more cash for the original estate sale.

I am currently working on rounding-up some friends to brainstorm a way to open it. The safe might be worth $50-$200 with a good combo, but there's no way I would let it go with out feeding my curiosity.

99% plus chance nothing worthwhile is in it, but its that 1% that fuels the quest.
I will let you know when we find that 99%.

Of course I am hoping this is not a Geraldo event.
For the younger GS Hunters here's link to the Geraldo story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mystery_of_Al_Capone's_Vaults


Any opening recommendations?

I would say cut it open!! I'm actually in the same predicament as you, at this very moment. I purchased a locked, but very old, Herring/Hall/Marvin safe from the 40's a few years ago for 50.00 My old man has had decent luck getting safes open but this one isn't going to budge. A handful of calls to locksmiths have set the price firmly around 500.00 to open so i'm not going that route. I've told myself that it needs to be opened with the plasma cutter but i have yet to bring myself to do so.

If you can get pictures of your safe's internals, its possible to drill a hole in the front plate and use a boroscope to align the gates/wheels and open it. Thats what we have done in the past but yours might be too new and have security to prevent that.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

A locksmith knows exactly where to drill the hole so as to insert a mirror/camera to watch the tumblers.
I think most every safe has a set of specific measurements to get you to the correct drill location.

Probably be good insurance in case there is nothing worthwhile in it. I think you just fill the hole with cement or something and paint over it.

Let us know what you find.

 

[MRBeyer]

get a bottle of liquid nitrogen from a scientific or industrial gas supply house. Pour on the hinges, hit the hinges with a sledge hammer while they are frosted up. That old design probably wasn't engineered to take that type of an entry. Modern high quality ones hide their hinges because of this.