Should I Use A Safe For Collectables?

If you are a collector or your hobby is to collect certain products, items or valuables, then you’ve probably at some point, had thoughts on the best way to store them conveniently and safely.

One of the ways I’m sure you’ve already come up with is a home safe.

But is a safe for collectables really a good idea?

A Safe For Collectables?

A safe for collectables has many advantages.

The main advantage is that a safe will help against potential theft, but some other advantages include protecting your collection from the elements, such as light, heat, dust and damp.

Protection against the elements of dust, light fade, and damp can help keep your collectables in pristine condition, and prevent them from devaluing or spoiling.

Some safes also come with increased protection against things like flood and fire, so using one of these rated safes will give some extra peace of mind.

Here’s some examples of what certain collectors use a safe for:

These are just some examples of collectables that are suitable for a safe. Of course, there are some limitations associated with keeping collectables in a safe.

Limitations

Of course, the biggest limitation is size. Unless your safe is a vault, then size is going to be the biggest limitation by far.

If you collect Lego and store it away for example, then you are simply not going to have enough room in your safe, unless you buy an expensive free standing safe.

Cost is also a factor, because buying a safe will sometimes mean that a significant outlay is required. In the case of the Lego example above, you are simply going to run out of room pretty quickly (unless of course, you buy a huge, free standing safe which is going to be a significant cost).

So a safe for collectables really is limited to either your most expensive and valuable collectables, or small form collectables that will easily store in a small place.

Most Expensive Collectables

I know of someone who has some very rare and expensive Neo Geo AES games that he keeps in a safe. In terms of size, each game is about the size and shape of an old VHS tape (if you’re old enough to remember).

He has an extensive collection of these games, but uses his safe to house only three or four titles.

In this instance, it’s an excellent use of a safe – not only does it give extra protection from theft, but it also helps protect against natural elements such as light, air, damp and dust.

His safe is fire rated too, so in the event of a fire, the safe would afford some protection for its contents.

So if you are thinking that your collection will not fit in a safe, it’s worth considering using the safe for your most prized and valuable pieces only, and keeping the rest of your collection out on display…

Showing Off Your Collectables

The major downsize in using a safe for storing your collectables is the fact that you can’t show them off. Many people (including my friend with the Neo Geo games), shows off some of his collection in specialist display cabinets, in one of his rooms.

It is actually the centre piece of the room.

So to hide away your collectables in a safe almost goes against the purpose of collecting in the first place, as you can’t celebrate your collection because it can’t be seen hidden away in a safe.

Should I Use A Safe For Collectables?

The answer is, it depends.

If you have a collection that you don’t show off in a room in your house, that you want to keep safe and secure at all times, and your collectables will actually fit in a safe, then by all means, a safe is an excellent choice (as oppossed to storing them in a cupboard or in a box in the attic for instance).

But if you actively celebrate your particular collection, and you don’t want your collection hidden away in a safe and the collection forms part of a room make up and design, then you will probably find that a safe is not suitable – unless of course you have just a few collectables that are worth a lot more than the rest of your collection, and you wnt peace of mind that your most prized assets are safe from theft, fire, damp, dust and light.

Of course, before considering buying a safe for any purpose, you should follow our advice on securing and target hardening your property first, as well as looking at your fire risk and use of smoke detectors.

Questions & Comments

Let me know in the comments below – do you keep any of your collectables in a safe, and what sort of collectable your store in your safe and why?

We will try and reply to every comment, so please do use the comment section below and give us your thoughts.

Stay Safe. Stay Secure.