Help Identifying Meilink Safe

[ArbyBenton]

Hi, all. I'd appreciate some help identifying / getting more information about an old Meilink safe that has been baffling me for over 11 years now.

I work for a public school, and in one of the classrooms, hidden behind what looks like a regular cabinet door, is an old built-in safe. I've inquired about it over the years, but none of my coworkers know what it was used for or how to get into it. No one knows if the safe even has anything in it. They just know it's been there for a long time. It's kind of an odd-looking safe, and I've always wondered what type of safe it is or what it might have been used for.

It's built into the wall and is encased in concrete. It's maybe 3 feet high by 2 feet wide. It has a circular "door" on it, but it seems any type of dial or hinges it once had have since been removed. Even so, the safe is still securely locked.

It has a few identifying markings on it from the manufacturer. One says "Meilink Steel Safe Co." and the other says "Burglary Restive Chest" with some numbers stamped into it.

Here are some photos of it. If anyone has any information about this type of safe, I'd love to hear what you have to say. I'm not trying to get into the safe or anything of that nature, I'm just curious to know what type of safe it is and what these types of safes were most commonly used for in the past. Thanks in advance!

[MartinHewitt]

No one knows if the safe even has anything in it.

In most cases an unknown, closed safe is empty. If it indeed contains something it is in most cases nothing valuable.

There is nothing stamped in the SNMA Groupe field, isn't it?

[ArbyBenton]

No one knows if the safe even has anything in it.

In most cases an unknown, closed safe is empty. If it indeed contains something it is in most cases nothing valuable.

There is nothing stamped in the SNMA Groupe field, isn't it?

Correct, the "S.M.N.A. Group" field is blank.

I've always just assumed the safe was probably empty, but the fact that that no one remembers what it was used for makes it that much more mysterious.

[MartinHewitt]

Unknown safes are a real joy! In my last and only safe (also a wall safe) with unknown content was only construction waste. It looked like it was built in and never cleaned and used.

I don't know what type of lock on your Meilink is. It doesn't look like a normal combination lock.

[GWiens2001]

Three things. First, it looks like hinges have been removed. Second, the dial area makes me think of a floor safe. And third, if the safe is in a school, then I wouldn't touch it without administration approval. You could wind up in jail.

Gordon

[ArbyBenton]

Three things. First, it looks like hinges have been removed. Second, the dial area makes me think of a floor safe. And third, if the safe is in a school, then I wouldn't touch it without administration approval. You could wind up in jail.

Gordon

Interesting. Perhaps they just mounted a floor safe vertically.

I'm definitely not going to attempt to open the safe. I was just curious to learn more about it. Thanks for the info!

[QcLocksmith]

The best clue to ID this safe is that the lock seems to be operated with a Star removable dial, I will look a little more in my documents tonight to see if I find something

[QcLocksmith]

here is the back of a star dial