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Old Yale Safe w/Handwritten Combo Wont Open

Forgot how to dial the combination on that old safe? Think you got the right numbers but the handle is stuck? What safe should you buy? Ask your safe questions here!
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You are posting this in This Old Safe, a public area of the forum.

Safe manipulation discussion is allowed, but safe drilling or other destructive entry is only allowed in the Advanced - Safes and Safe Locks area.

If you are a guest of the forum and have a safe you need to open, but you do not have the combination, we cannot tell you how or where to drill it.

Old Yale Safe w/Handwritten Combo Wont Open

Postby Goodfella » 30 May 2019 20:51

Hi All,
Recently a family member passed away and his surviving children believe his will and other documents to be in a safe in his office. He did leave a combo taped to the safe door but we have tried to no avail. The combo he wrote looks like this:
L-11/11. R(3)-86, L(2)-40, R-40 but this seems to be open to interpretation because none of us can figure what 11 11 means. I've included imgur links to his handwritten combo and lock.

https://imgur.com/a/I6GTYtP
Image

https://imgur.com/a/TcFfQKz
Image


I have tried reversing the combo and +/-2 to each number in every variation as well. Have not tried the rubber mallet method yet. I feel him writing "11 11" is off because he did not include any parenthesis for the amount of turns on the first number in the combo when he did for the others. He was a CPA if that is relevant at all. Any help would be appreciated.
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Re: Old Yale Safe w/Handwritten Combo Wont Open

Postby Squelchtone » 30 May 2019 21:23

Most modern safe locks use the 4-3-2-1 dialing method, that top 11 might be a faded 4. especially since the top of the 4 in 40 is open and not a closed triangle/boat sail shape.

Dial Left three times past 11 and stop on 11 the 4th time

Dial Right two times past 86 and stop on 86 the 3rd time

Dial Left one time past 40 and stop on 40 the 2nd time

Dial Right to 89 and hopefully the dial will stop dead at 89 and you can open the door.

Hope this works!
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Re: Old Yale Safe w/Handwritten Combo Wont Open

Postby billdeserthills » 31 May 2019 16:49

That 11 is actually a 4
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Re: Old Yale Safe w/Handwritten Combo Wont Open

Postby high_order1 » 28 Jul 2019 23:21

That's a 4, buddy

Image

See the dot where the right leg is composed of two segments? There's a fine line connecting the two legs ending there.

Clever of him though, even with the combo in plain sight, she still retains her mysteries :mrgreen:
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Re: Old Yale Safe w/Handwritten Combo Wont Open

Postby Squelchtone » 29 Jul 2019 8:42

This OP posted and never logged back in to see any of our replies.

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