A neat old Mosler may find a home in my office

[Ardbeg10]

Hello,
I have an old Mosler safe I’m looking to learn a bit more about - particularly the age as the serial number (57757) points to this safe being a remarkable 138 years old if I’m understanding it correctly. I can’t judge antiques at all but I won’t be surprised if you tell me that I’m misunderstanding the chart or that Mosler re-used this serial number batch in later years, and that this safe is really from the 1940s.

It’s probably an A safe or the earlier equivalent & I’m guessing it’s 1100-1200 pounds with an inner volume of about 5.2 cubic feet.

Here’s some specs:
Outer Dimensions 35.75” tall without wheel (45” with wheel) x 30.875” wide x 26.125” deep
Outer door = 32.6875” tall x 27.0625” wide x 4.5” thick (approx).
Hinge = 5.375” x 1.25” diameter
Lock mechanism = 2.5” approx diameter
Inner Dimensions = 27.75” tall x 21.625” wide x 15” deep (approx).
Inner ‘sheet metal’ door dimensions = 27.5” tall x 21.5” wide

And here are some pics

















There are some logistics & horse trading involved but I'm hoping to get this into my office or at least out of an office basement where no one sees it. I don't have the combination yet but there's a retired former coworker that may have the combo (fingers crossed).

Thanks in advance & thanks for keeping this forum going. I always appreciate traditional dedicated forums & the work that goes into running them....

-Eric

[98G]

I realky like the stepped doors on those old safes.

I'd take serious steps to ensure that it doesn't get inadvertently locked in the meantime. Extend the locking rods with the door open and tape the dial in place, or even go so far as to lock the door in the open position. With access to the back of the lock, nothing is really a big deal, but if the door is closed and locked...

[Kaesekopf]

100% agree that opening a safe that has accidentally become locked without you knowing the combo would be unfortunate.
I wouldn’t be overly keen on moving a safe with the door open. But if you don’t feel confident on your skills to discover the combination, you could remove the wheel pack and work on the combination after the move. With the door open at destination.

[jimdoc]

Doesn't the door lift off at the hinge like I have seen on most of the ones I had?

[Ardbeg10]

Good point about making sure it doesn’t lock (I’ll double check but I think it’s locked open). …and also about moving it with the door open. I hadn’t even considered the possible problems a freely swinging 250 pound door might cause. I’ll see if the combination is available before considering next steps.

Is it possible that this safe is from the 1880s? I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around that possibility.

[98G]

Good point about making sure it doesn’t lock (I’ll double check but I think it’s locked open). …and also about moving it with the door open. I hadn’t even considered the possible problems a freely swinging 250 pound door might cause. I’ll see if the combination is available before considering next steps.

Is it possible that this safe is from the 1880s? I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around that possibility.

It's certainly possible. I've got three MacNeale and Urban safes that date prior to 1903 when they went out of business that are constructed similarly to your Mosler.

[Ardbeg10]

Great. Thanks. Hopefully I’ll be posting with progress in a few weeks.

[Raymond]

Try to get the key for the inner door. That may be more of a need than worrying about the combo.

Take the two screws out of the plate on the inside of the outer door. Then remove the wheel pack. That will either give you the current combo or will be the necessary first step to set a new combo. The outer door can be locked and unlocked with no combination as long as the wheel pack stays out.