[honkytonkmarc]

I'm a locksmith, and work on safes all the time. I wanted to pass on a word of caution for anyone who does or will store cards in a fire safe.
Fire safes work because they have a liner that, as it heats up, slowly releases moisture into the air inside the safe. Thus, the air cannot reach a tempature hot enough to ignite paper or cardboard.
But, because of the moisture, you want to protect your cards. Graded cards should be fine, because the cases are usually moisture proof, and the plastic shouldn't melt inside a fire safe. But, for any raw cards, I recomend storing them inside a ziplock bag designed for cooking, they can take high tempatures without melting, and it will lock out the moisture that could damage your cards.
I just wanted to share this, in case you were unaware. I'm going to post this on all the different sport's thread pages, but I might not check back on it, so if you have any questions, or want to know what to look for when looking for a safe to protect your cards, PM me, and I'll gladly help you out.

[honkytonkmarc]

I forgot to mention, too, that fire safes have an hourly rating. That is how long they should protect the contents in the middle of a fire. Once they've been through a fire, they are no longer useful for fire protection, just security.

[honkytonkmarc]

I forgot to mention, too, that fire safes have an hourly rating. That is how long they should protect the contents in the middle of a fire. Once they've been through a fire, they are no longer useful for fire protection, just security.

[sportscardstop]

excellent advise and interesting facts on the safes. I always wondered what would happen to my graded cards inside the safe if the safe was actually IN a fire. I figured i would have one big glob of PSA plastic but it sounds like you say otherwise... is that true?

[cptnemo66]

You PSA cases should be just fine.

[searl3]

im a football guy and saw your post. just so happens i bought a safe a couple of weeks ago and this information is very valuable. thanks so much.

[uniquedesigns]

Just wondering, since I believe a fire has more heat just above the flames, if a safe or fire safe is best located attached to your basement floor, which I'd think would always be below the hottest part of the fire?
I'veseen fire safes that have handles for carring, that are breifcase sized.If you're near your fire safe when a fire starts and can grab it, thenthe fire protection was really unnecessary. But, if you are away whenthe fire starts, I'd again think a basement storage location would beoptimal. Are these fire safes, that you say release a moisture barrierto protect items from reaching flash point, also moisture proof undernormal conditions. If they are not moisture proof, then putting yourcards in a closed box that is in a basement location might get a moldy smell to them.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[honkytonkmarc]

In the floor safes are considered to be the best fire protection, so I would say that in the basement floor has to be absolutely the best. As for the musty smell, I'm not sure, but most fire safes, while not rated for it, are very moisture resistant. I don't know if you could say moisture-proof, I would still open up the safe once a year or so, if not more often, and let it breathe for a while.
The fire safes that are brief case like, I guess, are designed for storing important documents, but with the portability. Like you said, if you're right by it when the fire starts, you don't need the protection.