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Herring Hall Marvin Safe Co Serial Numbers



Q-I have an old safe made by the Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Co. It was removed from a warehouse on Chicago`s South Side, where I`m told illegal whiskey was stored during Prohibition. How can I find out its value, and where can I sell it?

A-The Herring-Hall-Marvin Co. of Cincinnati and Chicago manufactured fine and fancy safes and was located in Chicago at 225 W. Lake St. Some safes made to order by the company were beautifully decorated with hand-painted pictures and designs. One covered with sailing ships was made more than 100 years ago for bakery mogul Henry Piper; it can be seen at That Steak Joynt restaurant, 1610 N. Wells St., which was once the Piper Bakery building. For more information on the safe, phone the restaurant`s owner, Billy Siegle, at 943-5091. Siegle says he`ll give you a free bottle of wine with your dinner if you bring in any piece of Piper Bakery memorabilia.

The only marks I can see on the safe are the name of the company (Herring Hall Marvin Safe Co). And then under it i can see some numbers beginning with 194. I don't know if this is the beginning of a date from the 1940's or a part of a serial number or what? Any information you can provide would be great! 1932 Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Co. This is a high quality digital reproduction of an original 1932 product catalog for Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Co. This catalog features bank vaults, fire resistive vault doors (7830, 7834, 7629, 7634, 14, 16, 17, 19.

Bob McCown buys old safes and vaults, as well as time clock combination locks for safes and vaults. You can reach him at Fink Safe & Lock Co., 2307 N. Western Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60647 (phone 486-2030). Keith Mulford collects cutaway locks (salesmen`s samples with a section cut away to show how the internal mechanism worked), unique padlocks and old safes measuring less than 30 inches high. He can be contacted at 1017 N. Gibbons, Arlington Heights, Ill. 60004 (phone 870-7372). To have an old safe appraised in the south suburbs, write to Harvey Sass, Elmer & Son Locksmiths, 3001 Chicago Rd., Steger, Ill. 60475 (phone 755-5273), enclosing a photo of the safe along with its height, width, depth, inside and outside measurements and any wording it has. Or write to the National Antique Safe Association, Box 110099, 16507 E. 13th Ave., Aurora, Colo. 80011, requesting a safe appraiser`s name and address near you.

The value of an old safe depends on its type and rarity. Some years back, a reader of this column, Felix Gremmo, took my advice and contacted the Smithsonian Institution in Washington about a 5-foot-high and 4-foot-wide black 'cannonball' safe he bought at a warehouse in 1974 for $45 and for which, nine years later, the Smithsonian paid him $2,500. The four-ton round safe, made by the Corliss Mfg. Co., sits on a short steel pedestal and is painted black with fancy ornamentation and the date 1872 in ornate gold lettering. The safe (which is most rare and unusual) is a steel ball made to rotate on an axis inside a larger steel shell and is fitted with three drawers (in which valuables were placed), a timer lock that must be cranked to set the time and two combination locks and two key locks. Warning: If you find an old safe, do not attempt to force it open. It may be booby-trapped, as many were, to discourage thieves.

Q-Where can I find a record by Cary Grant entitled 'Did I Remember'

Herring hall marvin safe for sale

that he recorded around 1935?

A-The World`s Biggest and Best Annual Antique Music Fair attracts collectors from all over the U.S. and features 78 rpm records, cylinder records, phonographs, sheet music, vintage radios, jukeboxes and everything else relating to music memorabilia. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday at Seven Acres Antique Village & Museum, 8512 S. Union Rd., Union (phone 815-923-2214). Admission is $4; children under 5 admitted free. For information or a search service to obtain the recording you want, write to Randy Donley at the museum.

Q-Where can I get glass replacement parts, pieces and lids for my old set of Guardian Service Waterless Cookware?

A-Ivan Bernstein deals in new and used pieces of Guardian cookware and is looking to buy Guardian Ware cookbooks. Contact him at 6304 Green Meadow Pkwy., Baltimore, Md. 21209 (phone 301-358-2444). Various shapes and sizes of glass lids for Guardian cookware to fit dome cookers, casseroles, fryers, kettles and roasters in oval, triangular and round shapes can be ordered from the Painted Lady Antiques Catalogue, available for $2.75 postpaid from the Painted Lady Antiques Inc., 4712 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60639. The catalogue also offers a multitude of hard-to-find parts, pieces, hardware, display domes, lighting fixtures and a variety of cleaning products and polishes, including the delightfully scented and fast-working Conrad`s Wood Youth Food Oil, which cleans, enhances, feeds and preserves all wood and iron items. A 16-ounce size is $14.70 postpaid, 32-ounce size is $23.45 postpaid, and 128-ounce size is $84.75 postpaid. For more information, phone Paul Peshkin at the Painted Lady Antiques at 282-5116.

Q-My grandfather, Herbert R. Smiley, manufactured druggists scales in Chicago from 1890 to 1895. Some had the name 'Smiley' imprinted on them, while others were manufactured under the name of 'Druggists Scale Works.' So far I`ve had no luck in trying to locate any of the scales he manufactured. Is there a source?

A-Write to the International Society of Antique Scale Collectors, Bob Stein, 111 N. Canal St., Suite 380, Chicago, Ill. 60606.

Herring

Q-Are old wrenches worth anything? I have several types that belonged to my grandfather.

A-Send for a copy of 'Antique Wrenches,' by Larry Finch, available for $9.95 postpaid from L-W Books, Box 69, Gas City, Ind. 46933 (phone

317-674-6450). For a dramatic rustic effect, try an arrangement of different wrenches on a stark white or bright red wall to perk up a dull den or ordinary office.

Because of the volume of responses, when writing sources listed in this column, you must enclose an addressed, stamped envelope for replies. Anita Gold can be reached by writing Anita Gold, The Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. However, the mail volume precludes a personal response.

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Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin Safe

Posted byBrooklyn on February 04, 2009 at 07:43:49:

Recently I purchased a HH&M safe on ebay; I only know that it is pre war
HH&M because it has solid cast acorns. I have a couple of questions for you
safe experts that if answered would help me considerablyl.
First, I did not have a full set of hinge acorns so I had some acorns made of
solid brass and my plan was to brass plate the handle and dial. But I do not
like the look of these shiny brass acorns and was wondering if I can nickel or
chrome plate these solid brass acorns (and of course do the same with the
dial and handle).
Second, I have been told that HH&M serial numbers are located on the
handle. On my handle, I can see a four digit number (8192) and a two digit
number on top of this number (50). I am wondering if my safe's serial
number is 8192 or 508192. Lastly, I have read many posts on this fine
forum about combinations and I am a bit confused by the function of the
'last turn'. The given (almost actual) combo of my safe is 91R-33L-60R-
7L.. Many times I read that the last turn (after 7L) would be to to the right
where the dial stops. On my safe when I turn to the final number (7) I usually
hear a distinct click and when I turn the dial to the right, the dial stops at
about 0 and I open the door. However I can turn the handle and open the
safe also when the dial is at number 7 and do not have to go to 0 .
Sometimes I do not hear the click at the last given number (7) but the door
will still open. However in this case, if I were to turn the dial to the right the
dial will not stop at 0 and the door will not open at 0. The dialing is pretty
smooth in general but the behavior of my lock does not seem to be
consistent with my readings of your posts about the last turn. I am
wondering if there is something wrong with my lock. It is a hand change
Yale loick and soon I am going to (very carefully) take apart the wheels and
degrease the components and wipe them down with a bit of Triflow. Based
on the inconsistent last turn behavior of my lock, I am wondering if there is
something else I should do while I have the lcok taken apart and have access
to the rest of the components in the door. Thanks so much.



Follow Ups:

Herring Hall Marvin Safe Co Serial Numbers List Printable Chart

  • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeDoug MacQueen CPS CMS12:34:02 2/06/2009(11)
    • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeBrooklyn01:51:55 2/07/2009(1)
      • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin Safeguy zani jr.07:53:18 2/08/2009(0)
    • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeBrooklyn01:51:41 2/07/2009(8)
      • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeDoug MacQueen CPS CMS12:18:41 2/09/2009(5)
        • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeBrooklyn04:38:44 2/10/2009(4)
          • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeBrooklyn07:21:32 2/10/2009(3)
            • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeDoug MacQueen CPS CMS12:14:52 2/10/2009(2)
              • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeBrooklyn08:24:35 2/12/2009(1)
                • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeDoug MacQueen CPS CMS13:38:29 2/17/2009(0)
      • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeKen Dunckel Safecracker Boxman05:46:00 2/07/2009(1)
        • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin SafeBrooklyn20:09:48 2/07/2009(0)
  • Re: Restoration of a Herring, Hall & Marvin Safejohn rea17:44:12 2/05/2009(0)

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Herring Hall Marvin Safe Identification