Best Safe for Coin Collection – 3 Picks for Thieves, Fire and Damp

Coin safe comparison: rating, room and install

The spec that separates these coin safes is who stands behind the burglary rating: only the Hollon PM-2819E carries a UL TL-15 listing, while the two floor safes depend on concrete.

Hollon lists no waterproof rating for any of the three, so sealed containers handle water and humidity. AMSEC’s TL-rated safes, which coin dealers also suggest, are sold through safe dealers rather than on Amazon, which is why all three picks come from Hollon.

The best coin safes, reviewed

A coin safe beats a thief in one of two ways: UL-tested steel too heavy to move, as on the PM-2819E, or a floor safe hidden in concrete, as with the B2500 and B3500. Specs come from Hollon’s spec pages; owner comments come from reviews on Judge.me, eBay and Guardian Safe & Vault.

Hollon PM-2819E: Best overall coin safe

4.1Best Safe Spec Score out of 5

• Security (lock and build)10/10
• Fire protection6/10
• Access (speed and ease)7/10
• Capacity9/10
• Value8/10

Security gets my top score because TL-15 is a UL listing and a 1,060 lb box defeats a carry-out theft; fire sits at 6 since the 2-hour number is the maker's own, and access drops for a keypad with no key override.

How we score

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What owners and reviewers say review themes from 3 owner reviews, plus 3 posts and reviews we read

Praised for

• Owners call it overbuilt for its TL-15 class
• One buyer reports it arrived undamaged after an easy order

Common complaints

• Heavy for its footprint; it ships by freight to the curb, and one owner paid more to have it set in his garage

Read on: MachineShark reviews on Judge.me: Hollon PM-2819 (3 reviews)

Who it's for: Collectors with slabbed coins, albums and grading paperwork who can set a 1,060 lb safe on a ground floor or concrete; plan for freight delivery, a maker-tested fire rating and a keypad without key backup.

The Hollon PM-2819E is a TL-15 burglary safe made by Hollon, and its rating is a UL listing rather than a maker’s claim: Hollon’s ratings page says UL’s testers worked the door and one side wall with tools. Behind that door sit a hard plate cage, a glass relocker and a compressed concrete fill, for 1,060 lbs in all. A safe that heavy does not leave the way that forum member’s 150 lb box did.

For my coins, the shape of the inside would matter as much as its volume. The 28 x 18.5 x 12.5 inch interior (3.75 cubic feet) is shallow, so slab boxes and coin albums stand in rows you can read at a glance, with nothing buried at the back. Rolls, tubes and a binder of grading invoices fit beside them.

The E model uses an S&G electronic keypad with no key override. Hollon says Type 1 electronic locks hold the code when the batteries die, and the PM-2819C is the same safe with a dial for collectors who would rather spin a combination.

The 2-hour fire figure is the weak spot: 350°F inside with up to 1750°F outside, measured in Hollon’s factory rather than by UL, and that insulation also adds damp air around your coins. Judge.me owners describe it as overbuilt for a TL-15 and heavy for its size; one paid extra to have it moved from the curb into his garage.

Hollon B2500: Best hidden coin safe

2.9Best Safe Spec Score out of 5

• Security (lock and build)8/10
• Fire protection3/10
• Access (speed and ease)5/10
• Capacity4/10
• Value8/10

I gave this B-rate box an 8 for security because concrete hides and anchors it; I kept fire at 3 with nothing published, and capacity at 4 because a few coin boxes fill a space you reach on your knees.

How we score

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What owners and reviewers say review themes from 4 owner reviews, plus 2 posts and reviews we read

Praised for

• Solid for the money and invisible under carpet, one owner says
• Owners like the smooth S&G dial and the strut that props the lid

Common complaints

• An owner compares the space to a milk crate, so coin boxes fill it fast

Read on: Dean Safe reviews on Judge.me: Hollon B2500 (3 reviews) · eBay product reviews: Hollon B2500 Floor Safe (1 reviews)

Who it's for: Homeowners who can cut a concrete slab and keep rolls, tubes and a few dozen slabs; it is no use to renters or upper floors, has no fire rating and needs sealed tubs against damp.

The Hollon B2500 is a small B-rate floor safe set in a slab of fresh concrete, so the coins sit below the floor where a burglar sees only carpet. Its 1/2 inch steel door locks with five bolts and a full-length dead bar, and a hard plate guards the UL-listed Group 2 dial, which has an external relocker. A dial is the right lock down there, since Hollon won’t warranty an electronic lock on any in-ground safe.

I’d plan the inside around coin holders, not cubic feet. The 12.9 x 10.9 x 11.3 inch cavity, about 0.9 cubic feet, takes a few slab boxes on end and a row of coin tubes, and a Dean Safe owner said it felt like a milk crate sunk in the floor. The same buyer praised the build for the money, the easy install and the gas strut that props the lid; an eBay buyer called it good value.

Damp is the price of hiding coins in concrete. Hollon’s floor-safe page warns that the concrete makes these safes susceptible to moisture, so I’d keep every slab box with a desiccant pack in a sealed tub, and raw coins in PVC-free flips. With no fire rating and a lid you open on your knees, the B2500 suits a collection you visit monthly, not one you sort every evening.

Hollon B3500: Best large floor safe

3.1Best Safe Spec Score out of 5

• Security (lock and build)8/10
• Fire protection3/10
• Access (speed and ease)5/10
• Capacity7/10
• Value8/10

Its security matches the B2500 because the construction is identical; capacity rises to 7 for about three times the room, and fire stays at 3 since Hollon lists no fire rating.

How we score

Check price on Amazon

What owners and reviewers say review themes from 2 owner reviews, plus 1 posts and reviews we read

Praised for

• A reviewer liked the build and the space for papers at the price

Common complaints

• Reviews of this exact model are rare and report no fault so far, so we also weigh B2500 owner notes and Hollon's damp warning

Read on: Guardian Safe & Vault: Hollon B3500 Floor Safe (2 reviews)

Who it's for: Homeowners on a slab with rows of slab boxes, proof sets or 2x2 boxes; it needs a deep cut in the floor, carries no fire rating and calls for desiccant inside.

The Hollon B3500 is the bigger of Hollon’s two B-rate floor safes here, sharing the B2500’s door, bolt work, hard plate and Group 2 dial, but with a 16.5 x 13 x 23 inch interior. That is about 2.85 cubic feet, three times the B2500 and not far short of the PM-2819E, enough for long rows of slab boxes, 2x2 storage boxes and proof sets.

To me, the 23-inch depth is both the appeal and the catch. Coin boxes stack deep, but the outer shell is 18 x 13.5 x 23.5 inches and 140 lb, so the slab cut and pour usually goes to a contractor. The damp risk and the missing fire rating carry over from the smaller model.

Owner reviews of the B3500 are rare. The single short review I found, on Guardian Safe & Vault, liked the build and the space for papers at its price. For a growing collection that has to stay out of sight, I’d still pick the Hollon B3500, provided you can cut the slab.

Which coin safe should you get?

The right coin safe depends on your floor first, your fire worry second and the number of coin holders you own third.

• A slab you can cut, theft is the main worry, a few slab boxes and tubes: Hollon B2500.
• The same floor, but the collection keeps growing: Hollon B3500, with about three times the room.
• Upper or wood floor, or you want fire protection too: Hollon PM-2819E, set on a ground floor or concrete and bolted through its anchor hole.
• Renting: neither floor safe works without cutting the slab, and the PM-2819E is a 1,060 lb move; ask the landlord before you buy.

Grading invoices, the inventory and its photos belong in a fire-rated box or a copy kept elsewhere, since neither floor safe has a fire rating.

How we picked these coin safes

We kept coin safes that at least two dealer guides for coin and precious-metal collectors name, then dropped any model Amazon US does not sell. Safe and Vault Store and Guardian Safe & Vault both name the Hollon PM-2819, and Guardian and NationwideSafes.com both stock Hollon’s B-rate floor safes for precious metals.

AMSEC’s CEV and CF TL-rated safes and its BF gun safes dropped out on that last step. None of these safes has been in our hands, so every fact here traces to Hollon’s spec sheets or to six owner reviews. Our safe buying checklist lists what to measure before you order, and who certifies each brand’s ratings is compared in a separate guide.

From our notes: The Hollon B2500’s inside measures 12.9 by 10.9 by 11.3 inches, and that number moved it down our list. We multiplied it out: about 0.9 cubic feet, a quarter of the PM-2819E. Then we set it beside a forum line that kept coming back to us, a collector who has been through three safes, each one larger than the last. A floor safe is hard to upgrade once it sits in concrete, so we added the B3500 for anyone whose collection is still growing.

Why a coin safe must stop burglars first

Coins are small, valuable and easy to sell, so a coin safe’s burglary resistance matters more than its fire minutes. FBI data for 2019 shows that only 3.5 percent of the value of stolen jewelry and precious metals was recovered. Once a collection leaves the house, it is usually gone.

Three labels sort safes for coins, and they are not equal:

1. UL TL-15 or TL-30: UL’s testers attack the safe with tools for 15 or 30 minutes of net working time. The dealer guides we read start serious collections at this tier, and the PM-2819E carries TL-15.
2. B-rate: a construction class that one Coin Talk member summed up as about a 1/2 inch steel door over a 1/4 inch body. Nobody attack-tests it in a lab, so a B-rate coin safe leans on bolts or, under the floor, concrete.
3. UL Residential Security Container: the starter listing on many gun safes, where a single tester tries hand tools for a few minutes.

Weight and anchoring finish the job, because a TL-15 rating means little if the safe leaves on a dolly. The Collectors Universe member who lost his 150 lb safe also warned that bolts into wood studs break loose with a crowbar and a saw, so bolt it into concrete wherever you can. The steps for concrete anchors are in our how to bolt down a safe guide.

Homeowners insurance is a thin backstop for coins. The common ISO HO-3 policy form caps money, coins, bullion and medals at a 200-dollar special limit, so a valuable collection needs its own insurance rider, and some insurers ask what rating your safe carries. A photo inventory with grades and cert numbers lets the insurer price a claim at replacement value rather than face value.

Will a fire safe tone or corrode coins?

Yes, a fire safe can tone or corrode coins: fire insulation releases moisture into the closed box, and that damp air reaches coins because holders are not airtight. One Collectors Universe member put it plainly: “Many use a layer of moisture laden concrete in the outer housing that makes the inside have high humidity.” He showed a friend’s coins that had corroded inside a fireproof safe. Safe and Vault Store’s coin guide adds that in damp safes silver tarnishes and copper develops verdigris, which is uneven toning nobody asked for.

Slabs don’t seal the problem out. PCGS says its holders are sonically sealed but not air tight, and it advises keeping coins away from humidity, in a dry place at a constant room temperature. Soft PVC flips are a second hazard: PVC breaks down on coins and leaves a green film, so move raw coins into PVC-free Mylar or polypropylene holders first. My routine, whichever of our three picks you choose:

• Store slab boxes and tubes in sealed plastic tubs with fresh desiccant inside the safe.
• Keep a small hygrometer in the safe and recharge the desiccant when the reading climbs.
• Open the safe now and then rather than leaving it shut for a year.

If your safe has a power pass-through, a dehumidifier rod helps too; our guide to gun safe dehumidifiers compares rods and canisters, and the same rules carry over to coins.

Coin safe problems collectors run into

Most coin safe problems come down to four things: outgrowing the safe, a hot garage, a small fire box that pries open, and people in the house.

• Outgrowing the safe. One Collectors Universe regular’s advice is “Buy 2x as large as you think you need.” I’d take the PM-2819E or B3500 over the B2500 if your buying is steady.
• A garage or attic safe. A Texas collector planned a garage safe at 130 to 140°F and 60% humidity; replies told him to keep slabs inside the house, where temperature and humidity stay steady.
• A small fire safe that feels too easy to open. A Coin Talk member kept bullion in a small bolted-down Sentry fire safe and worried it was easy to break into. The upgrade path is weight plus a real rating, or concealment in concrete.
• People in the house. Cleaners and repair workers were the reason one forum member started shopping. A floor safe under a rug, or a heavy safe in a closet, keeps the collection out of sight.

Coin safe verdict

The Hollon PM-2819E is the best safe for a coin collection for most collectors; for a hidden setup on a slab, choose the Hollon B3500, or the B2500 for a small collection. Think back to the forum member whose coin packaging molded in a fire safe: the PM-2819E answers the thief, while sealed tubs and desiccant answer the damp. If jewelry shares the space, compare our best home safe picks before you order.