U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps Field Safe/Strong Box

[Fushigi Ojisan]

This is something you don't really see every day. So I thought I would share it.

In Mid-December 2022, a local message board had an announcement from a user named "SafeCracker": After 35 years he was closing his shop's doors and would be selling off everything in his shop. I had been looking for a small safe and his preview pictures enticed me, so I talked a buddy with an SUV into joining me there on a Sunday. The goal was to come home with a safe that would not break my budget, nor my back.

Having determined that even the smallest safe would probably be a bit much to wrangle down a set of narrow outside steps, I had settled on some small vaults and safe deposit box drawers when SafeCracker pointed out he had an old Army field safe. It looked rough, but my buddy and I could lift it, and at $100 the price made sense "SOLD!" Safecracker then proceeded to spend the next several minutes ensuring the mechanism was solid and operational, and that the combination he had worked. Once he was satisfied, my buddy and I lifted it by the built-in handles and lifted it into the back of his SUV. On the way out, I grabbed several "scratch and dent" safe deposit box drawers that were in the dumpster outside the shop. It was not all that hard to get into my basement, but my buddy insisted I measure it first to make sure it fit on a shelf, which it did.

Looking online, I found International Military Antiques actually had one, albeit in far better shape and from a different manufacturer.

https://www.ima-usa.com/products/ori...nt=26172802693

I also posted pictures to a social media circle, and one vet told me they were using a similar field safe as late as the 1980s to store pistols while the unit was on maneuvers.

Picture time!

Here it is when I first got it, to the left is a vault made of old Post Office Box doors courtesy of my brother-in-law.


A close-up of the unit after some cleaning


The dial, unlike the IMA-USA unit, this one goes to 100 instead of 50. Because its an older mechanism, it needs to be spun around four times to reset it and then has four numbers (stop on the first number, thrice to the next, twice to the next, then right to the last one). Additionally, the dial is removable


The top handle, which doubles as the latch, presumably this is a serial number


For even more security, a very substantial hasp has been added as well


The odd-shaped side handles make it easy for two men to carry, or one if they are strong (IMA says its 115 pounds. The base is peened into place and also has two substantial rivets


The hinges are also substantial, and have been riveted into place from the back


The interior: Keep in mind these were intended to lie flat (this one is on its side), I am not sure what the two torched-off bolts were for, but there they are. Also note the rivets securing the reinforcing straps, and how the box is a single piece of steel bent and joined in the right


The manufacturer. Wikipedia tells me Hall's was merged with other companies to form Herring-Hall-Marvin in 1892. Google Maps tells me the address is now an empty field. The IMA safe was made by Victor, another safe manufacturer in Cincinnati


The mechanism is all its Gilded Age goodness. I am told its actually a Mosler unit, which makes sense since Hall's, Victor, and Mosler were all relatively close to each other.



I have just the thing for the hasp! This is a vintage Yale & Towne bronze railroad lock, check out who they made it for. Between removing the dial and adding a lock, its going to slow down someone who wants in, moreso if I chain it to the shelf.


I took a lot of images but they are bit redundant, this shows the rivets used to secure the hasp



This is my first "real" safe and I am still getting used to it. I also want to clean it a bit more before it becomes a practical storage unit.

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