Small Business Vaults

In dsthe early years of our nation, American business owners often used a small vault to store money over night (see photo).

These storage bins were also called " safes". This prevented the owners from taking their money to a local bank everyday. Businesses out in the country were particularly needful of this safety devise because of their lack of proximity to a bank. Often, they only brought their money to town once a week or in some cases less often than that.

The vault was usually opened by knowing the "combination" to the conbination lock. Sometimes more complex systems of opening were used to prevent thieft. They must have worked quite well because the sale of these items was high in the 1800's and early 1900's.