I done a very quick experiment and put a raw card, a sleeved card, a toploader>sleeved card and a booster pack in the oven at around 248F (the digital media safe rating you will find on ones slightly up from the cheaper 350F rated paper ones
After 1 minute the booster pack was far from sealed, the toploader began to curve and the soft sleeve began to melt onto the card. The raw card was fine
After 5 minutes the booster pack wrapping was completely destroyed, the toploader curved more and the soft sleeve melted onto the card. The raw card was fine
It was possible to get the plastics off of the cards without much damage except the toploader had creased the card inside. The cards inside the booster pack were ok but badly bowed
I couldnāt find any data to show how long it would take the internal temperature of the safe to reach the rating once the fire has reached it. Unfortunately the proper rated data/film safes are expensive, extremely heavy and donāt have much space inside, and itās hard to find a case which fits inside a safe. The only good news is that a house fire is unlikely and in the event of one the fire brigade usually turn up 6 minutes after being called (in the UK)
This thread is both one of the best ones Iāve read on E4 so far and my worst nightmare all at once lol
Thank you all for the extremely useful data. Iām really looking forward to reading the guide on fireproof safes, as Iām considering acquiring one in the future.
From what I read on the Internet, the best ones would be data safes, as many of you have noted. I read somewhere that CDs, DVDs and such materials lose their data at 55ĀŗC, so those safes are designed to keep a temperature below that inside. However, I havenāt been able to test anything with actual cards, toploaders and the like so Iām very thankful for your posts here.
If you have space then definitely go for a data safe to provide the highest level of protection which āshouldā be able to save your collection in the unlikely event of a full house fire. They can be quite expensive but you might find a cheaper second hand one.
The problem for me is that getting such a big and heavy data safe up the stairs into my apartment would be almost impossible. I went for a 248F rated one and am still trying to figure out whether to have a fireproof case within the safe, a cheaper silicone insulating one or just to have everything the way it is
I thought about hiring a moving company so that they bring the safe through the window. I wouldnāt be able to bring it through the stairs either.
I think you did well by getting a safe, Iād go with the fireproof box inside.
Itās hard to believe, I know, but just this week my neighboursās flat underneath me burned down. The flames almost made it to my flat. So the odds are low, but they exist
