If you’re an investor or collector of physical bullion bars and coins, and you don’t store your precious metals in a vault, then a popular method of storing your precious metals may be at home. The aim is to hide your treasure somewhere so unusual; an intruder never finds it.
When it comes to storing your physical bullion, there is no correct way of doing so, it all comes down to personal preference. The size, weight, and storing conditions are all important considerations. Whether you have a big collection or small stack of coins, it’s vitally important to make sure that you have peace of mind and your bullion is safe and sound.
Something worth considering is choosing someone to be your ‘confidant’. Goodness knows how much gold and silver is out there just because no one knows about it, because no one has been told. It should be someone you trust implicitly. Give them some idea of how much you have, where it is stored, and the ability to access it in case you can’t.
The most important thing if you’re planning on storing somewhere different is to make sure it’s clean, dry and secure. So, even if you do or don’t have a personal safe or vault, or even if you do and you’re thinking about where to hide it, it’s time to get creative with your hiding places.
20 Secret (and ingenious) Places To Store Your Bullion At Home
1. In a safe
As obvious as this may seem, this is one of the safest methods of storage. Safes are very obvious and distinct looking, but there are also additional precautions you can take to make sure your safe is even more secure. If you know your safe will be in an obvious place, or will remain in one place for a long period of time, why not fix the safe to the floor or a nearby wall? A precious metal collection will weigh the safe down considerably, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry (pardon the pun!)
2. Back of a sock drawer
This one is more intended for smaller amounts of physical precious metals. Silver takes up a fair bit of room so this method is mostly applicable to smaller portions of gold. Make sure your bullion is either kept in some socks at the very back or have capsulated coins taped to the roof of each drawer.
3. Under the floorboards
This is a more complex method if you don’t have any loose floorboards to work with. If you know you’re going to be storing a very large collection however, it might be worth investing to make this a long-term option. With the combination of this and a safe under the floorboards, with cement would be incredibly hard-to-remove.
4. Old Paint Tins
Remember the time you painted and decorated the spare bedroom and put the few tins of paint in the shed in case you ever needed them again? Well, many of us have old paint tins in our garden sheds and garages so using an empty tin to store your bullion is a truly discrete tactic. No one would suspect it! But be careful, someone could find it by accident.
5. Disused Furniture
Some of you may have old furniture stored around the property or in the garden. If you’re happy with it remaining there, these disused objects may have plenty of space to store your precious metals inside. Wrap them up carefully and make sure no one does a big tidy and takes anything to the tip without you knowing.
6. Instruments
Do you have a space in your home with lots of instruments or a corner with an old piano sitting collecting dust? Open the piano up and find some excess space or find some instruments that you don’t play at all anymore and store your bullion inside the instruments. Lining an old guitar with gold, putting it in a guitar case and adding a combination lock could be a pretty robust solution.
7. Secret compartment book
This one is for smaller time collectors. Cut a hole in a large book. Leave a few pages in the front of the book untouched, so the compartment is covered and it looks normal when initially opened. If you’re planning on storing coins this way, make sure you use plastic coin tubes. If you’re storing bars, make sure they’re placed in a container before being placed in a book, or ensure the book is lying on its side at all times so no bullion falls out and gets damaged. Then you can stick the book at the bottom of your bookshelf and allow it to blend into its surroundings.
8. Buried in the garden
If you’re an investor who purchases physical bullion less frequently, burying your supply in the ground outside is always a very robust solution. Always ensure all your containers are absolutely airtight and make sure you make a reference of where it is (particularly if you’ve got more than one stash!) Don’t draw too much suspicion from nosey neighbours by going out to the same spot to dig every week. That’s why this really is just for the less-frequent purchasers.
9. Under the stairs
If you’re blessed enough to have some additional storage under your staircase, then the back of a dark, dusty cupboard, (filled with other equally mundane distractions), would raise minimal suspicion.
10. Inside old shoes
If you’ve got a small stash of gold, who’s going to want to go near your old shoes? Make sure the pair you choose has an unattractive appearance and stays in a dry place. Wrap your bullion in a sealed bag for extra protection and push to the bottom of each shoe.
11. Gardening pots
Those into their gardening will have all sorts of plant pots from growing seasons past. These are ideal little areas to store something valuable. No one would suspect that being a hiding spot where the treasure lies. Make sure to wrap everything up safe and choose a suitable pot to store your bullion in.
12. Walk-in wardrobe
This recommendation again only comes with those of you fortunate enough to have this extra space at home. A walk-in wardrobe might be an obvious place to store something valuable, but if it remains in dull enough packaging then it can be easily overlooked by outsiders.
13. A random folder in the office
Who looks in your office folders apart from you? Especially if you write ‘Bills 2013-2014’ on the side, people are bound to walk past without a second glance. Ensure nobody does try picking up your special folder though, its weight would definitely give away its contents straight away.
14. Houseplant
Thinking of repotting some houseplants? Using an oversized plant pot can allow for extra space underneath the soil. It is unlikely a thief would consider pulling up your potted plants to look for your valuables. A plant’s soil can be contained in a waterproof liner that can be lifted up to hide items underneath. Just make sure the items you’re hiding are in a waterproof container, too.
15. Big coffee cup in the back of the cupboard
This idea, like some others, also uses mundane, everyday objects to create a distraction to outsiders and allows your hidden stash to blend into the background. Smaller coins or collections can be hidden like this. If you have a cupboard of coffee mugs, stick some coins in the back mugs where no one would ever go.
16. Old VHS videotape boxes
Who still has VHS video tapes? These objects are so old that anyone would walk past them. If you have enough videotapes to create a small collection, this wouldn’t look too out of place, but generally, these retro media devices aren’t be given a second glance. Just ensure no one comes round with an old video recorder and wants to watch your VHS of Titanic!
17. Sliding bookcase room
There’s nothing cooler than a secret room behind a bookcase. Pull the mystery book and watch the wall pull back to your very own vault facility. This option is for those with big houses and extravagant space. This is only necessary with a very large collection of precious metals and other valuables.
18. Disused plug socket (be careful though!)
This is definitely not advised without an electrician qualification or someone there who knows what they’re doing to oversee the operation. If you know you have plug sockets in your house that you don’t use, you could store a small collection of gold in each one. Unmount the wall socket and use the space behind to store smaller bullion.
19. Inside disused computer tower
If you’re a bit of a techy person, it may not be too unusual for you to have an old, disused computer tower lying around. These are boring and outdated objects with loads of opportunity for secret places to store your precious metals. Simply open up the side with a screwdriver, place your collection inside, and screw closed again.
20. Store your bullion deep inside the attic
If an intruder came to your house, one of the last places they’d think of looking would be your old family photo albums. People can get lost so easily when they’re in a room that they’re not able to mentally organise, especially when everything is just in cardboard boxes. The only person who knows where everything is is you. You could even get an old box and write on the side ‘Family photos 2002 – 2009’ as a decoy.
Whether you’re a small-time collector, or a large investor, storing bullion at home should be well planned and thought-through. If you have any of your own suggestions or ideas, then we’d love to hear what you think.
Conclusion
That is our list concluded. Call or email Bleyer now to start or increase your investments in actual physical precious metals you can hold or store. Call us on 01769 618618 or email sales@bleyer.co.uk.
20 Secret (and Ingenious) Places to Store Your Bullion at Home:
- In a safe
- Back of a sock drawer
- Under the floorboards
- Old paint tins
- Disused furniture
- Instruments
- Secret compartment book
- Buried in the garden
- Under the stairs
- Gardening pots
- Inside old shoes
- Walk-in wardrobe
- A random folder in the office
- Houseplant
- Big coffee cup in the back of the cupboard
- Old VHS videotape boxes
- Sliding bookcase room
- Disused plug socket
- Inside disused computer tower
- Deep inside the attic
