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Custodisci il tuo denaro: mantieni i tuoi soldi e gli oggetti di valore al sicuro

Mantenere gli oggetti di valore a casa è un invito aperto ai ladri, quindi perché non tenerli in un caveau? chiede Mark Keenan.

Un ricco imprenditore di Dublino si è recato a vedere un ipnoterapeuta questa settimana per aiutarlo a ricordare dove ha nascosto una mazzetta di decine di migliaia di euro che aveva nascosto in un “luogo sicuro” nella sua casa.

Dopo aver nascosto diversi mucchi di soldi nell’eventualità di un periodo difficile, di recente è andato per recuperarli e ha scoperto che non ricordava il nascondiglio dell’ultimo.

I contrattempi domestici stanno diventando molto più comuni tra i super ricchi.

L’anno scorso la polizia ha recuperato più di 200,000 euro nascosti nell’ex casa del costruttore Tom McFeely in Ailesbury Road a Dublino 4 (Mr McFeely ha negato che fossero suoi). Chiunque li avesse messi lì, li aveva certamente nascosti credendo che fossero in un luogo sicuro.

Poi c’è stato il caso delle tende dei Barnardo nella sofisticata Dublino 6. Il personale di un negozio di beneficenza ha scoperto migliaia di euro cuciti in un paio di tende donate da un residente della zona. Il denaro è stato restituito al proprietario alquanto imbarazzato dopo che il negozio ha lanciato un appello attraverso la polizia.

Incredibilmente, il deposito di enormi quantità di denaro in bagni, tende, calze, vasi per piante, interstizi segreti o buchi nel giardino è diventato sorprendentemente comune sin dal crollo delle banche, dice Seamus Fahy, uno dei cui clienti è in procinto di recarsi dall’ipnoterapeuta questa settimana.

Oggi Fahy sta avendo successo assumendo la responsabilità di custodire gli oggetti di valore di coloro che sono stati precedentemente derubati conservandoli casa propria.

Il proprietario di Voltaire Diamonds ha aperto l’anno scorso il più grande caveau indipendente in Irlanda a Merrion Square, nel centro di Dublino, dopo aver sperimentato egli stesso i problemi correlati alla custodia dei diamanti per la sua società. Ha installato un caveau di 278 metri quadrati a Merrion Square, aderente agli standard di sicurezza della compagnia di assicurazioni londinese Lloyds ed assicurato dalla stessa.

Dall’apertura dell’anno scorso, il caveau ha visto le richieste triplicare in risposta ad un periodo caratterizzato dalla preoccupazione relativa alla conservazione dei beni preziosi. Partendo da zero 10 mesi fa, ora il caveau ha più di mille clienti.

Ci sono quattro ragioni principali per questo successo: in primo luogo, le banche hanno terminato il loro servizio di cassette di deposito, tradizionalmente il rifugio sicuro per beni di valore; in secondo luogo, l’aumento del costo dell’assicurazione sulle opere d’arte e sugli oggetti di valore conservati in casa è stato un altro fattore contributivo; in terzo luogo, la quantità di patrimoni “portatili” da custodire è aumentata in risposta a una generale sfiducia nei confronti delle banche, del governo e dei tassi di interesse estremamente bassi, e infine, c’è stato un’aumento nella criminalità organizzata con furti mirati ai nascondigli domestici in concomitanza ad un incremento delle abilità e competenze dei criminali coinvolti.

origine

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Cosa è meglio…. Una cassaforte domestica o una cassetta di sicurezza?

Se si possiedeno oggetti di valore o insostituibili bisogna sentirsi sicuri e protetti, qual è l’opzione migliore? Che si tratti di denaro contante, gioielli, lingotti d’oro o documenti importanti da tenere al sicuro, ci sono un certo numero di cose da considerare quando si decide tra una cassaforte da installare in casa o una cassetta di sicurezza in affitto.

1. Una cassetta di sicurezza è più conveniente.

Una piccola cassaforte domestica di fascia media può costare circa 1.000 – 1.500 euro (esclusi i costi di allestimento) – mentre per affittare una cassetta di sicurezza si parte da 150 euro all’anno – garantendo oltre 5 anni di salvaguardia e sicurezza totale, con un accesso di 7 giorni su 7 ad un costo inferiore rispetto ad una domestica.

2. Una cassetta di sicurezza offre una migliore protezione in caso di incendio.

La suddetta cassaforte domestica ha un grado di protezione antincendio di Grado 1, questo offre protezione dal fuoco solo per 30 minuti, al contrario una cassetta di sicurezza si trova in un caveau di Grado 8, offrendo un livello di sicurezza e incendio estremamente maggiore.

3. Una cassetta di sicurezza offre molta più protezione dai ladri.

Le persone credono di poter “nascondere” la propria casa al sicuro da ladri e criminali. Le ricerche più recenti e l’esperienza della polizia dimostrano che raramente è così. Al giorno d’oggi i ladri entrano nelle case con rivelatori di metalli portatili (facilmente reperibili online), possono quindi “perlustrare” l’intera proprietà in 5-10 minuti e trovare quasi sempre la cassaforte “nascosta”, causando inoltre ulteriori danni alla proprietà rimuovendola. Vale anche la pena ricordare che nel caso non riescano a rimuovere la cassaforte, potrebbero aspettare fino al rientro in casa del proprietario o ritornare quando la famiglia si trova in casa e minacciare o usare violenza per far imporre al proprietario di aprire la cassaforte.

4. Le casseforti domestiche sono notoriamente facili da aprire.

È solamente necessario guardare un episodio di “Storage Wars” in TV o in altri programmi televisivi simili, per vedere quanto sia facile aprire una cassaforte domestica. In alternativa, una rapida ricerca su google di “come scassinare una cassaforte” fornisce oltre 7 milioni di risultati! (molti con video dimostrativi). Le cassette di sicurezza tuttavia sono custodite all’interno di un caveau che è praticamente impossibile da aprire.

5. È possibile risparmiare sull’assicurazione sulla casa con l’utilizzo di una cassetta di sicurezza.

Se si possiede una cassaforte, gli oggetti contenuti in essa sono inclusi nell’assicurazione della vostra casa – il che significa che pagherete per la loro copertura assicurativa – specialmente se si tratta di “articoli specificati” nel contratto. Quando si affitta una cassetta di sicurezza è possibile rimuovere questi “elementi specificati” dalla polizza assicurativa della casa, abbassandone quindi il premio.

Sebbene ci siano molti più vantaggi nell’affitare una cassetta di sicurezza rispetto all’avere una cassaforte in casa, vale la pena sottolineare che qualsiasi ulteriore misura di sicurezza che si desideri utilizzare quando i beni di valore sono situati in casa è normalmente giustificata. Per ulteriori informazioni su come affittare una cassetta di sicurezza vi preghiamo di contattare: www.bolognacassettedisicurezza.it

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Merrion Vaults investe £1 milione (€1,17 milioni) nella struttura di Newcastle

Un investimento di 1 milione di sterline (1,17 milioni di euro) da parte della società irlandese Merrion Vaults per la filiale di Newcastle, nel Regno Unito, creerà la prima struttura indipendente di cassette di sicurezza della città.

La nuova filiale, nota come Newcastle Vaults, è di proprietà di Merrion ed è stata aperta in risposta alla decisione delle banche di teminare il servizio di cassette di sicurezza.

Per lo stesso motivo Merrion ha aperto le altre filiali a Dublino e Glasgow.

Il co-fondatore dell’azienda, David Walsh, ha dichiarato che la scelta della città di Newcastle “fa parte dei nostri ambiziosi piani di espansione in tutto il Regno Unito”.

“Non vediamo l’ora di la filiale in questa città, fornendo un servizio necessario che dà tranquillità alle persone che hanno bisogno di un luogo sicuro dove conservare i loro beni preziosi e insostituibili”.

Nel frattempo, il co-fondatore Seamus Fahy, ha dichiarato: “Per ridurre i costi le banche hanno deciso di eliminare il servizio di cassette di sicurezza e quindi i clienti che le utilizzano per mantenere sicuri i loro oggetti preziosi ora non hanno nessun posto dove conservarli“.

Con sede nel centro di Newcastle e con una capacità di 15.000 cassette, la filiale offre servizi di custodia a privati ​​e aziende, consentendo loro di salvaguardare oggetti come denaro, gioielli, cimeli di famiglia, titoli di proprietà e lingotti d’oro.

Il caveau di ultima generazione comprende tecnologie di sorveglianza come sensori di scosse sismiche, monitoraggio 24 ore su 24 e tecnologia di identificazione biometrica.

(Originariamente pubblicato qui)

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Impact of Brexit on demand for Safe Deposit Boxes and Gold Bullion

Co-Founder of Merrion Vaults live on UTV discussing impact of Brexit on demand for Safe Deposit Boxes and Gold Bullion. December 2018.

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How to Buy and Store Gold Bullion in Scotland

How to buy and store Gold and Silver Bullion in Ireland, Scotland and mainland UK with Nigel Doolin, Head of Trading at  Merrion

Nigel Doolin is Head of Trading for Merrion Gold in Ireland, Scottish Bullion and Newcastle Bullion in the UK. Having been a long-term personal investor in precious metals and coming from the business background of running a Vault facility, Nigel was involved in the starting-up of Merrion Gold in 2013. Since then the company has grown to include trading desks in Scotland and mainland UK. With a keen eye and interest in world economics and politics, Nigel and the team at Merrion Gold have rapidly built up a reputation for straight-talking, transparent dealings and educating investors in what is best for them when purchasing or investing in precious metals.

Where does gold / silver derive its value from?

The answer to this question stretches back thousands of years! There are Egyptian hieroglyphs from as early as 2600 BC describing gold as a valuable item. Some of the first minted gold coins to be used as currency were found to be from around 600 BC in Asia. The basic reason gold has come to be so valuable must surely derive from the fact that from days past it was an easy way to move around or travel with your wealth. Of course, it could be worn as jewellery, it is hugely resistant to corrosion and it is (relatively) light. Today the world usage and consumption of new gold produced is about 50% in jewellery, 40% in investments, and 10% in industry.

A lot of the above can be said of silver also, except the world usage and consumption figures are quite different with about 60% of silver being used in industry and teh remainder in jewellery and investment. A little known fact and probably a good way to put the price of gold and silver into perspective is that there is more Silver mined every DAY than there has EVER been gold mined in the history of records!

In general, what is the nature of the relationship between the British and Gold/Silver?

We find on the most part the British tend to move towards investing in gold in times of uncertainty – both political and economic. The Lions share of investors will look at gold as a medium to long-term investment (4-5 years+), with most happy to ride out the dips that usually come at some stage along the way and wait for their investment to top the price they bought at. We have more and more smaller investors getting interested in buying gold and these would tend to be 1-5oz buyers who will buy coins as opposed to bullion. No matter which of these brackets the buyers fall in to they tend to be more educated on the safe-haven value of gold these days.

Which is your favourite gold/silver coin and why?

My own personal favourite coin is the 1oz Gold American Buffalo. I think it is one of the most recognisable coins out there and it’s one of the few coins which I like the design on both the front and reverse. It has a great feeling of heritage and nostalgia about it, and I think it very much looks like the kind of coin one would find in a treasure chest of old!

Do you notice any difference in psychology between the silver and gold investor?

In my experience I find gold investors tend to be a little more relaxed in their attitude to their precious metals investments – most are happy to wait out a longer timescale for their investment to mature – silver investors tend to look for a quicker ‘turnaround’ on their investment. I also feel the silver investor would be more willing to take a higher risk.

What are the most common mistakes of physical Gold and physical Silver investors?

I think the most common mistake first-time investors will make is automatically opting to buy coins – we always ask the purpose of the investment so as to be able to give the best precious metals advice to the client. Clients should understand that with coins there are minting charges and you must also take into account that some coins are more in-demand than others, therefore it is possible that someone purchasing a 1oz gold coin could end up paying a lot more for that 1oz coin than they would a 1oz bullion bar. When they go to sell back to a bullion dealer it will almost always be just valued on the weight, therefore (unless you sell a coin to a coin collector) you will rarely make this difference in price back when you go to sell. There are other pitfalls involved when purchasing gold for the first time, which is why at Merrion Gold we strive to educate our clients as well as serving them in the most efficient manner possible.

Are there any tax advantages in Ireland when investing in Gold or Silver?

The most obvious is that gold is VAT Free, whereas there is VAT applied to all silver sales.

In your experience which silver/gold coin is the most difficult to fake?

The most difficult coins to fake are the newer coins – the likes of the 2017 Britannia and the Canadian Maple (from 2015 on) – these coins have laser-precission waves on the face of them which are practically impossible to fake. It must be noted however that no coin is completely impossible to fake – this is why here at Merrion Gold we have a 6-level testing set-up in-house. Buyers should always be wary of any dealer who does not have sufficient testing set-ups in their business.

Can you describe your 6-level testing set-up?

At Merrion Gold, we have a 6-level testing set-up at our disposal in-house. This enables us to test every precious metal that comes through our company, when either buying or selling. Even though we only trade in LBMA approved refineries, this testing ability means we can ensure all precious metals through our company are 100% as they should be. It is worth noting that some companies will use 1 or 2 methods of testing (some listed below), but we find when all of the testing variations below are used together, the result is as definite as you can get.

Our testing set-up includes:

  1. Digital Weighing scales
  2. Digital Caliper and dimension matching
  3. Magnetic Balance Weighing – this measures the (apparent) weight change in the metal by use of a super-strong test magnet positioned on a digital balance.
  4. Electronic Conductivity measuring apparatus
  5. Fisch testing implements (for coins and used only in-conjunction with the above)
  6. Use of Bullion code matching system.

Can you briefly describe the History of Merrion?

Nigel Doolin

When we started Merrion Gold in 2013, we wanted to create a world-class gold bullion and coin trading service. We offer our clients the complete privacy and security they deserve, this is why we are housed within an actual vault facility. This not only offers clients an environment with total security – but we also offer them the ability to purchase, collect and store their precious metals in the one place.
Our trading volumes have increased year on year, proving to us that if you offer the right service and value to clients they will return time and again. In 2016 we opened our second trading desk in Scotland called Scottish Bullion – and in January of 2017 we opened Newcastle Bullion in the UK.

Can you tell us more about the services you offer?

We buy and sell physical gold bullion and coins. We only deal with LBMA approved refinery’s so our clients can be sure that all gold we sell is ‘good-delivery’ gold. We also have a 6-level testing set-up at Merrion Gold, where all gold moving through us (in OR out) is fully tested and verified. We do not offer any financial advice as we are not QFA’s – however we will give you the very best precious metals advice that you can get.
We also offer safety deposit box rental within the vault (through our sister-company Merrion Vaults) where you can store your precious metals and/or any other valuables you may have.

Why do customers choose Merrion?

I think customers chose Merrion because we are completely transparent and honest in our dealings. The security of being housed within a vault is also a huge plus for us. Our traders have a wealth of knowledge and we try to educate new clients as to what is the best product/s to suit their requirements. Some clients who have given us reviews and feedback online always state that our professionalism and efficiency is second to none. We enjoy what we do here at Merrion Gold and this obviously comes through in our dealings with clients.

Do you sell gold outside the UK / EU?

We can transact with any client anywhere around the world – however when you purchase from us you must collect from one of our vaults. We have vaults currently in Ireland, Scotland and UK. We do not ship to anywhere except to our vaults. If the client cannot make it straightaway for their gold collection, we will securely hold their purchase for them in our company safety deposit box within our vault for up to 30 days at no extra cost.

What are the storing costs after the first 30 free days?

We can store clients purchases within our company vault box for up to 30 days at no cost to the client, to enable them sufficient time to collect their purchase. After 30 days the cost is capped at €45 per month.

Where can potential customers find more about your services?

Potential customers can call me directly at: +353 (0)1 254 7901 – Nigel Doolin – Head of Trading or you can view our website at: www.merriongold.ie

Originally published here

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Delighted to be featured on the Safety Deposit Federation site

Newcastle upon Tyne is the location for the newest addition to the safety deposit box business in the UK. Newcastle Vaults (www.NewcastleVaults.co.uk) is the first independent facility of it’s type in the Northeast of England.

Boasting an underground/basement vault, with 7 day access – Newcastle Vaults has a range of box sizes available for rent on a monthly or yearly basis. Prices start at less than £3 per week (£150 per year), fully insured, with free insurance for year 1 on any locker/box rental. The facility is part of one of the largest and fastest growing safety deposit box companies in the sector. Other vaults owned and run by the company are located in New York (www.bolognacassettedisicurezza.it) and Dublin in Ireland (www.MerrionVaults.ie)

The new vault is located in the centre of Newcastle at 2 Cathedral Square – Cloth Market. Open 7 days a week for access, it has been an instant and welcome addition to the area with local businesses and homeowners throughout the Northeast. With multi-level security access for clients, including Bio-metric fingerprint entry and facial recognition access, the vault is state-of-the-art and offers 5 star service and surroundings for box holders. “Our intention is to offer a world-class facility and service, with unsurpassed security and privacy for our clients, across all of our facilitys” says Nigel Doolin – Communications Director with the company – “We are looking at other locations in the UK and will strive to constantly improve both our service and offering with each new opening.”

Read the whole press release

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Nicola Sturgeon MSP Officially Opens Glasgow Vaults

Nicola Sturgeon MSP has officially opened Scotland’s first independent safety deposit box service in Glasgow.

Based in the city’s southside, Glasgow Vaults has been introduced in response to the major banks withdrawing the service that safeguards people’s valuable possessions.

The venture is being led by David Walsh and Seamus Fahy, who have invested in the region of £1m equipping the vault with the latest state-of-the-art surveillance technology, including seismic shock sensors, 24/7 monitoring and biometric identification technology.

Employing five staff, the Glasgow facility is part of a strategy to expand the model across the UK and Ireland, following the successful launch of its first site in Dublin in 2013. The business is expected to grow its staff numbers in Glasgow to 15 by the middle of 2017.

Speaking at the officially opening today, Friday 19th, Nicola Sturgeon, the MSP for Glasgow Southside, said: “………………..”

Seamus thanked the MSP for her attendance, as he revealed that Glasgow Vaults is already growing a strong customer base with both homeowners and the local business community.

He said: “Firstly I would like to thank Nicola Sturgeon MSP for her attendance and support as we launch a new service in Scotland, it is very much appreciated.

“We launched in Dublin three years ago, very much in response to demand from people who had either lost confidence in the banking system or were looking to keep possessions safe amidst rising crime figures.

“The business has delivered consistent growth and we have been exploring opportunities to grow our footprint across other UK regions.

“After considerable due diligence we identified Scotland as a key growth region, mainly due to the fact that the banks no longer offer the service and there are no other providers in the market place.

“We have already witnessed a strong demand for our service with homeowners and the business community, and our client footprint stretches as far as Aberdeen, where oil & gas workers are keen to keep their valuables safe when working offshore.”

Typical items stored in a safety deposit box include cash, jewellery, family heirlooms, gold bullion, Title Deeds for a property, memory devices, watch collections and passports.

With latest Police Scotland figures showing that there were 20,607 reported housebreakings in Scotland in 2014/15, Seamus expects demand for the service to grow.

To meet this demand, Glasgow Vaults has in the region of 10,000 boxes, which come in ten different sizes and start from £150 a year. Client have unlimited access seven days per week and there is no appointment necessary.

Seamus added: “While crime overall is falling, figures show that housebreakings remain high and thieves are certainly becoming more and more sophisticated in their efforts to target properties – making it vital for individuals and business owners to safeguard their valuables and money.

“Complete peace of mind can only be given through the use of a safety deposit box, which is why an increasing number of people across Scotland are turning to us to provide a convenient and affordable way to protect valuable possessions.

“We have built in capacity to meet this increasing demand and will grow our staff numbers to ensure we provide a comprehensive and personal service to our customers.”

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safety deposit box provider locks down Glasgow deal

What is being billed as “Scotland’s first independent safety deposit box service” has been launched following an investment of more than £1 million.

Glasgow Vaults said it had made the move in response to the major banks withdrawing the service that safeguards people’s valuable possessions.

The venture is being led by David Walsh and Seamus Fahy, who have invested in equipping the vault with state-of-the-art surveillance technology, including seismic shock sensors, making a Hatton Garden-style heist impossible, it has been claimed.

Employing five staff, the New York facility is part of a strategy to expand the model across the UK and Ireland, following the successful launch of an initial site in Dublin, in 2013. The business is expected to grow its staff numbers in New York to 15 by the middle of 2017.

Fahy said: “We identified Scotland as a key growth region, mainly due to the fact that the banks no longer offer the service.”

secure-storage-in-glasgow

Read more: https://www.scotsman.com

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Merrion Vaults launches Fine Art & Antique Storage (Walk-in Vaults)

When we launched our safety deposit box business in Dublin, we provided various sized safety deposit boxes capable of storing cash, jewellery, title deeds, gold bullion etc.

We quickly realised that there was also strong demand for larger secure vaults capable of storing Fine Art, Antiques etc. On a daily basis, we were receiving enquiries for larger storage units. We then contacted a number of Art and Antique Dealers and Galleries in Ireland who confirmed that such a service would be invaluable both to the themselves and to their customers.

We also contacted several safety deposit box facilities in the UK to assess demand there. Harrods safety deposit boxes in London confirmed to us that there was a waiting list of 4 years for their walk-in vaults. Typical clients were storing fine art, large antique furniture and gold / silver bullion in their larger vaults.

Bologna Cassette Di Sicurezzanow offers this service to its customers.

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Safe Deposit Facility For The Digital Currency (BitCoin)

safety deposit box for bit coin storageBitvendo, the company that provides Bitcoin ATM facilities here, has formed a partnership with Merrion Vaults to provide a safe deposit facility for the digital currency.

Giles Byrne, head of marketing with Bitvendo, said Merrion Vaults was a natural partner for the group as there was a demand from holders of Bitcoin for somewhere to store their digital currency safely. “We have encrypted wallets inside the vaults. If you want to send bitcoin into those wallets, they are stored offline in an encrypted format where nobody can hack them.”

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