Popular Mechanics has a fascinating look at the ultimate in Rube Goldberg hide-your-stash technology from the 19th century. The Russian Tula Antique Strongbox. The discerning borderline sociopathic boy can go off and ride his bike without a helmet knowing that if anyone tries to get into his steel strongbox to steal his baseball cards and slingshot, there’s two loaded pistols ready to dissuade the malefactors, set to go off if you can manage to get the lid raised. Even if you’re sturdy enough to continue after being ventilated, any stash-robber must navigate their way through more locks than Indiana Jones could ever handle.

• The upper safe is a small raised box with a keyhole hidden on its top. Its lock is an astonishing 12-bolt system that must be opened before moving on to the last challenge, the lower safe. Unlike the one before it, this lower safe has a keyhole located behind the central rib toward the front of the box. A button on the brim of the safe releases a spring that reveals the last keyhole to be unlocked. This last locking mechanism has an even more remarkable 16 bolts.

Neato lock. Reminds us of the old-school steampunk pirate chest with the awesome iron lock we saw here.

Thanks, Angelinfreefall, for sending this one along.