Notes
The John Scott Safe Co. obtained a patent for the use of asbestos and was one of the first companies to start making fireproof safes between 1834 and 1835...In the middle of the 1830s, John Scott was the first safe producer to use asbestos as a fire-resistant material. He applied plaster of Paris on the internal wall of the wooden safes after mixing asbestos with it. Asbestos was covered by an outer steel plate, making it impossible to determine which ancient safes contained the substance.
https://www.jacquelinestallone.com/most-valuable-antique-safes/