Safety coffins (also known as “security coffins”) were created as a result of the widespread fear of being buried alive. This fear grew with the cholera outbreaks of the 19th century, as well as media and literary discussions pertaining to the subject. Many variations of these coffins were built, each designed with (what the inventor claimed), was a fail-safe way to assist the person with providing some sort of signal to those above ground that they were alive. Pictured is the patent for Franz Vester’s “Burial Case” from 1868. Despite the overwhelming number of safety coffin designs, there exists no record of a person saved from the use of a safety coffin.
Image courtesy of the Australian Museum IMAGE LINK
The Ghastly Historian 
