City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

[WDCRob]

Not the Onion, honest.

[olivegreen]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

That's so strange. We've been losing manhole covers here in Ottawa. Hadn't made the connection. Thought it was an artist or eccentric... Ottawa's economy isn't as bad as Flints... maybe it "is" an eccentric...or someone from Flint visiting,...

[zoog]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

That's so strange. We've been losing manhole covers here in Ottawa. Hadn't made the connection. Thought it was an artist or eccentric... Ottawa's economy isn't as bad as Flints... maybe it "is" an eccentric...or someone from Flint visiting,...

Meth addicts, most likely. When those tweakers are lit they're wide awake for days, wandering around looking for anything metal that's not firmly bolted down so they can sell it for scrap. Sometimes even attached metal is too much to resist, like bridge guardrails and the like... or live electrical wires.

[olivegreen]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

My God what an awful existence for a human being...

[Chris]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

In the UK we've had a spree of lead thefts. A lot of the houses here are lined with lead panels to prevent water entering through the roof apex, but with the high price of metals, the opportunists are out collecting whatever they can sell for scrap.

[metalman]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

In the UK we've had a spree of lead thefts. A lot of the houses here are lined with lead panels to prevent water entering through the roof apex, but with the high price of metals, the opportunists are out collecting whatever they can sell for scrap.

in the waning days of the weimar republic you had to hire a guard to watch the brass doorknobs on your house. one paid a month's rent or a fine meal and a hooker... all due respect to the world's oldest profession.

[GRG55]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

In the UK we've had a spree of lead thefts. A lot of the houses here are lined with lead panels to prevent water entering through the roof apex, but with the high price of metals, the opportunists are out collecting whatever they can sell for scrap.

I understand in the UK many of the historical churches and other buildings have been the target of this; and the consequent damage from water is more costly to repair in many cases than just the replacement of the metal on the roof?

Also, a few years back when I was living there part-time I recall reading about there being quite a spree of theft in London of Victorian era manhole covers, ornamental iron railings, and such, which were shipped off to China for scrap remelting. Much of it irreplacable I gather?

[Verrocchio]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

To manhole covers, electrical wires, and brass doorknobs, we can now add brass nuts from fire hydrants.


Brass thieves hit hydrants, raising fire concerns
McLEAN, Va. (AP) - Dogs aren't the only ones casting a longing eye at fire hydrants these days. Fire departments across the country report that thieves are twisting the brass nuts off the tops and selling them for scrap, raising concerns that the hydrants won't work when needed most. Firefighters responding to an April house fire in Hesperia, Calif., found that the five closest hydrants were useless because thieves had taken the nuts needed to get to the water. They called in special equipment, but by the time they got the fire under control, the house was a total loss.
"It definitely delayed us. It's become a real problem," said Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the San Bernadino County Fire Department, whose firefighters now carry spare parts to access hydrants that have been tampered with, though using them can cost valuable time.
Brass parts are fetching higher prices at scrap recyclers, though a single hydrant nut is unlikely to be worth more than $10 even in the current inflated market.

[Chris]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

I understand in the UK many of the historical churches and other buildings have been the target of this; and the consequent damage from water is more costly to repair in many cases than just the replacement of the metal on the roof?

Also, a few years back when I was living there part-time I recall reading about there being quite a spree of theft in London of Victorian era manhole covers, ornamental iron railings, and such, which were shipped off to China for scrap remelting. Much of it irreplacable I gather?

That's correct. They don't seem to stop at the roof either:

Church's lead organ pipes stolen


Thieves have stolen lead organ pipes worth up to £10,000 from a Kent church.


Police said 47 pipes were taken from St Laurence Church in Leaveland, near Faversham, between 22 June and 6 July.
Sgt Dave Smith said the impact on the church was substantial and appealed to the thieves' "better nature" to return the pipes if they had not been sold.
He said they could fetch £50 as scrap but could cost £10,000 to replace. The appeal came as police mounted a two-day crackdown on metal theft across the UK.
Metal thieves are said to be costing the economy £360m every year, with drain covers, lead from church roofs, and railway signal cables among the items being stolen.

'No music in church'

In an appeal to find the organ pipes, Sgt Smith said: "This is a despicable crime. Though the offenders may just see this as a petty theft, the impact it has on those that use the church is substantial."
He added that until the tens of thousands of pounds was found to replace the pipes, the church would be "devoid of music".
A flatbed lorry seen in the area on 30 June could have been involved, he added.
A spate of lead thefts from flats in Canterbury also led police to warn householders on Tuesday to be vigilant.

Officers believe a number of properties may have been affected and the thieves were on foot and aged between 18 to 25.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7495349.stm

and so as the economy collapses the moral degradation begins to set in.

[olivegreen]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

I often wonder why our pennies aren't being melted down and sold for the copper. They're worth two cents or more aren't they? A stray thought...

[WDCRob]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

in the waning days of the weimar republic you had to hire a guard to watch the brass doorknobs on your house. one paid a month's rent or a fine meal and a hooker... all due respect to the world's oldest profession.

Funny you should mention that, Metal...

[c1ue]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

Possibly because the energy needed to collect them, plus the energy needed to melt down the pennies, plus energy needed to ship the resulting block, is also very expensive and wouldn't be reducible without a mass production setup.

And I'm fairly certain the government wouldn't allow a company to set up whose business was destroying currency!

[FRED]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

I often wonder why our pennies aren't being melted down and sold for the copper. They're worth two cents or more aren't they? A stray thought...

Two reasons here in the USA:

1. Our pennies are not made out of copper; pennies are 99% zinc and nickels are 3/4 copper and 1/4 nickel
2. As of Dec. 2006, it's illegal to melt them down

A New Law Makes it Illegal to Melt Down Pennies and Nickels
December 14, 2006 (About.com)

The U.S. Mint has announced that a new regulation, effective immediately, makes it illegal to melt down U.S. Cent and Nickel coins. Due to sharply rising metal prices, the U.S. Cent (99.2% zinc and 0.8% copper core, plated with 100% copper) has a current melt value of 1.12 cents per coin. The nickel, (75% copper and 25% nickel) has a melt value of a hefty 6.99 cents per coin!

Important Features of the New Regulation:

Travelers leaving the U.S. are limited to taking $5.00 worth of pennies and nickels out of the country.

No more than $100.00 worth of pennies and nickels can be shipped out of the U.S. in any one shipment, and those only for "legitimate coinage and numismatic purposes."

Penalties for violation include fines up to $10,000 and 5 years in prison, plus forfeiture of the melted, shipped, or treated material.

The new law will have Interim Regulation status for 120 days, during which comments will be accepted for 30 days. Following the comment period, a decision will be made by Mint Director Ed Moy as to whether the law should become permanent.

This regulation is very similar to laws that were in effect during previous metals price surges, including the silver coin melting ban of 1967 - 1969 and the penny melting ban of 1974 - 1978. For further information about the new regulation, and to learn how to make comments regarding it, read the U.S. Mint Press Release.

[GRG55]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

Possibly because the energy needed to collect them, plus the energy needed to melt down the pennies, plus energy needed to ship the resulting block, is also very expensive and wouldn't be reducible without a mass production setup.

And I'm fairly certain the government wouldn't allow a company to set up whose business was destroying currency!

The government prefers to maintain its monopoly on the right to destroy the currency...:rolleyes:

Remember this announcement from 18 months ago?

New rules outlaw melting pennies, nickels for profit

Posted 12/14/2006 12:01 AM ET By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — People who melt pennies or nickels to profit from the jump in metals prices could face jail time and pay thousands of dollars in fines, according to new rules out Thursday. Soaring metals prices mean that the value of the metal in pennies and nickels exceeds the face value of the coins. Based on current metals prices, the value of the metal in a nickel is now 6.99 cents, while the penny's metal is worth 1.12 cents, according to the U.S. Mint. That has piqued concern among government officials that people will melt the coins to sell the metal, leading to potential shortages of pennies and nickels. "The nation needs its coinage for commerce," U.S. Mint director Ed Moy said in a statement. "We don't want to see our pennies and nickels melted down so a few individuals can take advantage of the American taxpayer. Replacing these coins would be an enormous cost to taxpayers."... ...Under the new rules, it is illegal to melt pennies and nickels. It is also illegal to export the coins for melting. Travelers may legally carry up to $5 in 1- and 5-cent coins out of the USA or ship $100 of the coins abroad "for legitimate coinage and numismatic purposes." Violators could spend up to five years in prison and pay as much as $10,000 in fines. Plus, the government will confiscate any coins or metal used in melting schemes... More...

[olivegreen]

Re: City's Manhold Covers Stolen for Scrap

oh well...

there goes my get rich quick scheme...