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I'm curious if anyone here hoards copper in any form other than pennies?

For instance, there is copper wire and piping that I have. I get this from dumpsters and sometimes even find it sitting with brush at the curb in my area. I don't hoard it the same way as I hoard pennies, which are stored in places like coffee cans for many years.

I wait until I get a carload of stuff (which would include copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel and some steel) and take it to the local scrap yard to get some extra walking around money.

Yesterday a carload of stuff paid me $126.00. 92# of stainless steel trash cans, etc. took a lot of space and I just had to get rid of it. There was also aluminum, copper, brass and steel.

One nice thing about this type of copper is that I store it outside in my backyard and don't mind having it outside in the elements. I wouldn't dare put a can of pennies outside. I imagine some might put coins in an outdoor shed, but I'd rather keep it indoors.

What does everyone else do?

I am not the scrapper that others here are, but I can't stand seeing perfectly good copper wire get thrown in the dumpster, so on local construction projects I have collected it and with most of it stripped it. I have saved some of it for use on projects (copper wire is great for tying up things, hanging pictures, etc) but as it accumulated I ended up taking the stripped wire to the scrapyard. Small bucks, but it was something, and it saved the wire from the landfill.

No, aside from copper pennies I do not. The name of the scrap game is to get the material in the door and out the door as fast as you can. It only makes sense to hoard when there is a crazy price crash like in the second half of 2008.

Large piles of scrap copper invite theft and are far bulkier than pennies.

I hate going to the scrap yard because the money from the scrap never seems to overcome the screws I get in my tires.

MaxGravy wrote:

copper-hoard.jpg

Can you explain those photos? What year were the 10 oz. bars made? What is the story about the boat?

Recyclersteve wrote:

MaxGravy wrote:

copper-hoard.jpg

Can you explain those photos? What year were the 10 oz. bars made? What is the story about the boat?

The 10oz copper bar was issued in 2016 for Realcent's 10th anniversary. Mine is #22.

Gold, silver and brass filagree are very common in Portugal. That ship is gilded brass. I also have one that's gilded sterling silver. Since brass is made with copper I include it in my copper hoard.