Bronze theft

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I remeber years ago, returning to work at the yard, and there was a huge reel of copper wire, big heavy stuff, set up on stands at the top of the yard, and thieves had been cutting it into 10 foot lengths to haul away in a van!

They were obviously disturbed, as the hacksaw was still embedded in the cable! It was an eye opener for a 15 yearold, to be sure! hock:

[Jona Lendering]

This is Rodin's Thinker, one of the casts the great sculptor made himself. It was stolen by bronze thieves from a museum garden, but found back. Head, left feet and right leg are damaged. The museum proposes to leave the statue -estimated worth a million euro- as it is, to show the utter barbarism of the thieves.

I agree that it must remain as it is - to show the utter stupidity of a museum that leaves a one million euro statue unguarded. I can make some jokes about "There was not thinker in the museum anyhow", but let's leave it at this.

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

Agreed Jona: just copies outside! Mala tempora currunt...

Vale,

[Robert Vermaat]

I agree that it must remain as it is - to show the utter stupidity of a museum that leaves a one million euro statue unguarded.

I also agree they should leave it as it is / like the Gedãchtniskirche in Berlin, as a reminder but also as a new creation - the thieves added to this masterpiece.

Can we guard all these bronze statues or move them inside?

[Tarbicus]

Why can't they have an alarm fitted? A movement sensor would surely work :?

[Robert Vermaat]

Why can't they have an alarm fitted? A movement sensor would surely work :?

How about automatic guns :twisted:

[Hieronymus]

...Supposedly US mint is looking to redo the penny mix to a copper sheath, though I have not been able to confirm that.

The U.S. mint switched to producing copper plated zinc pennies in 1982.

The U.S. government is cracking down on U.S. coin melting, exporting, etc.

U.S. elimination of penny production seems increasingly likely.

Copper roof gutters and rain spouts are also disappearing more frequently than ever.

[hoplite14gr]

I saw the members posts on possible causes and all seem to have a point.
Sorry for being naive but providing copper must be lucrative bussiness for the people to risk breaking the law to get it.
I cannot imagine all copper thieves to be "thick" and doing it for pennies.
Kind regards

[Publius Militiares]

Even steel seems to be rare enough to steal greater amounts of it.
Two years ago thieves stole nearly 5km of an old railway near the village Lohra in Hessia. The people living near the railway believed they would repair it!
All i know is that the police never catched them.
BtW: has anyone ever tried to hide 5 km of railway?

[Caius Fabius]

here is the recycle prices [url:2jxdozus]http://www.recycle.net/Metal-N/Copper/xv050100.html[/url]

[tlclark]

Metal objects are disappearing here in Philly too, but different context.

Most of the homes of West Philly were built around the turn of the century. Most have had there original fixtures replaced long ago but many still have original lighting fixtures, doorknobs, etc. They are pilfered for "restoration" warehouses and places selling vintage hardware. MOST of the architectural salvage is stolen here.

It's funny, people robbing houses to take the doorknobs but not anything else.

Haven't heard anything about people stealing bronze statues for SCRAP!!
hock: hock: hock:

that's insane. Philly has dozens of public statues. I can think of a dozen you could cut up and haul off now and no one would stop you.

I hope this trend doesn't come here, or a lot of civil and revolutionary war memorial statues and plaques are in trouble.

[Tarbicus]

many still have original lighting fixtures, doorknobs, etc. They are pilfered for "restoration" warehouses and places selling vintage hardware. MOST of the architectural salvage is stolen here.

Here's an idea!
[url:14rf4giv]http://www.nbc30.com/news/10535270/detail.html[/url]

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Why can't they have an alarm fitted? A movement sensor would surely work :?

Why not electrify them? Shock the bastards!

[Magnus]

Nooo...Sentry Guns, like in ALIENS.

[Jona Lendering]

Why all those violent thoughts?

Here in Holland, we do things differently. If copper is valuable and the law forbids you to take it away, you need not guard the copper, you just change the law. That, my friends, is called capitalism. Take, for instance, our airport, which is growing fast and creates both money and a lot of noise; so, the law has been changed three times.

[Jasper, where is the "sarcasm emoticon"?]