The 5,300-pound copper bell from St Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco was stolen sometime in October 2011. The 1889 bell, from the original church that burned down in 1962, was not in the belfry but was exhibited on the ground floor. The thieves were probably planning to melt the bell for its valuable copper (worth about $20,000 the month of the theft). A homeless man called the police tip line to tell them he found the bell in a field near an Oakland, Calif., salvage yard. Police returned it to the church. Copper prices are high. If you have copper gutters or trim on your house, watch out for thieves.
Photo: The San Francisco Appeal/Sfappeal.com
copper stealing alert-
My brother owned a remote cabin in Minn. After getting by with kerosene lamps (antique ones by the way)he finally had electricity installed which was a very positive improvement for the cabin. Imagine his chagrin when he discovered that thieves had stolen all his copper electrical wire! This was at a time when the value of copper was not especially high, but it certainly inconvienced his family So beware of how uncaring thieves can be and guard your property accordingly.
OR if you have copper tubing in your heating and air conditioning units! I have one friend who had thieves take the copper and later come back and take the whole unit–