What was Value of Copper Wire Stolen from Muni Tunnel, Wrecking Commute?

But how much is this copper worth?

​As those of you who suddenly had time to read large swaths of a Russian novel on the morning train are all too aware of, last week thieves made off with 30-odd feet of copper wiring from Muni's Sunset Tunnel.

The result of that brazen theft was a Friday morning transit nightmare, with buses substituting for trains and passengers faced with the odd dichotomy of residing in a city where it's no big deal to pay $3 for a small cup of coffee -- but thieves steal copper wiring from the municipal transit agency.

It also prompts the question: How much is 30 feet of copper wiring worth? We phoned third-generation scrap metal dealer Aaron Forkash of Aaron Metals, Co. And he gave us a back-of-the envelope estimate.  

"Very little!" was Forkash's initial answer when asked how much 30 feet of copper wiring would bring on the open market.

He estimated that 30 feet of wiring might weigh 20 pounds. And since copper trades at between $3 and $3.30 a pound -- he knew this off the top of his head after being pulled away from a family engagement -- the pilfered metal might be worth between $60 and $66. That's enough to buy 22 cups of coffee!

This means the price of your sanity on the morning Muni is very cheap, indeed.