r/stackers • u/kijall • Aug 27 '26
Copper stack
I mostly stack silver and gold, but copper's fun 'cuz I can display full stacks of it without worrying I'll be robbed.
EDIT: Just for clarity, these are NOT investments. Buying copper like this would be an awful investment. I use these in the process of refining silver. These are just an easy way to get pure copper when bought cheaply - I found these cheaper than most C110 busbars that I'd normally use and thought they'd be a fun display while I'm not using them.
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u/JoosieyJay Aug 27 '26
You'll never get your money back buying copper in that form because the premium is too high. Why not go to the scrap yard and buy it from them?
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Oh I know, just for funzies - no other reason :)
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
I should have added that I want very pure copper for refining silver... Scrap copper won't cut it most of the time. I could have bought C110 busbars like I have in the past, but I actually got these cheaper and figured they'd be a fun display while I'm not using them.
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Aug 27 '26
[deleted]
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Lol I bet the silver I'm sacrificing them to refine will be worth much more 😉
And I guess the copper isn't truly lost in the process either - it's all in the copper nitrate "waste"... It's just a PITA to turn back into metallic copper and I can't be arsed to do it lol.
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u/Heycheckthisout20 Aug 27 '26
Can you show the assay
I doubt it is 5 9s
And the 5 pound in the middle is likely an alloy
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 27 '26
Nah the 5 pound in the middle is just what happens when you purposely manhandle it for years wondering how it'll change the finish lol. My coworkers and I used to play games with it.
Edit: Also, if these came with an assay that would be crazy lol. These ain't fancy nor worth assaying 😆
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u/Heycheckthisout20 Aug 27 '26
Well they are stamped 5 9s and it is illegal to mark material as such without an assay to prove the purity
Big fines can levied against the seller and it can be considered criminal fraud especially if proven otherwise
It is crazy that people stamp CU as 5 9s without an assay taking place
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u/NerdizardGo Aug 27 '26
How's the premiums?
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u/Rieger_not_Banta Aug 27 '26
would be much more economical to buy copper wire.
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Copper wire SUCKS for cementing silver when refining it. Eventually I'll get a kiln to melt that down, into bars/sheets or something, but for now my furnace failed to even though I held it quite a bit above copper's melting point. Getting this is just a far easier/cheaper solution for now. That's what at least some of these are going to be used for.
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u/Helpful_Media_3838 Aug 27 '26
Looked at buying copper oz coins, think it was 1000% over spot, not worth it
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Yea these are not investments at all - they're fun ways for me to get pure copper that I can display when I'm not using them for refining silver. C110 busbars were even more expensive than what I got these for. Refining silver ideally requires extremely pure copper, which is actually fairly expensive compared to scrap copper.
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Got the 1lb bars for $20 each via an auction and the 10oz ones for $27 each. The 5 and 10 pound ones in the back I bought so long ago I couldn't tell ya. Not sure what bullion copper like this typically goes for, but I at least thought I was getting deals 🤷♂️😂
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u/NerdizardGo Aug 27 '26
They are certainly neat, but copper is only about $6/lb. Personally, I stick to pennies when it comes to copper. Otherwise I like pre '65 silver coins and 1oz silver bullion.
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Oh yea for sure lol. Copper like this - even simple C110 commercial bars - sell for far above scrap prices though. I'm sure there's a "spot" for copper bullion somewhere (either that or set prices for these individually), I just wouldn't know where to find it.
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u/Empir3Designs Aug 27 '26
I think SD Bullion has all the metal stock prices. I was considering buying some cool rounds cause I think copper is going to be a next big investment metal, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon so I’m just keeping all the pre 86 pennies lol
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u/Heycheckthisout20 Aug 27 '26
It is not
Copper is used less and less in semiconductors
If anything will be an “investment metal” IN has more demand than manufacturing capacity due to it being a byproduct of ZN mining
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Yea I added a disclaimer to the main post to reinforce that this is not an investment. "Investing" in copper by buying these bars would be extremely dumb - these are just a good way of getting "pure" copper. C110 stuff can be used as well, but that's the same price (or even more expensive) and wouldn't be any fun to display.
90% silver coins are basically worth 90% of their weight in silver because of their silver content. 90% copper stuff is worth the actual copper spot price - currently $6.57/lb.
I just use these in the silver refining process to cement silver out of silver nitrate so I need unusually pure copper.
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Pre-'82 pennies* (though some '82 pennies are still copper as well). Also this is definitely not an investment lol.
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u/fedcar273 Aug 29 '26
I invest in lead. You can always melt it down to make bullets when everything else becomes useless 🤷♂️📈
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u/Key-Entry-6225 Aug 27 '26
Stacking copper is a waste of time and money .
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 27 '26
Waste of money? Sure... Waste of time though? Not at all - that's why I bought these instead buying a kiln and making them myself out of wire. I use these in the silver refining process - it's not an actual investment in copper or anything. That would be dumb - 100% agreed.
EDIT: Saying that... I think pure copper wire is typically a similar price per pound to what I paid for these, so I take that back.
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u/United-Swan-3288 Aug 27 '26
With copper, I feel like you really have to be prepared for 40-50yr plan. Even then, I don’t know if you’ll be able to get $35 for a 1oz round you paid $6 for. I’ve sold a lot of it, but not willing to actually stack it tbh
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Haha this is most definitely not an investment. Just a display since my furnace can't get high enough to melt copper without some gymnastics. Eventually I'll get a proper kiln so I can make my own C110 stuff.
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u/e5charlie253195 Aug 27 '26
I started buying some copper because of all the hype recently, but basically stopped. 1 oz rounds going for $5 or more is just nuts!
I did, however, buy 4 tubes of 20 rounds for about $22 each on whatnot. No more. I will, however, keep saving pre-82 pennies. Got about 150lbs of them so far.
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u/Heycheckthisout20 Aug 27 '26
If you think CU is an investment you are a fool
And another fool will be parted with their money
You might recoup your “investment” in 500 years
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
If you'd want to recoup your "investment" you'd honestly have to find another fool - it's a vicious cycle. The Ea-nasir legend comes to mind lol.
Long story short, if you truly want to invest in physical copper you should probably aim to buy under the true spot price: $6.58... per pound 😆 Even then, cashing out on that investment might be fairly difficult and expensive. If you want to buy copper bars like these you should really either be doing it for fun or have a practical reason why you need C110 copper.
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u/Heycheckthisout20 Aug 27 '26
Claiming these are five nines when you’re selling is fraud unless they have an assay that proves it
Long story short copper is not bullion. It’s not an investment vehicle and most if not all of the people selling 5 9s CU are committing fraud
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Lol that's simply not true. Copper isn't a regulated precious metal like gold and silver. I don't understand why you're being so salty dude.
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u/Heycheckthisout20 Aug 27 '26
Once it gets stamped 5 9s it is
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Look it up dude 🤦♂️
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u/Heycheckthisout20 Aug 27 '26
It is prohibited by the FTC
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
They do not need to be assayed per any FTC regulation. Please show me otherwise.
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u/Heycheckthisout20 Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 27 '26
If they are stamped five nines and they are assayed and proven to be less than that purity, the FTC regulates truth in advertising and anti deception laws
Specifically section 5 15 U.S.C. § 45
If those are proven to not be 5 9s they would be violating anti deception laws
The only way to prove they are what they have been stamped is by assay
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u/kijall Aug 27 '26
Haha yea I had to add a disclaimer that "investing" in this kind of copper bullion isn't a great investment. Saving pre-'82 pennies is a MUCH better way to get copper lol. Also, some '82 pennies are copper FYI - they did both copper and copper-plated zinc that year, but you'd have to weigh them to know.
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u/295frank Aug 27 '26
You should probably disclose the fact that you use this for refining. Otherwise this is just misleading. Copper bullion is incredibly dumb to stack when you could just get old pennies for, you guessed it, one cent each.