Fear of the Day

[Alex]

Can't speak to how widespread catalytic converter theft is, but commodity metal theft is a quickly increasing category of crime and if catalytic converters are easy to take and get the metal out of, I'm sure it's being done.

Locally we had someone steal the copper wiring out of all the street lamps along a couple miles length of road. Monuments and graveyards are having quite a bit of trouble with copper plaques and insets being stolen. I have a coworker who recently told that his condo building has replaced all the brass door knockers with something else because someone kept stealing them right off the doors (probably an idiot since I don't think there is much market for brass).

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Alex

Can't speak to how widespread catalytic converter theft is, but commodity metal theft is a quickly increasing category of crime and if catalytic converters are easy to take and get the metal out of, I'm sure it's being done.

It isn't commodity metal in that catalytic converters that is of interest:

Originally Posted by Some story on a catalytic converter theft ring being busted last year

There are three precious metals in this. The first precious metal is platinum, and platinum is valued at $1,298 an ounce. The second metal in this is palladium, which is $375 an ounce. And then there's rhodium that's $5,950 an ounce.