The Great Copper Melt of 1814

JCH22

Copper prices experienced a boom beginning in the 1780’s due to high demand by the British Admiralty to copper skin wood hulls to prevent ship worm.

The War of 1812 exacerbated prices. By 1814, sheet copper was approximately 60-70 cents lb. The intrinsic value of the cent rose above face to 1.2-1.3 cents. This led to many coins being melted. To attempt to disincentivize future melting, a resolution was introduced in Congress on March 10, 1814 to appoint a committee to look into altering the copper coinage.

It does seem a number of early copper pieces met the melting pot during the War of 1812 due to the spike in copper prices.

Typekat

Thanks for posting!
Did the end of the War of 1812 bring copper prices back down?

JCH22

@Typekat said:

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Did the end of the War of 1812 bring copper prices back down?

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It did. See below.

Until the U.S. & others were later to developed their own refineries , copper was predominantly produced/smelted in Swansea, Wales. https://history.research.southwales.ac.uk/news/swansea-copper-global-history/

Below is a January 19, 1816 excerpt from the records of the 14th Congress. In it, Representative Erastus Root (NY) expressed his ongoing concerns with copper coinage and proposed a weight reduction, and legal tender status for copper.
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