As noted yesterday, manhole cover theft is a not infrequent problem - usually in the third-world, admittedly, but increasingly often in (slightly) more civilized parts of the world.

You sort of have to wonder why, though. A manhole cover weighs, depending on age and design, anywhere from 90 to 150 pounds; some special ones can weigh twice that. Currently, cast iron and steel scrap is worth $200-$250 per ton; which means the intrinsic value of a manhole cover is, if I’m doing the math right, from $9 to just under $20 - and you’d presumably get somewhat less than that from a junkyard. (Copper, by contrast, is worth $2-3 per pound, as scrap - and you’ll get about half that from a junkyard.)
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