Sadly, this is very near the trailer park I stay at when I am in the Auburn area. This guy could sell the copper wire at the local flea market, (Or maybe he was the one selling it?) Too bad people have to pay such a high price for locating and harvesting such a commodity, but I guess the price of copper is always going up. They use a lot of delta wiring now, so there is no neutral wire. Bummer.
I heard copper is going for about $1.00\lb.