situations like that you've usually got a scrap dealer lined up who's ready to crush and weigh them ahead of the aquisition. In the UK during the early 80's recession manhole theft was fairly common, as was the lead strip down the centre of Factory roofs. (I know of one case where the police caught a local ner-do-well with a roll of lead then had to wait three weeks for rain to find out whos roof it was missing from so they could charge him.)

One scrap dealer came up with the best plan. he got the contract for installing a selection of new streetlamps, and cut four feet from the bottom of them leaving only 6 inches  in the groud rather than the usual several feet to anchor against the elements, which was fine, till the first high wind. He might have got away with it if he hadn't been greedy and left the tubes standing in his yard for the metal price to go up.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.