Copper pots...need help. Are these worth buying or not. I know nothing of copper pots.

I have always wanted copper pots but they are pretty pricey and I never find them second hand. If one has copper pots they tend to keep them forever!

I found these for sale via the Swip Swap group I belong to on FB. The lady wants $175 but we offered $125 and she will take that. The pots were her great grandmothers and they were Made In Italy (markings on pots as well) in the 1950s. She used them as decoration where as I'd like to clean them up, if possible, and use them. There are 8 pants all together.

This is the outside of them


The inside


And the markings



Yuppa did give me some great links on what would need to be done and I am willing to re line them if it is possible but i"m not sure just looking at them since i know nothing of copper pots. I don't want to buy them and then find out I can't.

Thanks

I hope you get an answer, I have some pots on the wall as decor that I'm afraid to use. Never thought about asking here, thanks for bringing it up.

Invariance
I hope you get an answer, I have some pots on the wall as decor that I'm afraid to use. Never thought about asking here, thanks for bringing it up.

Yea I didn't know where else to ask. I always come here when I have questions I don't really know the answer to. People on here are pretty quick to respond with answers, one of the many reasons I love this site!! I can post in a cooking forum on a cooking site but the chances of getting anyone to respond is like waiting for snow here in FL. lol


Yea when she said she used them as decoration I then wondered what the inside looked like. I asked for a pic and she sent these. I hope they can be cleaned because they are nice. Copper pots with brass handles. They'd polish up really nice and look great hanging in my kitchen.

It looks like the tinning on the inside is pretty worn. The tinning protects us from getting copper overload which leads to depression. You can drink a lot of beer or booze to stem the depression you get though Raising tyramines treats the problem.

It would be nice if you could get the inside redone. Right now they seem to be wallhanger decorations. A copper ladle to dip water is good, the copper kills microbes. Brass containing copper over 60 percent also retains the effect but the copper is bound and is less of a problem to us. I know a lot about the effects of copper on future generations of offspring. I come from the Copper Country and my family has lived in copper mining areas for many generations. I actually need more copper and the antidote in my body to feel healthier, but then the side effects cause a dumbing down....I really didn't like the hangovers though.

reply to post by rickymouse


Thanks for the reply! Yea I am new to copper pots but would love a set. If they turn out to be a decoration piece then I wouldn't want to pay that much for decor even if it is copper pots lol Having them hanging there and not being able to use them would be like torture for me .

I did find this site that does re-tinning.

East Coast Tinning

I looked at a few pics of their before and after and I am hoping they can do something. I did just send them an email with pics.

I really hope these can be redone but if not I'll keep my eye out on others

Can't help you with the history of the pots, nor the price of the pots if used for decorations, but Copper is around £12 for 1Kg at the moment. I'd say just by looking at them you have around 15kg in the biggest one. In weight alone you have more than $125

Awesome!!

I emailed East Coast Tinning with pics and then called them. He said they can be redone and will polish up very nicely. He said it is worth it to buy them. Sure it will cost us about $80 a pan, more for the bigger one, but it's FAR cheaper than buying them new. We can mail them to their shop and they will ship them back. He said it takes about 2-3wks for it to be done, which is just fine and if it takes a year to get them all redone it is WELL worth it!


Oh I'm excited!!

125+8x80 = $765.

I assure you you can find a brand new, quality, 10 piece set of copper cookware for under $765.

Still a cool find, but personally I wouldn't do it.

Also if you got a new set of tri-ply it would be a copper outer shell with SS inside, which is much better both from a health aspect and for durability.

We got a 10 piece tri-ply copper set for something like $400.


Good luck!

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Copper in itself has became quite a valuable ressource the past few years. Copper pots, pans and other stuff like it is also very popular and retro.

They are pricy (no one is scamming you on this, prices on such are quite high, because it is old and antique). If you like them, go for them. They are worth it and very good looking imo.

I would not cook with them however. To me, they are decorative pieces.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Actually, tin is necessary for the body. Health science says we hardly have a deficiency though because we eat food out of cans that contain tin....? I thought cans were lined with plastic now though?

reply to post by rickymouse

I have a set of Mauviel and all have been retinned. They are in excellent shape. Message me.

reply to post by Zippidee


We have a tin lined copper kettle that we use for heating water. It supplies adequate tin to the diet I think. Those pots you have are very expensive. If you get too much tin in your diet you get a metal taste in your mouth. Do you notice that when cooking a lot with those pots and pans? Our body has a strange way of telling us if we get too much of a certain metal. The same happens with Iodine and magnesium.

I remember the taste of metal from eating canned goods when I was young. I didn't know at the time that the taste was from eating too many can goods. If I hadn't done research and compare the research to past experiences I still wouldn't know the whole story. I cannpt see a young doctor out of medical school having much of this experience to be able to help people. Then, older doctors with experience seem to retire at 55. They are so busy and overloaded today that they probably don't have time to compare knowledge and read new research as I do. When they retire I suppose they are sick of talking about medicine, they want to learn something new. I have spent a lot of my life in construction and and learning about my first abandoned interest, helping people who are getting sick.

Zippidee
reply to post by rickymouse

 

I have a set of Mauviel and all have been retinned. They are in excellent shape. Message me.

Oh that is a nice brand!! I would love a set of those but they are expensive new.

I like these for the nostalgia and I love Italian cookware. It's either Italian or French for me
Also for the price even with getting them re-tinned it's much cheaper than buying a new set. I've looked at sets for under $1000 and they just aren't as good in quality and I dont like the try ply or whatever it's called that Tinker suggested, not saying it's not nice just not what I'm looking for.

I might only get a few re-tinned and keep the rest for decor.

reply to post by needlenight


Yea the lady selling them used the for decoration but I want to cook with them which requires re-tinning. I sent pics to East Coast Tinning and called them. The guy said they can be re-done and will polish up quite nicely to be used.

There are 8 in the set. I might only get half re-tinned and keep the other half for decor with the rest of my vintage kitchenware. For $125 bucks I guess you can't beat that. I've looked for similar quality and they are just too expensive new and even used they run more than what it would cost to re-tin them. I have been checking Etsy though, great for stuff like this!

reply to post by TinkerHaus


I looked at the tri-ply but those aren't what i'm looking for. Nice but not my taste. I do have a big huge pan my mom got, it's Revereware and it's got a copper bottom. It's nice and I love using it but the burner on my stove isn't big enough for the pan!! You would need a HUGE stove for that thing!

Look at it this way. Kitchen items are like tools for me. I like the best.

If I could afford the set I want it's about $3800 bucks but this is a great set and will cost a bit to get redone but will be worth it. I spoke to the guy at the tinning shop up north and he said they are great pans and will clean up very nice. He said one of those pans once finished he would sell for a minimum of about $300 bucks. I will probably have half redone and use the other half as decor. I dont think I'll use the one that has the raised bumps in it. Not sure what that pan is, I'm guessing it's for bread rolls or something.

Too much copper causes a variety of health problems. I wouldn't do it.

We (hubby & I are both Dr's) use a giant cast-iron fry pan and ceramic lined cookware for the rest. The ceramic cookware is Wearever Brand purchased at amazon.

reply to post by rickymouse


No, They are rarely used but I do not notice a metallic taste. I am currently into braising and have a Le Creuset that I am working over like a rented mule.

I don't use the mauviel's often. I choose to use a set of All Clad's daily.

reply to post by Zippidee


Those All Clad's look good, they have the big handles which I like. We have some good pots, some are Italian made, that we use. We also use cast iron frying pans a lot. I only use one square silverstone coated pan for frying eggs, pancakes, and french toast. I don't think cooking at low heats on those fluoride containing pans hurts too much. I don't have fluoride added to the water here and avoid foods high in fluoride so I won't be overloaded with it I hope.

Our selection of pots and pans is from rummage and estate sales mostly or inherited. It takes many years of searching to come up with a good set that way. One estate sale I got five high quality stainless pots and pans and a stainless cranking noodle maker for 12 bucks. I would have paid twenty for the noodle maker alone.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


answers.yahoo.com...

Some prices.

www.google.com...=how+much+do+copper+cookware+cost

Zippidee
reply to post by rickymouse

 

Le Creuset that I am working over like a rented mule.

I LOVE Le Creuset. I tell my husband all the time I'd like a shopping spree in there! I found a lasagna dish at Ross of all places on clearance for $6 bucks!!! I about died. It's red and when I saw it I was drawn to the color and when I turned it over and saw "Le Creuset" carved into it I let out a little shriek lol I"m sure the people in there thought I was nuts but I use that dish ALL the time.