The miner stood in plain view, perched on a boulder and holding his gold pan, at the busy intersection of San Vicente and Crescent Heights boulevards.
He was something of a character in Carthay Circle, a quaint neighborhood of big ash trees and Spanish and Tudor revival homes. Not too much is known about the statue, but it was sculpted by Henry Lion in 1924 and 1925, along with a fountain, and commemorated 19th century settlers in California.
Authorities across the country say turning sculpture into scrap squanders it, like turning diamonds into coal.
An artist in Sedona, Ariz., had seven bronze figures stolen from his ranch last year. He estimated the pieces were worth $1 million as art -- and $20,000 as two tons of metal.
Last month, at the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park near Astoria, Ore., a thief stole a 5 1/2 -foot bronze statue of Sacagawea and her baby, valued at $20,000. Police arrested a man and tracked down parts of the statue -- sold for scrap for $250.
"These guys are getting a penny on the dollar," said Tom Bergin, sheriff of Clatsop County, Ore. "It's just ludicrous."
Bergin said much of the theft in his area is driven by methamphetamine and heroin addicts desperate for money for a quick fix. "They're taking anything from bleachers to guardrails," he said.
Scrap yards are paying more than $3 a pound for copper and more than $2 a pound for bronze and brass, both of which are alloys containing copper.
Law enforcement agencies are trying to work with scrap yards to spot stolen metal.
DBW Metals Recycling in Anaheim has helped police arrest at least 18 people in the last year trying to sell metal of dubious origin, said general manager Stewart Shirk.
When he spots a suspicious person trying to sell a catalytic converter or back-flow valve -- a piece of commercial plumbing frequently stolen -- he tries to stall them and calls authorities.
Shirk says most of the stolen copper, bronze and brass gets shipped to China or India, where it is melted down, mixed with cheaper metals and refabricated. He said that much of the material is ultimately shipped back to the United States as the same type of fittings and valves that were stolen in the first place -- but poorer in quality.
"I've seen these valves brand-spankin' new from China, and they're defective," he said.
In Carthay Circle, the missing statue "was just part of the history of the whole neighborhood," Moore said. "It's kind of like an old faithful dog. You just take it for granted that he'll be there."
