As a kid, I remember our parents always having a galvanized bin resting in the dining room, but dad would fill it with coal and bring it in at night, so both of us could keep the dining room fire going.
He said that galvanized buckets last longer because they are pretty much moisture proof.
Now it seems that you can buy truly little that is galvanized, except galvanized rebar tie wire. I was curious if galvanized rebar tie wire was what made ties stiff. My dad had a tie that stuck at the top of his color. I knew I was really being a bit facetious when I asked him, and the problem was that I never saw him smile anymore. Ever since mom passed, he was always sad! Although I was sure I new what galvanized rebar tie wire was since our fiance and I owned a farm, it made our dad smile. I asked him if he wanted to come to the farm over the weekend. I could use someone to drive the tractor while I threw the hay bales up into the wagon. My fiance was away on maneuvers, and someone had to bale the hay before it rained again. My dad joined me that weekend, and together both of us brought over 100 bales of hay into the barn. He looked at the wire I was using to tie the bales and told me that was galvanized rebar tie wire. I congratulated him on knowing, and went for a shower… By the time I came back downstairs, he had dinner started, and looked happier than I had seen him in weeks.