If you have a lot of cash, consider purchasing 9 Dragons Gold copper ore on the auction and just smelting it for improvements. Then sell the metal to recoup some of your cost. This depends on the market conditions of your server, but this method can be done with copper on most servers. All starting areas as well as most of the lower level zones under level 20 or so have copper deposits available. Dun Morogh, Durotar, Elwynn Forest, Loch Modan, and the Northern areas of the Barrens are particularly rich with copper deposits.