Two novel oxalate-bridged species: homometallic Cu II Cu II , [{Cu(bpy)Cl} 2 (µ-C 2 O 4 )] (1) and heterometallic Cu II Zn II , [CuZn{(bpy)Cl} 2 (µ-C 2 O 4 )] (2) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR and EPR spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility measurements and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The compounds crystallise in the same, triclinic 1 P space group. Their crystal structures consist of the binuclear entities [M(bpy)Cl(µ-C 2 O 4 )M(bpy)Cl] [M = Cu 2+ (1); M = Cu 2+ and/or Zn 2+ (2)] linked by the intermolecular π···π stacking interactions. Highly unusual, compound 2 is a cocrystallized system containing three types of mutually analogous entities: [Cu(bpy)Cl(µ-C 2 O 4 )Cu(bpy)Cl] (CuCu; the same unit as in 1), [Cu(bpy)Cl(µ-C 2 O 4 )Zn(bpy)Cl] (CuZn) and [Zn(bpy)Cl(µ-C 2 O 4 )Zn(bpy)Cl] (ZnZn), randomly distributed throughout the crystalline lattice in the molar ratio near to 1 : 2 : 1, respectively. Each metal atom in both 1 and 2 displays a square-pyramidal coordination involving two N atoms from the coordinated 2,2'-bipyridine ligand and two O atoms from the bridging oxalate group in the basal plane, and one chlorine atom in the apical position. Magnetization measurements, supported also by the EPR study, reveal a strong antiferromagnetic exchange interaction (J = -295(2) and -294(2) cm -1 , for 1 and 2, respectively; H = -JS 1 ·S 2 ) between two copper(II) ions through the oxalate bridge.