My discovery of this awesome toy kit posted on Retro Thing (via: Boing Boing/via: Oak Ridge Associated University) is motivation enough for me to drain my budding IRA account just to afford it.

This kit pretty much sums up everything a young, aspiring nuclear chemist could ever want. According to these sources, it contains: FOUR types of uranium ore (must be a deluxe kit, right?), a couple alpha, beta, and gamma sources, a cloud chamber, an electroscope, a spinthariscope, a Geiger counter, a comic book, and get this, a government manuel titled “Prospecting for Uranium.” Sweet.

Despite its awesomeness and foresight, it was only available for purchase between 1950 and 1951. The company explains its short lived glory by the rather high price tag at the time ($50.00). Today, the rarity of this kit means that the it can go for about 100x of the original price on the collectables market!

Now, if you would excuse me, I need to pick up and retry my failed could chamber project.

Noel