Even today, you can buy Uranium ore online, so it’s hard to be shocked that, in the 1950s, a toy kit came with actual radioactive materials. Recently, one of these gems—the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory, often touted as “the most dangerous toy in history”—sold at an RR Auction for a hefty US$16,500. Because nothing says “family fun” like alpha particles zipping by at 12,000 miles per second.
Packaged in a classy 25-inch reed suitcase, this scientific fever dream was created by Alfred Carlton Gilbert, the same mind behind the Erector Set. Inside, young atomic enthusiasts found a cloud chamber to watch particle trajectories, a spinthariscope for enjoying the visual poetry of radioactive disintegration, and an electroscope to measure just how “fun” their carnotite, autunite, torbernite, and uraninite samples really were.
But this wasn’t just science—it was infotainment. The kit included the Gilbert Atomic Energy Manual (for when your science fair project needed a nuclear edge), Prospecting for Uranium (because why stop at a science kit when you could start a mining empire?), and the charmingly titled comic book, Dagwood Splits the Atom. Bonus: a letter from Gilbert Co. dated 1953 explaining that, due to government restrictions and the pesky challenge of acquiring radioactive materials, production had been discontinued.
Produced for only two years, with fewer than 5,000 sets ever sold, this Cold War curiosity has achieved legendary status. Despite its reputation, experts claim its radiation exposure was about as threatening as a sunny day—unless, of course, you ignored the manual and did something creative with the samples.
The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory isn’t just a toy; it’s a time capsule from when “dangerous” and “educational” went hand in hand. Hmmm, I wonder who walked off with this and what does this person intend to do with it? Perhaps, it is just an avid vintage toy collector? Well, it better be. It will be bad news if Dr. Evil gets his hands on this.
Images: RR Auction.