Gilbert Atomic Energy Kit

"This was the most elaborate Atomic Energy educational set ever produced, but it was only only available from 1951 to 1952. Its relatively high price for the time ($50.00) and its sophistication were the explanation Gilbert gave for the set's short lifespan. Today, it is so highly prized by collectors that a complete set can go for more than 100 times the original price.

The set came with four types of uranium ore, a beta-alpha source (Pb-210), a pure beta source (Ru-106), a gamma source (Zn-65?), a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber with its own short-lived alpha source (Po-210), an electroscope, a geiger counter, a manual, a comic book and a government manual 'Prospecting for Uranium.'"

I was a child in the 1950s when these sets were manufactured. The search for uranium was a minor fad for a number of years. I remember my father had a Geiger counter, and we wandered various places in northern Minnesota searching for radioactivity. I had a couple Gilbert sets, but this one was certainly well beyond our family's budget at the time.

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