Monday, May 4, 2009

Red Mercury

I found this article recently on Anne Marie's Chemistry Blog:

Do you have an old Singer sewing machine? If so, it may be worth $50,000! BBC is reporting on a sewing machine hoax in Saudia Arabia in which people are rushing to buy old Singer sewing machines based on the belief that they might contain red mercury.

I think my grandmothers old Singer is still in the family somewhere, but it's primary value is the memories in evokes.

Still, this might be a useful method of generating income; First I need to identify some bit of old junk in my basement, then start a rumor that such items contain an element of rare value, wait for the price to go up, and then I can cash in!

So ... you know that old Toro lawn mower engine blocks contain an unusually high concentration of pink antimony, an element that has become increasingly rare since the last Soviet era processing plant closed down a few year ago. It's quite valuable, but I'd be willing to let my old lawn mover go for a very reasonable price ...

[image Chuck's Lawn Mower Page, which, to my amazement and pleasant surprise, is well worth a visit in itself. Go figure.] Dread Tomato Addiction blog signature

No comments:

Post a Comment