Lucite Cube // Uranium

Uranium you say? Isn't that dangerous? Nah. Well, yes, but there's a huge difference between natural uranium and fissionable U-235. Natural uranium, like this specimen, is almost entirely composed of isotope 238 which is about as useless to weapons as baking flour.

But what about the radioactivity, you ask? Won't this stuff make me glow in the dark and sprout new body parts? Nah. Well, yes, but you'd need a HUGE amount of it. Like, the size of a house. The thing about radioactivity is that there are different kinds. The alpha rays given off by uranium are the most destructive to living tissue. As the uranium atoms decay, they release a lot of energy in the form of high speed particles which are, at the molecular level, like cannon balls going through a living cell. However, these cannon balls are so comparatively large that they're easily stopped by the first thing that gets in their way which means that it's very easy to shield. In fact, air itself is enough to buffer the radioactivity so that at even an inch or two away from the metal you would be at a safe distance. This tiny piece of natural uranium, sealed in thick acrylic, has about as much radioactivity as a brick of granite.

Private ownership of uranium in any form is automatically a highlight feature in any group of scientific collectibles, but this is truly a presentation piece meant to impress. These coils of pure uranium are the most visually arresting way to show off this metal. And it may be safe, but that doesn't make it easily available, since it's tightly-regulated - you never know when Uncle Sam might change his mind about the public owning uranium, so get it while you can.