‘Dangerous toy’ kept at local shop sheds light on Nevada’s atomic roots

“Whether you’re 8 or 80 we usually got something for you,” says employee Troy Tatum.

Nestled in with Mickey Mouse and green plastic army soldiers sits a red box.

It’s high on a shelf and bearing a dubious distinction.

“It is by far the most dangerous toy,” says Tatum. “If you ate the contents your jaw might fall off later in life. Probably not the best thing, and they gave it to 5-year-olds.”

It was originally marketed as a safe and fun way to create chemical and nuclear reactions.

The kit included three sources of radiation as well as low-level samples of uranium ore.

It was produced from 1950-1951 and very few complete sets remain.

Toy Shack has one of them.

“It is technically for sale, we have it at $15,000,” says Tatum. “That’s what we have it insured for but with something that rare, it’s hard to put a value on it because you have to have a lot sold and flow through the market to really get an accurate value. It really comes down to what somebody will pay.”

The set originally sold for $49, definitely not cheap in 1950.

Perhaps another reason why it was never a big seller.

What it represents today, is an unusual link to Nevada’s atomic roots.

“Atomic was synonymous with awesome,” says Joseph Kent, Director of Education at the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas.