what is the most unusual thing you own?

[mjohnson]

Parachute reefing rings from a B53 thermonuclear bomb. Nice to hold souvenir golf balls on my office shelf.

The backpack from the W47 special atomic demolition munition (the "backpack bomb"). Holds some camping gear.

Both spent 40+ years in the field strapped to or built into nuclear weapons. They were salvage from Pantex during disassembly.

In our vault at work I have one of the mock Pu pits from the Trinity/Nagasaki weapons, from that era. I don't get to keep that one.

My wife has a WW2 patch and signed note from Leon smith, the guy on the enola gay who armed the little boy bomb over Hiroshima. She was in the last weapons-critter class that Leon presented to before his death in 2011(?).

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by cashflyer

Posession is 9/10ths of the law.
And 'statute of limitations'
And 'finders-keepers'

Increasingly, not so with real ancient artifacts. Without provenance, they can be seized at auctions or if you try to export them.

Rick: If you really want to return it, contact the museum with an anonymous email account and offer ship it to their embassy.



A goffering iron receptacle.

Ian

[aschen]

my parents have had a 300% scale 12 ft long acrylic (finished in shiny piano lacquer) Panther on display in their living room since the early 80s.

ive never been sure of why

[Eric 951]

A complete sword and leather tooled scabbard made and used by a "Fuzzy-Wuzzy" tribesman along with a photo of him smiling atop his camel with the sword/scabbard.

A hubcap from Tom Savini's Mercedes 240D which was used in the opening graveyard scenes from the 1989-90 Night of the Living dead re-make.

[Bob Kontak]

I have a mortician's vintage embalming vacuum pump.

Note the W on the end of the motor for Westinghouse. Suspect Tesla hand wound the motor.

[Bill Douglas]

Umm, touch those terminals and you will be next across the embalming table.

[benjoys02]

An original Minilite Wheels Barrel Box.

[SoCal911T]

The only thing I can think of is this.
It's the starboard steering wheel for a 12 Meter America's Cup boat that raced in Fremantle Australia in 1987.

[MT930]

8 Foot tall candlestick my Dad found the stick and made the candle. 80Lbs */-

Late 1880-90 Brass ships wheel working.

Late 1880-1890 Ships Compass Or Binnacle as they were called.

Cheshire Constable's hat Or Bobbi's helmet.

The most bizarre is a pint jar filled with formaldehyde with golf ball sized testicles.

They were off my favorite Black lab they were uncomfortable for him. The Vet a friend said they are some of the largest he had ever removed.

He said you keep them and scare your daughters boyfriends with them. It's exactly what I've done with them no pics.

[porsche356a]

Headhunter machete from the Philippines... razor sharp.

[Brian in VA]

Surgery textbook from 1856

[Rick Lee]

My dad has a killer ship wheel he claims one of his pledge brothers stole in a fraternity prank in Philly in the mid-60s. When he/they went to return it, the bldg. has been demolished, so he kept it. It's amazing and I will have it one day.

[72doug2,2S]

A didgeridoo

[BeyGon]

A carved Ivory Opium Pipe, not sure of the age. I picked it up in Penang in the 60's.
No, I never used it.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

A didgeridoo

Cool.

Thought it was an oosik at first.

Walrus wiener of bone (ivory?). Lucky mammals.

[DerkPerk]

My father in law has one of those on his bookshelf.

[SilberUrS6]

A block of gold ore, with gold veins clearly visible. It was obviously shaped by some human, as it is a rectangular block with all the edges and corners radiused. I have no idea how it came into my because I don't remember at any time seeing it before I unpacked a box after our last move.

Also, a nickel-iron meteorite. That one I traded for as kid, my baseball glove for a cool melted-looking and rusty rock. BTW, my dad was REALLY p!ssed off that I traded my baseball glove for a fscking ROCK, as he put it. I kept the rock, and later, after I figured out what it was, he apologized.

[yellowperil]

What we have here is a magneto from my 500 single AJS (unless someone knows better) and an aircraft instrument of which I know nothing about.

I've had both on my bench for decades. Why???????

[Rednine11]

My Kaiser Duece and a half. (M35A2)

[yellowperil]

And this thing, which is the last of the weird stuff at my house. Well.... except for the shrunken pygmy head, which I can't seem to find anymore. Just as well, as my wife would rather I didn't show it to guests at our house anymore. She thinks it might make us look a bit weird. Oh, and maybe back off on the scotch a bit too.