Featured An Interesting Artifact from the Early Atomic Age

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by Cachecoins, May 25, 2020.

  1. Cachecoins

    Cachecoins Historia Moneta

    Encapsulated Neutron Irradiated 1943 Mercury Dime

    radiatedime1.jpg

    I found this to be an interesting relic of a very specific time and place.

    My family hails from Chatanooga Tennessee and a little town called Rossville right across the border in Georgia. Some people here may be familiar with this area as it is very steeped in history, particularly regarding the Civil War with places like Lookout Mountain and of course Chickamauga Battlefield Park in Fort Oglethorpe, the site of the Civil War Battle of Chickamauga, second only to the Battle of Gettysburg in terms of casualties.

    These Irradiated Dimes are from the Oakridge Museum of Atomic Energy in Oakridge Tennessee which proudly pronounced itself the 'Atomic City', which was relatively close to where they lived. Apparently my grandfather, who passed on long before I was born, made a visit to the Oakridge Museum if Atomic Energy and picked this up while there.

    [​IMG]
    An aerial view of the Oakridge Facility​

    Apparently, back in the early days of atomic science, radiation and atomic energy were portrayed as relatively harmless and fun. At this time there were x-ray machines in shoe stores called fluoroscopes with viewers attached so you could x-ray your child's foot while in the shoe and see how well the shoe fit. Those would be gone when it was discovered that these devices, cute as they were, were toasting little kids toes.

    The encased irradiated dimes were another example of fun with radiation. Beginning in the late 40's and early 50's the the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies (ORINS), and the Graphite Reactor there was the world’s largest source of radionuclides in the world. The program of irradiating dimes was begun for the purpose of illustrating to the public the principle of neutron activation.

    [​IMG]
    The Oakridge dime irradiator​

    A description of the process from a 1954 press release from the American Museum of Atomic Energy:

    "One of the most popular exhibits in the American Museum of Atomic Energy is a "dime irradiator." To date, more than 250,000 dimes have been irradiated, encased in plastic and returned to their owners as souvenirs. The irradiator works as follows: A mixture of radioactive antimony and beryllium is enclosed in a lead container. Gamma rays from the antimony are absorbed by the beryllium atoms and a neutron is expelled by the beryllium atom in the process.

    These neutrons, having no electrical charge, penetrate silver atoms in the dime. Instead of remaining normal silver-109, they become radioactive silver-110. After irradiation, the dime is dropped out through a slot in the lead container and rests momentarily before a Geiger tube so that its radioactivity may be demonstrated. It is then encased in the souvenir container. Radioactive silver, with a half-life of 22 seconds, decays rapidly to cadmium-110 (In 22 seconds, half of the radioactivity in each dime is gone, in another 22 seconds half the remainder goes, and so on until all the silver-110 has become cadmium). Only an exceedingly minute fraction of the silver atoms haveb been made radioactive."

    Between 1949 and 1967 possibly up to 1 million dimes had been irradiated. With the end if silver dimes in 1964 came the eventual end to the program although they did seek to gather remaining dimes in bank rolls and in circulation to continue the program for a time.

    The dime irradiator went on tour at times and was set up at the 1964 World's Fair in New York. The dimes we're encased in special blue plastic containers for that event but since they were not sealed, the dimes inside may not be the original.

    The Oakridge Facility is noted for employing many women who contributed to the development of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and of course the Atomic bombs used in Japan.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

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    The work performed at the facility was of national importance and top secret so it was common the see signs like the one shown below warning those who worked and lived in the area to keep this in mind.

    Today ORINS is now Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).

    [​IMG]

    Coin is my own and all other images are linked. Thanks!​
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2020
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  3. GH#75

    GH#75 Trying to get 8 hours of sleep in 4. . .

    The dime looks like a 1943. o_O But cool article! Learned a few things.
     
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  4. bradgator2

    bradgator2 Well-Known Member

    Great article. I got a Master’s Degree in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering with the help of a scholarship from Oak Ridge National Labs. I’m going to see if I can track one of these down.

    And never trust an atom. They make up everything.

    (sorry)
     
  5. Cachecoins

    Cachecoins Historia Moneta

    Thanks for pointing out my error.
     
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  6. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    I was put on one of those machines a couple of times. The last time I moved my toe in the shoe to see if it was actually real. It was. As I remember it, the image in the machine was green.

    I can remember an episode of the nighttime Walt Disney program. It featured a big genie who was starting give us all sorts of wonderful things that were going to come from atomic energy. There was nuclear power and atomic submarines. There also a giant peanut that said have been made by irradiating the seeds. Who know what that thing might have done to you if you happened to eat it?

    Here is the only item that I have which relates to the topic at hand. It's a pin that was handed out in conjunction with the Manhatten Project. I bought this from the political items dealer.

    A-Bomb pin Mine.jpg
     
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  7. Cachecoins

    Cachecoins Historia Moneta

    That is a great pin, thanks for posting it!
     
  8. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    I love your irradiated dime. I’m not one that is usually taken with items that employ coins but this takes you to a very specific time and place in our nations history. Great background story too!
     
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  9. ken454

    ken454 Well-Known Member

    great write up, now i know a bit more about mine....

    1942.jpg Picture 505.jpg Picture 507.jpg Picture 506.jpg
     
  10. NSP

    NSP Well-Known Member

    I believe that you’re referring to the “Our Friend the Atom” video. Someone uploaded it onto YouTube, and I found it to be very informative.

     
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  11. bradgator2

    bradgator2 Well-Known Member

    On the bay, you can get that blue World’s Fair “holder” for 7 bucks (empty). Or that metal museum one with an early 50s Rosey for 15 bucks. No clue if the coin in there was actually irradiated.
     
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  12. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Yes, I've seen these before and I may even have one somewhere around here! Great article! :D
     
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  13. desertgem

    desertgem Senior Errer Collecktor

    Wonder what a Zincoln cent would look like after exposure :)
     
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  14. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    Not counting the blue plastic 1964 worlds fair holder there are at least four different varieties of the metal and plastic holders. There are at least two different inscriptions on the white inner plastic ring "American Museum of Atomic Energy" and "Oak Ridge National Laboratories", and the lettering comes in either black or blue. They did these for a long time so there are possibly other variations.

    Since the dimes were provided by the tourist the date on the dime has nothing to do with when it was made. I have seen Mercury and Roosevelt dimes in these, I have never seen a Barber but they could exist. I visited Oar Ridge in 1967 and made a few of these, with 1965 dimes.
     
  15. Coinsandmedals

    Coinsandmedals Well-Known Member

    @johnmilton I wondered if one of these would show up in this discussion. I had a number of these when I collected that sort of thing. They also issued one in silver. The different metal designated the length of service (i.e., Bronze: less than a year, Silver: greater than a year).
     
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  16. masterswimmer

    masterswimmer A Caretaker, can't take it with me

    Great article. Great coin. Great holders.
    Thanks for taking the time to post this most interesting tidbit.
     
  17. cladking

    cladking Coin Collector

    That's weird.

    I just saw this pin on TV hours before opening this thread. I had thought it was a modern fake since it seemed impossible they'd actually put "a bomb" and "manhatten project" in the same place. The Germans weren't supposed to know.

    I collect these as well and have a wide array of different types, dates, etc. They used to be pretty cheap but I haven't seen any in years now.
     
  18. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    I think that they were issued after after the bomb was dropped on Japan. It was obvious by then that the bomb existed.
     
  19. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    I thought they insisted on only silver dimes?
     
  20. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    It would be an ugly sight. Just like before.
     
  21. Mountain Man

    Mountain Man Supporter! Supporter

     
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