1930's Uranium Serving Dish

[UnderMiner]

Stopped by the thrift store today and saw this beautiful platter. The color was very distinct bright orange and I was fairly certain this was the infamous Uranium-based glaze I had researched last year. So I ran to my truck and got my radiation detector. Sure enough the detector screamed 'Radioactive, get the hell away from this thing!' Measured in at 42 Millirem! (Normal background radiation is only 1 or 2 Millirem) I bought it for $1.99 and it was my only purchase for the day.



Uranium-based glazed ceramic was popular prior to the US intervention in WWII (from about 1930-1943). It was made using Uranium Oxide which was a bright orange in color. In 1943 the US government banned the use of Uranium by non-government civilians and seized all the industrial Uranium from private manufactures for use in the Manhattan project (which was top secret at the time). The same Uranium used to make these dinner plates was then included in the batch that produced the world's first Uranium-based atomic bombs, Trinity and Little Boy, that latter of which was used to destroy the city of Hiroshima.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that 'radioactive glazed ceramics should not be used for food or drink use due to the possibility of leaching of Uranium or other heavy metals into food, especially acidic foods.' So happy I got this plate out of this store before it was purchased by a person who may have not know about it's harmful properties.

 

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[sprailroad]

Hand held Radiation Detector?? Who carry's one of those around....Ya know, I kinda think that I might want one. Would like to scan it over my wife, I have suspicion's about her at times...….toxic? at times she makes me crazy.

 

[smokeythecat]

I have one. Mine is a 1960's version, there are several still available (and they still work). I used it for looking for minerals at the Franklin, NJ Zinc mines. It occurs there as natural uraninite and at Jim Thorpe PA on a geologic feature called the "Reading Prong" you can get carnotite in a few places. All weakly radioactive, except for the one piece (4 oz.) that went to 28,000 cpm. I sold it to a museum. You could read it across a room, or through a truck tailgate.

 

[Joe-Dirt]

How does the green uranium glass read on that meter?? I have a bunch of that stuff

 

[Trezurehunter]

Uranium !! I'm surprised Hillary didn't get a hold of that plate and sell it to Russia with the rest of our Uranium ! Nice find.

 

[xcopperstax]

Don't put that one under your pillow!

 

[testing123]

So what does one do with such a plate? Wrap it in lead?

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Nice find and cool meter!

 

[A2coins]

Interesting to know that, pretty cool piece!!!

 

[sprailroad]

So what does one do with such a plate? Wrap it in lead?

I think one could, but eating off the lead clad plate might cause problems after a while just as eating off a radioactive plate. I vote paper plates. (Just another one of my early morning stupid thought's that I have which was totally unnecessary to post but I did anyway, sorry).

 

[Hawks88]

Interesting find along with the info. Congrats on the find.

 

[Inspector]

Uranium !! I'm surprised Hillary didn't get a hold of that plate and sell it to Russia with the rest of our Uranium ! Nice find.

That's a good one!!!!

 

[huntsman53]

Stopped by the thrift store today and saw this beautiful platter. The color was very distinct bright orange and I was fairly certain this was the infamous Uranium-based glaze I had researched last year. So I ran to my truck and got my radiation detector. Sure enough the detector screamed 'Radioactive, get the hell away from this thing!' Measured in at 42 Millirem! (Normal background radiation is only 1 or 2 Millirem) I bought it for $1.99 and it was my only purchase for the day.

View attachment 1671952

Uranium-based glazed ceramic was popular prior to the US intervention in WWII (from about 1930-1943). It was made using Uranium Oxide which was a bright orange in color. In 1943 the US government banned the use of Uranium by non-government civilians and seized all the industrial Uranium from private manufactures for use in the Manhattan project (which was top secret at the time). The same Uranium used to make these dinner plates was then included in the batch that produced the world's first Uranium-based atomic bombs, Trinity and Little Boy, that latter of which was used to destroy the city of Hiroshima.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that 'radioactive glazed ceramics should not be used for food or drink use due to the possibility of leaching of Uranium or other heavy metals into food, especially acidic foods.' So happy I got this plate out of this store before it was purchased by a person who may have not know about it's harmful properties.

Nice find but egads 42 Millirem, I hope the Feds don't drop by and arrest you for suspicion of trying to make a Pretty Bomb!