The deadly thallium is an object of fascination and fear. Fear because it’s associated with a whole bunch of bad things that can happen if you have the bad luck to get some in you. Besides, you know, death, how about any of the following? Gastroenteritis, dehydration, tachycardia, seizures, hepatitis, messed up skin, bad nails, pneumonia, vomiting, diarrhea, green urine(!), schizophrenia, shot kidneys, baldness (that’s just wrong), nerve damage and, well, the list goes on trust me.

Despite this long list of dangers, or perhaps because of it, thallium grabs more than its fair share of attention from the collecting community. While it’s true that in metallic form thallium is not anywhere near as dangerous as the compounds it creates, all the same we believe the only way to responsibly own a sample is locked up in a glass tube. Metal and glass are two things that don’t get along very well so care has to be taken to avoid breakage. In contact with air thallium soon loses its luster and turns an evil-looking dark gray with mottled highlights of extra evil. If you should see it this way don’t throw it in the trash. Instead, do the environment a solid and just dunk it in some oil then take it to your nearest hazard disposal facility. Then buy yourself a new sample and be more careful!