1 00:00:02,369 --> 00:00:06,506 GUEST: Our neighbor worked with Enrico Fermi during the Manhattan Project. 2 00:00:06,506 --> 00:00:11,544 And he was responsible for doing some of the reactor design. 3 00:00:11,544 --> 00:00:17,684 And these blocks were used in constructing the first two reactors ever, uh, in the world. 4 00:00:17,684 --> 00:00:22,088 When they were decommissioning, he was able to get this block. 5 00:00:22,088 --> 00:00:27,494 Subsequently, since I was trained in nuclear science, gave it to me. 6 00:00:27,494 --> 00:00:31,531 The original was constructed under the stands at the football field at the University of 7 00:00:31,531 --> 00:00:32,766 Chicago. 8 00:00:32,766 --> 00:00:35,035 APPRAISER: Mm-hmm. 9 00:00:35,035 --> 00:00:38,371 GUEST: And after, uh, they had done some of the initial experiments, they took it apart 10 00:00:38,371 --> 00:00:40,673 and took it out to a site outside of Chicago. 11 00:00:40,673 --> 00:00:43,043 APPRAISER: Mm-hmm. 12 00:00:43,043 --> 00:00:45,879 GUEST: And then rebuilt it, and did some more experiments, and then designed a completely 13 00:00:45,879 --> 00:00:49,449 different system. 14 00:00:49,449 --> 00:00:56,122 And then, after several years, abandoned those reactors and moved on to a, a different design. 15 00:00:56,122 --> 00:00:59,492 APPRAISER: The brick that you have brought today is actually from a reactor that was 16 00:00:59,492 --> 00:01:03,129 known as the Chicago Pile-1. 17 00:01:03,129 --> 00:01:09,736 On December 2, 1942, the scientists gathered and ran tests. 18 00:01:09,736 --> 00:01:13,473 One was successful, and that was at the beginning of the Manhattan Project. 19 00:01:13,473 --> 00:01:17,477 Which, less than three years later, as we all know, resulted in the atomic bombs that 20 00:01:17,477 --> 00:01:20,280 were dropped in World War II. 21 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:27,153 The reactor was composed of approximately 45,000 of these bricks. 22 00:01:27,153 --> 00:01:29,923 It's very high-quality graphite. 23 00:01:29,923 --> 00:01:32,258 The reactor was extremely simple because it was the first one. 24 00:01:32,258 --> 00:01:34,794 GUEST: Mm-hmm. 25 00:01:34,794 --> 00:01:39,132 APPRAISER: It was basically a tall cube shape, 57 layers of approximately 45,000 of these 26 00:01:39,132 --> 00:01:41,734 bricks. 27 00:01:41,734 --> 00:01:46,606 It was in a simple wood frame, and it had absolutely no shielding whatsoever from any 28 00:01:46,606 --> 00:01:50,710 kind of radioactive spillover that might have occurred. 29 00:01:50,710 --> 00:01:55,281 They had guys with buckets of cadmium salts standing in the room to try and pour over 30 00:01:55,281 --> 00:01:56,749 the reactor if things started to go south. 31 00:01:56,749 --> 00:01:58,218 GUEST: Mm-hmm. 32 00:01:58,218 --> 00:02:01,321 APPRAISER: The experiments worked. 33 00:02:01,321 --> 00:02:04,824 And they all broke out a bottle of Chianti that somebody had brought... 34 00:02:04,824 --> 00:02:07,193 GUEST: (chuckles) 35 00:02:07,193 --> 00:02:11,531 APPRAISER: ...and drank a toast to their success, and signed the label of the Chianti bottle. 36 00:02:11,531 --> 00:02:16,102 Which is the only reason we know who was there, because there are no written records saying 37 00:02:16,102 --> 00:02:18,838 what scientists actually participated in this experiment. 38 00:02:18,838 --> 00:02:21,241 GUEST: Mm-hmm. 39 00:02:21,241 --> 00:02:23,042 APPRAISER: You had mentioned something about having the brick tested for radioactivity? 40 00:02:23,042 --> 00:02:25,411 GUEST: Right. 41 00:02:25,411 --> 00:02:30,550 I had a, an appointment at the University of New Mexico in the radiopharmacy program. 42 00:02:30,550 --> 00:02:35,088 And we brought the brick down and put it on a counter over a weekend and detected no, 43 00:02:35,088 --> 00:02:37,557 uh, radioactivity whatsoever. 44 00:02:37,557 --> 00:02:39,759 So we're safe standing next to it. 45 00:02:39,759 --> 00:02:40,927 APPRAISER: I'm, I'm very happy to hear that. 46 00:02:40,927 --> 00:02:43,663 GUEST: (chuckles) 47 00:02:43,663 --> 00:02:45,398 APPRAISER: The small pieces which are three inches by three-quarter-inch by three-quarter-inch... 48 00:02:45,398 --> 00:02:47,534 GUEST: Mm-hmm. 49 00:02:47,534 --> 00:02:51,437 APPRAISER:...have sold at auction anywhere between $2,000 and $4,000. 50 00:02:51,437 --> 00:02:58,278 There is currently one of them available online retailing for $6,500. 51 00:02:58,278 --> 00:03:04,350 You have an entire brick, which is extremely rare, and your brick is 11 by four by four. 52 00:03:04,350 --> 00:03:08,154 So at auction, I would say this piece would be worth easily $16,000 to $20,000. 53 00:03:08,154 --> 00:03:10,657 GUEST: Mm! 54 00:03:10,657 --> 00:03:13,092 APPRAISER: And given that you have an entire brick, I would go more towards the high end 55 00:03:13,092 --> 00:03:14,594 of that estimate. 56 00:03:14,594 --> 00:03:14,761 I've never appraised anything like it.