>>31901 Notice how Mom barely flinches. Isn't she a strong women?

Fun for the whole family

>>31850 It's not surprising that two different people had the same idea at that time, steel construction was the marvel of the age. I guess the two companies didn't bother to compete on each others turf. Erector is largely unheard of in Europe. Early Meccano also goes for crazy money.

>>31848 I think Gilbert was born around 1884 and had finished Yale when he was riding in a train and noticed steel workers riveting iron. He had the idea for erector sets at that time. I would guess his age to be 23 or 24 because he took time from school for the Olympics. Giving the time for development and manufacturing 1913 would fit. I don't remember Meccano.
I see that some erector sets are selling for a thousand plus dollars.

I was curious to know which came first Meccano or Erector... ...Meccano was first concieved in 1898, sold in 1901 and trademarked as Mecanno in 1908, and Erector was first sold in 1913. Now you know!
I still have some Meccano somewhere :D

We were poor so an Erector Set never found its way into my toy box. My uncle and aunt gave me the chemistry set but it wasn't the atomic energy one.

This A.C. Gilbert was an interesting person. He graduated Yale as a MD (medical doctor), sold magic kits to pay his tuition, took time from school to compete in the 4th Olympics and won a gold medal in pole vaulting, quit the medical field to make toys and sold over 30 million of these erector sets. Then his company started making chemistry sets. What a guy.

It was on an episode of Qi. Apparently Gilbert sold these sets with actual atomic substances, it had a Geiger counter, and even instructions on how to dig for uranium. Kinda explains the Fallout series ;)

Did you glow in the dark, goodgrief?

Gilbert also released this great looking "Meccano" set..pity the name though.
And he released a chemistry set with actual..shit..no the fertilizer kind..that goes BOOOM!!

Back in the early '50's I got a chemistry set that had potions that aren't allowed today. Mine was also made by Gilbert. Before Gilbert researched what they were selling, we kids could get down-right dangerous. This is not me, by the way.

I'm sure we all know some kids we'd love to give this to for Christmas ;D