[swallerick]

I started collecting elements on the periodic table a few years ago, and here is a list of all the elements that I have pure samples of so far. 

A few of my favorite samples include my 1g of cesium metal.  It is in an argon-filled glass ampoule with super shiny, 99.99% pure cesium metal, and it is the color of 14 karat gold!  What's better is that it has a melting point of 83.19°F (28.44°C), which means it will melt in your hand when held for only a few seconds!  Considering it's high reactivity, it really makes me wonder how they got it so shiny.  Best $100 I ever spent!

Another favorite sample is my 864g (1.9lb) tungsten rod, as it is incredibly heavy with a density of approximately 19g/cm³, nearly 2½ that of steel!  It is a really unusual feeling to pick something like this up.

My all-time favorite element is gallium, because it will melt in your hand just like cesium, except without burning a hole through your hand.  I even sell gallium over the Internet.  I have bought 2kg of it.

I have a list of the 28 elements I have collected so far, with a link to a picture for most of them.

Aluminum - my sister got it from school
Americium - Probably not pure, may be trace amount - Taken out of two smoke detectors
Argon - from my dad's work
Arsenic - $33 - >99% - www.elementsales.com
Bismuth - donated by www.grantmfg.com
Bromine - $30 - >99% - I ordered the $30 sample & they sent me the $85 sample in the resin casting - www.elementsales.com
Cadmium - $18 - >99.9% - ~1g - www.elementsales.com
Carbon - I made this by burning magnesium sandwiched between two blocks of dry ice.
Cesium - 99.98% 1g ampoule for $84 + shipping from Austria - www.smart-elements.com
Copper [2] - taken from a 9th grade chemistry experiment, then painstakingly polished
Gallium [2]  [3]  [4] - 1kg 99.99% Shot (mostly gone); 1kg 99.99% Ingot
Indium - 99.995% 1kg ingot for $400 including shipping from China - on eBay
Iodine - 99.99% 250g for ~$50 from Lithuania - on eBay or www.redbestoffers.com
Lead - melted and poured into water, then polished with a rag
Magnesium
Mercury [2] - almost 1lb of dirty mercury shown in pic, but I have even more
Nickel - 99.9% eBay
Nitrogen (shown in the picture as liquid nitrogen)
Oxygen (shown in the picture as liquid oxygen, condensed into a test tube using LN2)
Scandium - 99.99% 0.3g - www.smart-elements.com
Silicon - I made this by reacting silica sand and magnesium
Sodium - ~0.5 oz under mineral oil in picture, but I used to have an ounce - Craigslist ad
Sulfur - 99.9% Small vial shown in pic, but I bought a pound from the same seller as the sodium - Craigslist
Thallium - $50 - 99.9% Ampoule, 2.3 gram Cut Slab - www.elementsales.com
Tin - donated by www.grantmfg.com
Tungsten [2] - 864g rod from eBay
Uranium - www.UnitedNuclear.com
Zinc - melted zinc from post-1982 pennies poured into a glass vial

[billnotgatez]

Are you going to collect the rest of the inert gasses?

[typhoon2028]

Are you going to continue to break US law by destroying currency?

[swallerick]

Are you going to collect the rest of the inert gasses?

Eventually, yes.  It is a work in progress.

----------

Are you going to continue to break US law by destroying currency?

First of all, I am not breaking US law by destoying coins.  It is only illegal when you do it with fraudulent intent.
See http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/77334.html

http://www.usmint.gov/consumer/18USC331.cfm

(Text as of 2/19/02) 18 U.S.C. §331:

Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled or lightened - shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. (Emphasis added.)

[billnotgatez]

Some of the inert gasses are the easiest to acquire and usually fairly pure.
Helium may be hard to contain (as well as hydrogen).

[Fleaker]

Neat!! Post up some photos!

[tntomer]

Hi,
Nice collection. I really really want to start collecting myself but Australia makes it impossible to get anything into the country or quadtriples the cost...
Its very fustrating.

Any tips?

[Benzenelover]

..How did you legally get a hold of uranium?

[vmelkon]

..How did you legally get a hold of uranium?

Click the link and all your questions will be answered.

[ActivationEnergy]

That is such a good idea. Good luck on collecting more!

[Plutonium]

You must have spent a fortune on that tungsten rod.  I can't find any low-priced tungsten on eBay for my collection.

[BARAJAN]

I can't understand why someone like to collect all these elements in his house? what do you want to do? 

[fledarmus]

How pure does your tungsten need to be? Tungsten electrodes for welding are >97% and in some cases >99% pure tungsten and are relatively cheap. For example http://store.cyberweld.com/tunpur040dia.html http://www.weldcraft.com/parts-accessories/tungsten-electrodes/ http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/msds/Tungsten.pdf