According to a story on the BBC today there has been a collecting frenzy in Saudi Arabia. The item of choice, old sewing machines. No doubt the Saudi populace were placing enormous bids on EBay for these items as well.
If the details are to be believed the asking price for these vintage treadles has gone as high as $50,000.
Why might one ask has the humble Singer suddenly become so collectible? The answer is simple; they were victims of a hoax.
A mythical substance called red mercury was believed to be present in these old machines and the lucky owner could make a fortune as it purportedly can help with the discovery of old gold or the making of a nuclear bomb.
How do you know if your machine has this substance? There is a simple test. If you place your mobile phone next to the machine's needle and the line cuts off, that proves the existence of the substance.
What this story actually proves is not the existence of 'red mercury' but just how gullible people are. I doubt very much that President Ahmadinejad has been stockpiling sewing machines but one cannot be sure.
Could this whole story be a CIA fabrication to divert attention away from plutonium?
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