Richard Davies writes, "Einstein's childhood building blocks have been listed for sale on the AbeBooks.com marketplace for books and collectibles."
"Housed in two wooden boxes, the set features approximately 160 pieces with some chipped from use. The set was created by Anker-Steinbaukasten — a German company famous for its toy stone building blocks that come in red, blue and tan colors. They are made from a composite natural material that includes quartz sand, chalk, coloring, and linseed oil. Anker blocks have a long history in helping child development, dating back to the 1880s. The blocks are listed for sale at $160,000 [+$3 for shipping -Ed] by a seller called Seth Kaller from White Plains, New York. I have blogged about the blocks and the interesting history of Anker-Steinbaukasten here."
Kaller purchased the blocks at auction last year after they were put up for sale by an agent working on behalf of Einstein's descendants. Kaller specializes in historic documents and artifacts. He will be displaying the blocks at this year's New York Antiquarian Book Fair on March 9-12.
Kaller describes them as "a unique and important artifact of Einstein's childhood." He adds: "Fellow scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, as well as architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Walter Gropius, are among the geniuses who are known to have played with Anker blocks."
The Building Blocks of Albert Einstein's Creative Mind
[Abebooks]
