When I was a kid I had a rock tumbler and would buy bags of loose unpolished
amethyst and agate stones at Edmund Scientific (now defunct - the storefront anyway)
and then tumble them for months until they were smooth and shiny.
And if I had saved all of that junk instead of giving and throwing it all away -
I'd now be a guy with all kinds of junk - and probably worse back problems.
But at least I could have been a contender to be the 'Crystal King'.
Just think, you could’ve hawked those to today’s gullible lefty lunatics for their magical, mystical “energy” properties. You could have retired years ago!
We used to take family trips through the west to visit relatives. Dad would buy me polished rock specimen kits in the late 50s from the various “Wall Drug” type stores. I think I still have one stored away somewhere.