How Much Does A Casket Cost?

When it comes to "how much does a casket cost?", there are actually several factors involve about how a certain casket or coffin is priced. 

Some of these factors includes casket design, quality of materials used and the size.

The most common type of caskets are those that are made out of sturdy steel. These are rolled steel of varying gauges. 

So if you chose the lowest gauge then that will be the thickest steel where it could cost a lot more expensive. Metal caskets made out of 20 gauge steel are the cheapest.

The advantage of metal caskets is that, it tends to last longer. In fact, some manufacturers even offers warranty for longevity to their metal caskets. 

As for the cost, average metal caskets could cost between $2,000 to $4,000. Caskets made from bronze and copper cost between $5,000 to $7,000.

Next to the metal caskets are the "wooden caskets"

But unlike the metal caskets, manufacturers don't offer warranty for longevity because there is no possible way to lengthen the durability of wooden materials for a long period of time. Wooden caskets are also not gasketed.

When you decide to purchase a wooden casket, you get to choose from these following types hardwood materials:

1. Mahogany
2. Walnut
3. Cherry
4. Oak
5. Poplar
6. Softwood (like pine)

Wooden caskets made out of softwoods such as "pine caskets" costs the cheapest. However, most funeral homes rarely display them. 

As for the high-quality solid wooden caskets, the prices ranges between $1,500 to $3,000.

Other than metal and wood, other materials used by manufacturers in constructing caskets are fiberboard, fiberglass and other forms of hard plastic materials.

The average costs for the cheapest and simple caskets which are particularly made out of soft materials ranges from the price of more than $2,000. 

Elegant and highly durable caskets could go from a price of $10,000 and above. 

But according to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) back in 2009, they stated that the average cost of a casket made from metal was only at $2,295.

Casket

Buying Casket from the Funeral Homes


If it's your first time to buy a casket from any Funeral Homes or Casket Showroom, the most important tip that you need to know is "always ask for the complete lists of caskets on sale".

A shop that sells caskets must have a complete list of their available casket products. By asking the list, you should be able to check each of their casket's prices and description. 

This will save you the time of wondering around the corner of the shop checking the caskets that are on display.

You have to know that those displayed caskets from the store are most likely higher-end models which are pretty expensive. 

And, it's always the first impression of all sellers to introduce to their customers these kinds of models. So if you are on the tight budget, don't hesitate to ask for the lower-priced models on their product list. 

And also, don't be surprised if these low-priced casket models are not on display but being kept at their storage room.

Today, you can also purchase caskets here on the internet. There are actually plenty of websites that sells a variety of caskets complete with descriptions, photos and prices. 

However, before you decide to buy a casket online, it is important that your Funeral Home agrees to use the casket that you are going to purchase. Other than that, they should allow it without charging you any amount of fee.

Most Affordable and Eco-Friendly Caskets


If you are really on a very tight budget and you have deep concern about our environment then the perfect casket for you to choose are probably those "eco-friendly caskets"

These type of caskets are actually the cheapest kind which only cost around $1,000.

Eco-friendly caskets are made out of bio-degradable materials which are crafted from any of the following materials:

1. Cardboard
2. Bamboo
3. Willow bark
4. Banana leaf
5. Sea grass

Caskets made out of these bio-degradable materials are best used for "green burial" or "cremation".

Moreover, when buy a casket or any funeral products offered by the Funeral Homes, you need to be curious about their prices. 

You have to know that some of them actually trick their customers by selling higher rate of prices for their products. 

Thus, it is basically important that you have to compare prices that you got from several different sellers.

Black Coffin Treasure Boxes Found in Mindanao

There are rumors around the internet that the location of the black coffin treasure boxes has been finally found somewhere in the coastal part of Mindanao

Of course, the source won't state the exact location because many treasure hunters or perhaps even the US or Philippine military will race into the site.

The one who claimed to have found the black coffins is a fisherman. According to him, he first noticed large chains underwater. 


When he came close to investigate, the fisherman noticed black objects where the chains were tied. He also noticed that the black objects consists of serial numbers on them.

With the fisherman's curiosity, he attempted to open the boxes to check what was inside them. He tried everything using every possible tool that he had but to no avail, the fisherman couldn't open any of the boxes.

There was another claim. Another fisherman from Mindanao who had a close encounter with the black coffin treasures

His experience was quite similar to the other fisherman above. When he dived underwater, he saw the black coffins tied with large chains around them.

According to this second fisherman, the black objects consists of serial numbers and there are about 30 of them. 

At first, he thought that these boxes were placed on a huge rock. But later on, he discovered that it wasn't a rock but a sunken ship.

The most shocking experience that made this fisherman swore not to get close and make contact into those black objects ever again was when he attempted to touch them using his fishing gear. 

The fisherman described the feeling that he felt electrocuted that he immediately ascended back to his boat.

Lastly is this most interesting claim. The black coffin had already been recovered by some high-ranking official of a certain military organization in Mindanao. 

Although, he only recovered one black box and according to the source, the box consists of several holes at its side.

This person is said to have taken the black box into some part of Davao province and he is selling at an expensive price of 60 million pesos or about 1.3 million dollars.

Black Coffin Found in Mindanao

Moreover, it seems that the black coffin treasure is indeed hidden somewhere in the coastal area of Mindanao.

Hanging Coffins on the Cliffs of the Three Gorges

In China at the place called, "Three Gorges" which is situated along the Yangtze River was a historical attraction known as the "Hanging Coffins"

It's not actually just coffins but there are also many other suspended artifacts and occult phenomena that took place on this strange cliffs.

The cliffs itself are actually mysterious that it consists of many caves dating back from the old age of troglodytism. 


To make it more interesting, ancient human relics conceal some of the entrances to the caves. And just one among the most famous caves is the "Golden Cave".

There is actually an old saying about those hanging coffins from the cliff which goes like this:

"There are countless treasures in the cliff coffins in the Three Gorges, which cannot be obtained even by risking your life".

Due to the saying above, some people attempted to steal some of the coffins in the belief that there are valuable treasures inside them. 

One of the famous attempt was in 1971. The group consisted of a bow-backed person, monk and simply just a lame man. 

They bravely ventured into the Qutang Gorge which is one part of the Three Gorges cliffs. 

There, they had successfully took one coffin down from the cliff but they were very disappointed just to find some bronze wares and potteries.

In 1966 to 1976, people had destroyed most of the coffins from the cliffs. Aside from the skeletons, the coffins simply contains tea leaves, books, medicines and other artifacts. 

It was then realized that the objects along with the remains has something to do with the profession of the dead person.

As an example, a coffin containing objects such as fishing nets, fish hooks and other related fishing tools. It means that the coffin belongs to a fisherman. 

People during the ancient period actually believed that when a person dies, he or she will need those objects to continue on their vocations in their next afterlife.

How did the Coffins Got on the Cliff?


Many people are being puzzled by how the ancient people managed to get those coffins hanging on the cliff. However, experts claims that there are 3 possible methods on how it can be done.

1. Chisel and Rope

They will chisel caves out of the cliffs for the purpose of placing the coffins. 

And in order to place the coffin, they need to use a rope tied from the top of the mountains which they use as support in setting the coffin in place.

2. Tunnels and Caves

They will create tunnels or caves in the cliff. And once done placing the coffin, they will destroy the tunnel to keep thieves out from robbing the grave.

3. Block and Tackle

They are genuine enough to make use of a block and tackle to lift the coffins and set them in place on the cliff. Once done, they will of course remove the equipment.

Overall, those hanging coffins on the cliffs on the Three Gorges may not contain valuable treasures but they actually have unique cultural value. 

It allows us to learn about the early traditions of the ancient people in the Three Gorges on how they treat their dead.

Golden Larnax of Philip II of Macedonia

The most famous larnax ever found in the world is the "Golden Larnax of Philip II" of Macedonia. He was the father of "Alexander the Great"

And, his golden larnax was excavated at Vergina in the northern part of Macedonia.

According to the archaeologists, Philip II's larnax is dated back to the 4th century BC. It is made out of precious gold with a sun motif design on the top surface of its lid. 


However, archaeological experts aren't still sure if the tomb really belonged to king Philip II.

What Is a Larnax?


A larnax is actually a small box or coffin. Contained inside is a human remain which is either bent to fit inside the box or cremated into ashes. 

In the ancient period of Macedonia, keeping the human remains of their beloved families was a common practice that they follow.

During the Greek Bronze Age, archaeologist have found the first larnax dating back in the ancient period of the Minoan times. 

But unlike king Philip II's larnax, it is simply made of ceramics that imitates wooden chests. The pattern has a huge similarity to the Egyptian linen chests

Decorations consists of abstract patterns with animal figures and portrayals of their hunting and cult rituals.

Another famous larnax was the one that belonged to the Hellenistic period. It takes the form of a small terracotta sarcophagi painted with some similar artistic styles to that of the Greek vases.

Today, some people particularly in China still follows this ancient tradition of encasing the remains of their dead. 

After cremation of the dead human body, the ashes will be kept inside a rounded vase known as "urn". Urns can be displayed inside the house because they are actually made with highly decorative design for display purposes.

Moreover, the golden larnax along with the golden crown of king Philip II of Macedonia is now displayed at the Vergina Museum.

Interesting Facts About Plutonium

Plutonium was first discovered in 1940 to 1941 by Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin M. McMillan, J.W. Kennedy and A.C. Wahl at the University of California at Berkeley

They actually submitted a documentation of their discovery but immediately withdrawn when it was found out that plutonium can undergo nuclear fission.

The word "plutonium" was actually derived from the planets of the solar system: Pluto, Uranus and Neptune.

And based from the Periodic Table of Elements, Plutonium has the following characteristics:

Atomic Number: 94
Atomic Symbol: Pu
Atomic Weight: 244
Melting Point: 1,184 F (640 C)
Boiling Point: 5,842 F (3,228 C)

Physical Characteristics of Plutonium


Raw and fresh plutonium are metals with silvery bright color but when oxidized by air, the color changes into dull gray, yellow or olive green.

It was also found out that plutonium metals are quickly dissolved when submerged in a highly-concentrated mineral acids.

When it comes to human senses, touching a large piece of plutonium feels warm. It's because of its energy known as "alpha decay"

In fact, a very large piece of plutonium is capable of producing extreme heat good enough to boil water.

And unlike most other metals, plutonium is not a good conductor of electricity.

Important Usage of Plutonium


In the past second world war, the use of plutonium was a main ingredient in the creation of the most powerful nuclear bomb used in the history of WW2. 

But since the war has long ended, the important usage of plutonium are now directed towards nuclear power plants.

According to the scientific research, a plutonium is capable of producing high temperature of heat that can withstand a long half-life of 88 years. 

This is what makes this element also a perfect heat source for radioisotope thermoelectric generators. These are special generators used in powering various equipment for outer space exploration.

Hazard Radiation Warning Sign

Moreover, the most important fact that the general public needs to know about plutonium is that, it is a radiological hazardous element. 

The only possible and safety means of handling plutonium is with the help of specialized equipment and a lot of safety precautions that needs to be strictly followed.

Famous Incidents of Plutonium Exposure

Plutonium is a highly dangerous element that when a person made slight mistake on handling it, it can take his or her life without mercy. 

Inhaling it alone can damage lungs and other internal organs. According to some scientific studies, inhalation of plutonium can cause decreased on life span, disease of the respiratory tract and cancer.

Here are the following famous incidents of plutonium exposure:

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Back in World War 2, plutonium were discovered as a powerful element in the construction of nuclear bombs. 

The first devastating weapon in the history made out of plutonium was the atomic bomb. And, it was first dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. 

Many people got killed that even the remaining survivors had later died due to radiation.

Louis Slotin

One of the most popular physicist and chemist who worked in the testing process of the plutonium cores was Louis Slotin. 

He was actually a part of the Manhattan Project who created the first atomic bombs.

The unfortunate incident had happened on May 21, 1946. Slotin was working along with his seven other colleagues where they were performing the first steps of a fission reaction. 

The procedure was placing two half-spheres of beryllium around a plutonium core.

Slotin's mistake was that, he used a screwdriver in trying to maintain the separation between the two half-spheres. 

This was clearly a violation of their experimental protocol. Thus, the unexpected incident happened where the screwdriver got slipped which caused the upper beryllium sphere to fall. 

This had caused a critical reaction that emitted a powerful burst of radiation. He then died 9 days later from the incident.

Harry K. Daghlian, Jr.

Another incident which again involved the Manhattan Project was an Armenian-American physicists, Harry K. Daghlian Jr. His was actually attempting to build a neutron reflector out from a plutonium core and tungsten carbide bricks.

One crucial safety regulations that Daghlian violated was that, he was working late at night all alone by himself in the laboratory. 

His experiment actually involved stacking a series of tungsten carbide bricks around the plutonium core. 

However, he accidentally dropped the final brick into the assembly which caused a super critical reaction. 

The only possible way to stop the reaction was that, he partially disassembled the tungsten carbide. But due to the time that took him, he received a lethal dose of neutron radiation. 

He died 25 days later from the incident.

Cecil Kelley

Cecil Kelley was a chemical operator of a large mixing tank in the Los Alamos plutonium processing facility. But on December 30, 1958, unexpected incident happened while Kelley was on duty. 

The solution in the tank somewhat increased to a critical level. So when Kelley switched the stirrer ON, the liquid inside the tank formed a vortex and at the same time, the plutonium layer released a powerful bursts of neutrons and gamma radiation.

At the time of incident, Kelley was standing on a foot ladder checking into the tank through the viewing window but as a result of the emitted radiation, she fell and knocked down on the floor.

Kelly was rushed to the hospital suffering from an agonizing pain that she was burning up. She was also semiconscious, retching, vomiting and hyperventilating. 

And unlike the other incidents mentioned above, Kelly didn't survive long enough because she died 35 hours later after the incident.


Therefore, these famous incidents of plutonium exposure should already be good enough to warn people from attempting to recover the black coffin treasures

If in case that they do contain plutonium, attempting to open them can take their lives including those other innocent people that can be reached by the radiation.