Stuff I have and I'm not sure why

Anyone recognize what this is?  Yeah, its a silver emblem off a Waffen SS Officer's Cap.  Probably some of the most evil bastards that ever walked the planet.  I mean, this was their insignia, the "Death's Head".  I have always wondered why I found it in an antique shop in Old Town Albuquerque.

What the hell is this button?  I've had it for decades and never figured out why or what it even means.

I wish some of these things could talk.  This pistol will never work again.  Interestingly, it doesn't look that bad in this photo.  But, believe me, its thrashed.  What makes it fascinating to me is that it was abused, just used to the point of wearing out.  It is a Russian Nagant.  If you've ever seen the move "Enemy at the Gates" the Russian officer in the boat shooting at the people in the river at the very beginning is shooting one of these.  Its the only time I remember seeing one in a film.  Anyway, for all I know, this one was there at Stalingrad.  They are a weird revolver.  I used to have one I bought when they cleaned out of bunch of Eastern European arsenals after the fall of the Soviet Union.  I paid like $200.00 for it, just because.  It is such a bizarre design.  The cartridges have the projectile inside the shell casing and when you cock the hammer, the whole cylinder moves forward and shoves the end of the brass into the forcing cone.  OK, it does make a fantastic seal, but...once you've fired them all, then you have to eject the spent casings to reload.  I only shot it once because I had to go into my shop and knock the casings out of the cylinder with a punch because of the way they expand when fired.  I want to know how the hell they used these things in battle.  I probably would still have that one, which was essentially in new condition, but some guy just had to have it so, I sold it to him.  This one isn't worth anything and to me, is much more interesting.  Some Russian soldier used this thing...a lot.  And, somehow, it ended up here in the United States in this condition.  Every other one I've seen were arsenal imports...which makes me even more curious about the history of this one.  But...too bad, because I've just told you all I'll ever know about it.  Actually, I shouldn't say it will never work again...because it probably does "work"...but I'll never fire it.  I wasn't all that comfortable shooting the one in good shape.

This is from back in the days when the government didn't restrict what pharmaceutical companies could give doctors as freebies (and they couldn't advertise on TV...have we really progressed?).  My dad used to bring home the coolest stuff.  This ear and heart I've had since I was a little kid.  I'm not sure why I thought they were so great.  They just are...aren't they?

More cool things my dad brought home.  These are containers that radioactive needles came in.  The gold things on top are actually solid gold.  They would put them over the patient's eyes when irradiating a tumor anywhere near the eyes.  Seems kind of primitive now, huh?

OK, does this one need explanation?  Why did he bring this stuff home?  I have a distinct memory of the first time I saw this.  I climbed into the back seat of his Corvair Monza Spyder.  There was something covering it up, and I picked it up and said, "Why is there a slice of brain back here?"  He said, "See that walnut like thing in the middle?  That's a tumor."  Kind of like..."Why else would it be there?  Do you think I collect healthy brain slices?"  Interestingly enough, none of this seemed the least bit unusual to me.  

I have always had a fascination with writing utensils.  Noticing these two made me pause and think.  The  one on the left is a mechanical pencil from the 1920s and the top doubles as a cigarette lighter.  The one on the right is a silver and gold pen Whitny bought me.  The top of it is a flash drive.  The similarity juxtaposed with the striking differences are fascinating...don't you think?