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Antique Barometers
The barometer was invented in 1643 by Evangelista Torricelli, who studied with Galileo in his final years. Torricelli learned that by using mercury or quicksilver, as it was known in those days, he could make a small vacuum-operated gauge that would change with the air pressure. Despite this great discovery, the Church disagreed with his theories, since according to their views, there was no such thing as a vacuum because "God was everywhere." Science and the church often clashed in the 1600s, and so most scientific experimentation was kept secret until a theory could be acceptable to the Church.
Between the years of 1670 and 1900, there were over 3,500 registered makers of antique barometers. Stick barometers were made by attaching a tube to a plank. This was decorated with ornate case work, silvered brass plates, and brass cistern caps. Today, it is almost impossible to find old mercury barometers because most were destroyed when the new aneroid variety came into being. Today, rare early stick barometers are the most sought after by collectors. In 1663, wheel barometers or banjos were designed by Robert Hooke. These barometers had a large round numbered dial (see image right), which was easier for most people to use to visualize the changes in the air pressure. Some were octagonal, and others in the banjo shape we still see today. The banjo is made of a wood case, usually mahogany or pine that has been veneered with mahogany. The case was decorated with architectural elements like pediments and inlays around the edges. Sometimes they would be decorated with seashells or sunbursts. Inside there is a tube of mercury and a series of strings, weights and a pulley. Through these parts, the air pressure reading was transferred to a dial. There is an interesting tale of Thomas Jefferson, who bought a barometer in a small antique shop in Philadelphia in 1776. He used it for determining the height above sea level. American patents for barometers were first registered around 1845. Many different methods of enclosing the mercury were designed and patented, including tubes made with cast iron, leather, j-tubes and many others that didn't work as well as the standard tube. In 1860, Admiral Fitzroy, famous for captaining Charles Darwin's ship, prepared the world's first detailed weather forecasting using an antique barometer. He wrote about the meanings behind rising and falling pressures, explaining how it worked with the weather. Eventually the English and French put such stock in barometers and their ability to foretell the weather that large stick barometers were required to be posted along the coast so sailors could check the weather before departing.
To backtrack just a little, in 1840, Lucien Vidie of France invented the first mechanical barometer. Known as an aneroid barometer, it did not rely on mercury or other liquid to be moved by air pressure. Instead, the aneroid barometer uses a metal vacuum disc with mechanical arms and a pointer. Both types of barometers were made by European craftsmen throughout the 1800s. Some retailers had over 80 designs available for sale at one time. By 1900, aneroid barometers had replaced most mercury barometers, being easier to transport and less expensive. Becoming ever smaller as time passed, pocket sized barometers were available to be used by balloonists and other travelers. Most aneroid barometers were cased in brass, and they look similar to a round thermometer face or clock face with hands that mark the atmospheric pressure. Today, the only mercury barometers being made in America are for professional weather stations. They are made to be utilitarian, not for looks. Today, many people like to collect barometers. Some of the most collectible antique barometers include old mercury stick barometers, marine barometers, and angle barometers. All of these styles are relatively difficult to find, and are much sought after by collectors. For those new to barometers, even a brand new inexpensive one for their home can be the cause of much interest as they learn to read the barometer and learn to predict the weather, not to mention the fact that prices are on the rise as their rarity becomes more widely known. Happy Collecting!
Below is a list of current US & UK eBay auctions of Antique Barometers.
* all articles on auction courtesy of eBay ** links open a new window at eBay with product details. US Auctions Top
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Even with these restrictions, antique barometers continued to be refined over the years, until they could be manufactured in a manner that people could use. Glass blowers refined the shape of the tube and its reservoir, cabinet makers and engravers became involved, until by 1670, barometers were being produced as a weather instrument that people could use in their houses. The nobility considered it a great achievement to have a mercury barometer in their homes. 
Because of the great number of antique barometer manufacturers, competition was fierce. The best craftsmen were employed to create the different designs, from those who tried different methods of holding the mercury in the older models to the best woodworkers to design attractive mountings for the instruments. Many Italian craftsmen trained in the manufacture of barometers moved throughout Europe during the 1800s when Italy was suffering an economic recession, working for French and English companies that continued to have great success with their barometers. Other countries that produced barometers at this time included Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Holland, Portugal, Belgium and America. 
