Mercury Regulations and Antique Barometer Collecting in the US

Recent and proposed legislation in various states regulating the use of mercury will seriously affect the collecting of antique barometers in the US. State legislation, part of larger bills intended to reduce environmental contamination from mercury, by making it illegal to sell objects containing mercury. Unlike in Europe, where the draft legislation exempts antique barometers as a special case, antique barometers are not exempt in most of the pending state legislation at this time.

States with active or pending mercury management legislation likely to impact the barometer trade include California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. New Hampshire now has a mercury reduction law, but some of its language appears to afford sellers some leeway; Minnesota requires objects that contain mercury to be clearly labeled before sale; while a law currently being considered in Ohio that would prohibit selling mercury added products, including those for household adornment, unless the manufacturer, importer or exporter provides written notification to the state and receives an exemption. Maine recently passed a bill amending their legislation reinstating the legal trade and restoration of antique barometers, defined as instruments over 100 years old, and Indiana provides a specific exemption within its law for barometers made prior to 1980.

Some states have had mercury management laws for up to three years but their bans were not well publicised. Recent press coverage of the issue has prompted antique fair organisers in New York to ban mercury barometers and/or thermometers and medical equipment, while Sotheby's and Christie's have publicly declared their policy not to sell mercury barometers in the United States. Skinner's, the Boston auction house known for its Science and Technology auctions, will follow suit now that a Massachusetts ban has taken effect.

Most affected by the bans, however, will be the dealers across the country who sell antique barometers. Clearly their sources for buying and their outlets for selling barometers will shrink. Their access to vital parts and supplies needed for restoration will also be limited, particularly their access to the mercury needed for restoration or recalibration. Dealers hope to lobby state legislatures for amendments exempting antique barometers or for schemes that would allow a licensed specialist to sell and repair mercury added objects, but that will take time (possibly years).

Clearly, mercury management regulations, once publicized in the press, will discourage existing collectors from adding to their collection and will strongly discourage potential collectors from starting, since future disposition of a collection at favorable prices could become very difficult (including the obvious problem of finding someone willing to empty a barometer and deal with the mercury so that it can be shipped).