Glass refrigerator thermometer

[CuriousCollector]

Another item found in FIL's storage unit.  I love this little thing!  It's a glass stand with a cardboard insert with the thermometer tacked to the cardboard.  It's about 4.5" high.  It appears to be a give-away, as the back has warning about keeping food cool (below 50 degrees), a message from the National Food Preservation Program, Southwest Georgia Council.



The red "mercury"? has a break in the middle for some reason, although the thermometer appears intact.  Without that break, it reads accurately.



Any ideas on value? -- and any ideas on how I can get the separated pieces of mercury (was mercury ever red?) to combine?

[fancypants]

Cool little item , CC .

The liquid within your thermo is alcohol with dye in it , not mercury .

Mercury ore is generally red , but mercury is always silver-colored in it's liquid form .

Altho I'm unclear about the unit (is it sealed or open-bottomed?) , you should be able to gently heat it enough for the alcohol to reach the maximum temp on the scale (do this with a blow-drier , or warm water if the unit is sealed) . This should re-incorporate all of the liquid ; if not , just do the procedure in the following sentence .

While the unit is still warm , 'shake-down' the thermometer (with a sort of snap of the wrist) towards the bottom of the unit .

This should re-incorporate all of the liquid , sans the present air gap .

[KC]

I miss old thermometers!  

I can remember when they would "accidentally" break...and we would play with the mercury!  Little did we know back then about the dangers of mercury!  (Maybe that is why I am the way I am today! Hmmmmmm)

Seems to be from the mid 1900's....maybe a little earlier.

[CuriousCollector]

KC - I think the 50s sounds right -- the text and logo has that kind of look to it.  Also, there was a big push in the rural areas from the 30s to the 60s to improve a lot of areas related to nutrition, birth weights, etc. 

Thanks again, everyone!