A mid-20th century desktop thermometer in the rarer green, by British maker Rototherm. Second-hand.
What's for sale?
This is a Bakelite, bi-metallic desk thermometer made by the British scientific instrument maker Rototherm. It's in the rarer green Bakelite and as well as the colour, the dial is also different to the majority of the older Rototherm thermometers that we see.
It has a white dial and black needle. It provides measurements in Celsius and Fahrenheit, with Fahrenheit markings in black and Celsius in faint red, which may have faded over time.
It's a perfect size for the desktop and has a large, stable base. It's also still reasonably accurate: against a digital thermometer it tends to be about 0.5°C positive.
Bakelite has become a generic description for items made of early plastics and resins, like Lucite, Catalin, Galalith, Bakelite and urea-formaldehyde resin. The Rototherm thermometers were apparently made from urea-formaldehyde.
Who made it and when?
It was made in England by Rototherm. They invented the bi-metallic thermometer in 1934. This was probably made in the 1930s or 1940s.
What condition is it in?
- Second-hand
- In fair to good condition
- No cracks or chips
- The red numerals may have faded
- The black access panel has paint loss
- Reasonably accurate temperature readings
What are the measurements?
- 9cm high
- 10cm width of base
- 7.5 depth of base
- 168 grams
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