Hart & Truesdale Wooden Works Tall Clock
GUEST:
It's a tall case clock. We bought it at auction in Charlotte, North Carolina, 25 to 26 years ago. It has all wooden gears, so from what we understand from a clock shop in Charlotte where we took it to get cleaned, that probably dates it sometime in the early 1800s, no later than 1820, because that's when they started going to metal gears. So that's about the extent of what I know.
APPRAISER:
Well, that's a little misconstrued. Brass works clocks-- not metal, but brass works tall case clocks-- are earlier than these wooden works clocks. These were made because they're less expensive than brass. But as a result, they don't run as well because they... the gears accept moisture, and they'll swell up and stop, so they're very temperamental as a result. They do run well when you have a nice, arid climate. But what attracted you to this clock to buy it?
GUEST:
Well, the face is I think very attractive. And just the simplicity of the case itself.
APPRAISER:
And Ted, what did you pay for this clock originally 25 years ago?
GUEST:
We paid $1,000 at auction for it.
APPRAISER:
Well, I took the works out of the case so we could kind of talk about both. This was made by Elva Hart and Robinson Truesdale, and they were brother-in-laws who had a working relationship at a clock factory in Hartford, Ohio, of all places. Most people would think this would be Hartford, Connecticut.
GUEST:
Right, right.
APPRAISER:
So they were working from about 1827 to 1835, in that timeframe.
GUEST:
Okay, so a little bit later than I thought.
APPRAISER:
It's a little later than you initially thought.
GUEST:
Okay, okay.
APPRAISER:
But if we go to the case first, it doesn't have a lot of redeeming qualities really.
GUEST:
Pretty simple.
APPRAISER:
It's a poplar case that was most definitely painted at one time. And when you have a poplar or a pine, it's usually an indication of a clock that was painted because it's a secondary wood. If it was a mahogany, generally it wouldn't. And it may have had a grain painting decoration on the door or on the entire case. But as far as the case is concerned, it's a really tough sell in today's market. It's something that I don't think would bring $500 if it were just a case today. But it's really not about the case, it's really about this wonderful dial that you have here and the wooden works movement. And I can just show you the wooden works here. You can see normally on an earlier clock, generally they would be all brass. This clock winds with a pull-up. So it has a counterweight, and you open up the waist door of the case. Right. And you pull the weight up, and it's called a 30-hour pull up. It runs for one day on one winding. Whereas if it were a brass works clock, generally it would have a winding arbor here in the dial, which you would insert a key and crank it, crank the weight up. This style is a great example of a dial or a clock that leaves the clock world and enters the folk art world. The paint is so vibrant, the colors are just fantastic. It has this wonderful signature that's honestly as good as I've ever seen. What's interesting is Truesdale's name is spelled incorrectly. There should be an E here after the L, and it's been left out. And it's probably to balance the entire name.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Also, this three is reversed. It's rotated outward where the bottom generally would be turned in. But the dial really, for somebody in the folk art world, they would probably actually take this out and put this on the wall and display it like that. A wonderful clock. Do you have any idea what the value would be 25 years later?
GUEST:
No, I paid $1,000 for it. It was worth that to me then, and to me I guess that's what I would consider the value today.
APPRAISER:
In a retail situation, I would expect this clock to sell in the $4,000 to $5,000 range.
GUEST:
Oh, really?
APPRAISER:
Because of the dial, it's just fantastic. It's one of the best I've ever seen.
GUEST:
Thank you, that's great news.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.