Seth Thomas Wall Clock, ca. 1890
Watch
GUEST:
When I was growing up, this clock hung in my grandma's dining room. She lived up north in Cadillac, Michigan. And every year, every summer we'd go up there and go fishing and in the fall, Thanksgiving, we'd go up there and have Thanksgiving dinner and it always hung over the table. And I just admired it as a kid. And I guess the story is it hung in her great-grandfather's bar in Ohio before it came to her. And then she passed it down to my mother and it ended up in my hands. All I know is it's a pretty clock.
APPRAISER:
It is a pretty clock. It was made by the Seth Thomas Clock Company. They were considered the Tiffany of Connecticut clockmakers. They were really a great company that made really high-end clocks and then some clocks that are sort of lower grade clocks or more affordable clocks. Everybody really in the clock world recognizes Seth Thomas because they made hundreds of different models for a long duration. They were formed as a joint corporation in 1853 to 1931. And this was made circa 1890, 1900, in that time period, so it was right around the turn of the century. And it's interesting that it was in a bar. Think of how many people probably referred to this and didn't have a watch at that time.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
There's a label on the bottom here, that's a brass label that says "The Cleveland Electrical Manufacturing Company, Makers, Cleveland, Ohio." And that probably has to do with this hole on the side. It was probably a master clock that ran other slave clocks off of it. The clock is an unusual clock. It's a lot like this lobby model that they offer. This gallery is really unusual at the top, and it's a massive brass 30-day movement, meaning it runs for 30 days on one winding, which is really unusual. So normally, when you see two winding arbors, one runs the strike and one runs the time. But these are what we call a double-spring time only. So it's a long duration, an extended runner, which is kind of interesting. Condition issues are the dial. It's starting to flake a little bit because it's paint on zinc. The second hand is not appropriate. It would be a longer hand that would be on it. But other than that, it's really in fine condition. It's a beautiful mahogany case and it's really very original. A clock like this in a retail situation would sell for $1,800 to $2,200.
GUEST:
Wow. It's not bad.
APPRAISER:
It's not bad for a clock that you've admired for so long and your mom gave to you. I really appreciate you bringing it in, thank you.
GUESST: Thank you very much. I think I'll keep it in my living room.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, it's a great thing to have.
GUEST:
It's beautiful. I love it.
Appraisal Details
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