Terry & Andrews Steeple Clock, ca. 1845
Watch
GUEST:
The clock belonged to my grandfather. He lived in upstate western New York, and it was always in the home. We always heard it tick-tocking when we were kids, and it was very soothing, relaxing. He told me a story at one point in time that he had recovered it from the bottom of a barrel. It was all covered with debris, and he had pulled it out, cleaned it up a little bit, was really surprised at how good a shape it was in after all that abuse. And it sat in his house my entire childhood, so I knew he found it before I was born. And when he passed, I inherited it.
APPRAISER:
It's a funny story because one of the reasons why this clock is here today is because it's in remarkable condition. I mean, it's a clock that's 160-plus years old.
GUEST:
Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
And it's just... the condition of it is perfect. It's as clean as it gets.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
But this is what we call a steeple clock. Some people refer to it as a gothic clock. It was made by Terry and Andrews Company-- Theodore Terry and Franklin Andrews.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And they worked in Bristol, Connecticut, and they were a partnership that was from 1842 to 1850.
GUEST:
Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
And it's an all-mahogany case. What's really great about the case is its condition. I mean, I can't say one thing bad about it. I see a lot of steeple clocks here at the Roadshow, and some good and some not so good.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
But this one's just over the top in terms of its condition. And if I was going to start a collection, this is exactly the type of thing I would put in it. It's really... on a scale of one to ten, it's an 11. It has a great original dial. It has what we call a brass eight-day movement. It's really well made, and it's an example of a clock that is sort of our country's first spring-driven clock. But the best part of this clock is the glass. It was painted by a guy named William Fenn, who started off with Seth Thomas in 1829 and then eventually went off on his own. But he started by stenciling splats and columns, and then doing glasses, and then he went off on his own and he became a major supplier for a lot of different clock companies. And this glass is probably the most desirable because it's patriotic and the condition is perfect, like everything else about the clock. Wonderful original pendulum bob on the inside, just as you like to see on these Terry Andrews clocks. And a label, which is hard to read because it's saturated. Nevertheless, it's there. Perfect dial, perfect hands. Do you have any idea of the value of it at all?
GUEST:
Not at all.
APPRAISER:
In a retail situation, a clock like this would sell for around $850.
GUEST:
Wow.
Appraisal Details
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