Ithaca Calendar Shelf Clock, ca. 1880
Watch
GUEST:
This is a clock that was my great-grandmother's. She lived in Colombia. She gave it to my grandfather, and when my grandfather died, he gave it to my dad, who brought it here. And I've always loved it, so he gave it to me. We assume that she got it in Colombia, it was from Colombia.
APPRAISER:
That's interesting, and when your father brought it back, he not only brought the clock to America, but he also brought you.
GUEST:
Yes, not on the same trip, but yes.
APPRAISER:
This clock would have been made for the South American market. We know that because it has these calendar rolls, and the month and the day are written in Spanish.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
This was made by the Ithaca Clock Company in Ithaca, New York. The company first formed about 1865.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And this is probably their prettiest shelf model. The case is walnut, and it has these wonderful Victorian accents that are applied in black, and it also has a really interesting dial format where the upper dial is blacked out with silver figures and the bottom dial's glass, and it's painted on reverse.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So in the 1860s, '70s, and '80s, America was really responsible for sending inexpensive time all over the world. This clock wouldn't have been an inexpensive clock; this would have been a very expensive clock.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And for it to go to a foreign country meant that they had a ready market for expensive clocks like this.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And it has a lot of appeal because it's not only a clock that tells time and strikes the hours, but it also has a calendar feature that tells you the month, the day of the week, and the day of the month-- that's what this outer ring is. And all of that is in really wonderful condition. It is missing a calendar hand. And if you look closely on the pendulum bob here, it has the company's trademark engraved in the glass. Now, one of the neat things about this calendar clock is that it's perpetual, and perpetual means that if you keep it wound and it's set up correctly, then it will follow the variations of months automatically-- it'll change. And it'll also follow for leap year. It's kind of the standard complicated clock of its day.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
The model number's called the Three-and-a-Half.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Do you have any idea what the value of a clock like this is?
GUEST:
I don't. I would guess maybe a couple hundred dollars, just because I don't know. I just like the way it looks, so...
APPRAISER:
This is a very popular clock, and it's a very desirable model. If it were to sell at a clock auction, it would probably sell for $2,500.
GUEST:
Wow! Yeah, I would have never guessed that. I would have never guessed that at all. My dad will be happy.
APPRAISER:
If it was five years ago, a clock like this might have sold for another $1,000 more.
GUEST:
Okay.
Appraisal Details
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