John Stowell-attributed Patent Timepiece, ca. 1815
Watch
GUEST:
My father-in-law and my mother-in-law were collecting antiques in the Boston area in the mid-1950s. So I don't know who they bought it from, whether it was an auction or a dealer, I have no idea. But it's been in their home and then my home for all this time. We love it, but we don't know much about it.
APPRAISER:
All right, well, this clock is definitely made in Massachusetts. It was based on a patent that Simon Willard received in 1802. A banjo timepiece, or patent timepiece, as he called it, is strictly an American innovation. This was not an idea that came from England.
GUEST:
Oh, cool.
APPRAISER:
The ability to have an eight-day clock in such a compact case was something, at the time, they needed a huge drop for a week's worth of time. But he figured out a way to make it short.
GUEST:
Hmm.
APPRAISER:
So as a result, this clock was patented. It was very expensive in its day, the original Simon Willard models. Well, his patent was used by other clockmakers at the time. This particular one, we think, was made by John Stowell in Charlestown. And I wouldn't have known that just looking at the clock, but when you brought it in, I opened the door, and inside the door is a watch paper.
GUEST:
It's got the tag.
APPRAISER:
Right, and it says, "John Stowell, Charlestown." And it does say, "Sold in 1833." It's very interesting.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Because I think the clock's a little older than that. I don't know whether the clock may have been sold secondhand. I asked some of my compatriots in there. We think this clock was made in the, maybe 1815 or '20. The finial would appear to be original, the dial has never been repainted-- they often are-- that's a good thing…
GUEST:
Yeah
APPRAISER:
…We think the throat tablet is original. There's some flaking, but it's there.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
The lower tablet is a replacement.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And they often are, because they're so fragile, and the gilding has been painted over with radiator paint. Well, that sounds like a whole bunch of problems, but they don't add up to that much hurt, as far as I'm concerned.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
These clocks aren't worth as much as they used to be, but I think for insurance purposes, you might consider insuring it at, let's say, around $1,000.
GUEST:
Okay, excellent.
APPRAISER:
It's a beauty.
GUEST:
It is a beauty, so that's good to know.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
Appraisal Details
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