118. $400
Hills, Goodrich & Co. Eight-day OG, 1841-1845. AAC bought this from a well-known and knowledgeable collector of OG clocks; he wanted more than I wanted to pay, but I liked the tablet
(and thought you would too), and so we settled on a price. This clock is a gem. Look at the near-perfect flame mahogany
veneer on the 30-inch case, if you can get your eyes away from the wonderful period tablet. I wouldn’t guarantee that either
glass is original to this clock, but both are period. The wood dial is clean, with just one repaired stretch mark; the minute
hand is an incorrect replacement. The 8-day, time-and-strike brass movement is unusual in that it mounts on a cast-iron base
first used by Joseph Ives and adopted by Hills & Goodrich, probably when they bought the Joseph Ives clock factory in 1841 (Joe’s
son Porteous was part of the “Company”). This exact clock is shown and discussed in DuBois, The Work of Joseph Ives and Friends,
pages 182-186, including photos of the backplate. The clock is running fine, but the strike doesn’t want to stop and will need
attention. It strikes on a wire gong and is driven by two large cast iron weights; the tattered label is behind plastic. Horton’s Clocks sold a near-identical example in 2013 for $580 (backplate photo included). In fact, there are surprisingly few
sales records for this model; I can find only one example on LiveAuctioneers and no sales on the Antique Clocks Price Guide. If you collect OG clocks (yes, CH, I’m talking to you), you need this clock. $400-$600.
Antique American Clocks July 2022