182. $200
Silas Hoadley Franklin shelf alarm clock, ca. 1825. Silas bought out his former partner, Seth (Thomas) in 1813 and began making shelf clocks with his unique “upside-down” wooden movement
and calling them Franklin shelf clocks, after Benjamin Franklin’s aphorism, “Time is Money”. These movements were often bushed
with ivory, as noted on the label here. Indeed, this 30-hour, time, strike, and alarm movement has ivory bushings. This
clock is 37 inches tall with original stenciling on the columns and splat. This clock did not have pineapple finials. The dial glass is a period, as is the mirror and lower tablet, which is a glass print of a Hoadley tablet displaying “Time is Money”;
the putty on all glasses has been replaced. The wooden dial is certainly original, with some stubborn soiling and period hands,
except perhaps for the alarm hand. Note the two winding arbors above the mainstem, with the alarm arbor on the lower right. The movement will run for a few minutes, you may be able to do better. The alarm was not tested but there is an alarm weight. The label is decaying but the lower section is still intact. Schmitt-Horan sold a similar example in 2021 for $400. $200-$400.
Antique American Clocks July 2022