203.        $1000

Ithaca Calendar Clock Co. “No. 12 Kildare REPRODUCTION”, ca. 1970.  This is a reproduction of the original Kildare, made by George Bower in Maryland around 1970.  Bower made a small number of these (6-12?) with parts produced in a furniture factory in the late 1960’s.  He also made Belgrades.  The case is well made but is not an exact match to the ICCC Kildare, with differences in the trellis at the top and, most notably, the cage work at the bottom. The ICCC cases were made from Honduran mahogany, but I am not sure what wood was used here.  The 32-inch case is very dark with extensive carving and checkering, as found on the early ICCC Kildares; several of the base trim pieces are broken off (left corner and back right).  The glass is modern, as might be expected.  Bower used old ICCC time and calendar movements, hands, pendulums, and dials.  A giveaway here is the crescent cutout in the calendar dial, indicating that it must have been taken from a clock with an internal pendulum – note the proper crystal pendulum used with this model, which hangs in front of the calendar dial. The 8-day time-and-strike movement is signed Welch, made for the ICCC.  It includes an alarm that winds at the lower left of the calendar dial; the clock is running, striking on the hours and half-hours, and the calendar is advancing.  

This clock was listed and sold in the January 2022 auction as an original, but the buyer contacted Joel Warren (ICCC Jedi Master) and learned that it was one of a half-dozen or so made by Mr. Bowers.  I happily refunded his purchase and relist the clock here at a significantly reduced price. 

A big thank you to Joel Warren for setting me straight on this clock!

 

Antique American Clocks                           July 2022

Got a question?
Email or call 859 312-9012!