Antique American Clocks January 2020
85. $3000
George Marsh & Co. hollow column shelf clock, 1834-1835. This is a beautiful and
uncommon early clock. I count four examples in the Antique Clocks Price Guide and LiveAuctioneers listings, this is the fifth. It stands 38 inches tall in mahogany veneer in excellent condition with a gold gesso eagle splat, two hollow columns in which two
round weights travel, on either side of a 10-inch dial housing connected to the base. This classical style is quite unique and
although other hollow column clocks were made, none followed this design. This clock is not perfect; here are the “issues”: The top of one wing (on the right) of the eagle on the splat has broken off (see photo); the top board of the case is a replacement. The wooden dial board is dirty and warped, and I think the numbering has been strengthened; the glass behind the dial should be a
mirror, connected to a wire that goes through the top of the case allowing it to be lifted to view the brass movement. The hands
are replaced. The unsigned strap brass movement wants to run but needs an adjustment to the escape anchor; possibly, it needs
heavier weights. It strikes the hours on a large iron bell below the dial. The movement and the dial board are a forced marriage,
as evidenced by the filled winding holes in the dial. Which one is original to this clock? I think the dial, as it matches
all but one of the other dials found with this model, and the wear on the dial at the edges exactly matches the holes in the case
where it was secured. The replacement brass movement here is found in one other Marsh hollow column, so it may not actually
be wrong for this model, as the movements for these Marsh clocks were made by others, including Birge, Case & Co. The beautiful
tablet is of course a repainting on new glass, unsigned. The label inside is a complete disaster, with only pieces of what appears
to be two labels (original plus an overpaste, I assume). The weights are modern replacements and may be too light at ~5 lb. After all that, who would want this clock?! The average sale price of these clocks over the last 12 years is $4300, with the
most recent, in 2017, for $5980 at Horton’s. $3000-$5000.
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