Antique American Clocks                      January 2020

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401.    $600

Biedermeier Vienna, ca. 1850.  An early-style case with satinwood inlay banding (satinbaendern) especially noticeable on the backboard.  A two-piece porcelain dial with chipping at the three winding arbors in a cast brass piecrust bezel. The pendulum bob is brass front and back, the stick wood.  The 38-inch case is mahogany, dark from repeated lacquer applications; there is satin trim around the edges.  It appears that it had a carved crest at one time, as is often found on   Biedermeiers. The door glass is newer; there are two side glasses.  The movement time train is weight-driven while the chime and strike are spring-driven.  It is running but the strike is off and needs adjustment; as best I can tell, the strike (to count the hours) actuates but doesn’t follow through.  The chime is working (2, 4, 6, and 8 strikes at the quarter-hours) but also needs adjustment to sound bright.  As Carroll would say, fixing this is above my pay grade, but one thing I did discover is that there is a lever to silence the chime and strike at the top of the dial.  All in all, a beautiful clock.  I don’t see that Horton’s has sold a similar model in recent years, but recent sales on the internet can easily exceed $1000 for especially nice ones.  $600-$1000.

Thanks to Ness Ball for letting me know this is a 30-hour clock.