103.     $500

E.N. Welch ripple-front steeple, ca. 1860.  This is a later ripple-front likely acquired from J.C. Brown by Welch in 1855 when Brown went bankrupt.  The rosewood veneer is excellent, with a deep, lustrous finish. The finials are likely later replacements and both glasses are modern replacements as well; the tablet is cut glass.  The dial has been repainted, the hands are incorrect.  There is a very dark, unreadable green label inside; green labels are found in other Welch ripple-front clocks from this period.  The 8-day time-and-strike movement is signed Welch and is running and striking on the wire gong; the alarm is untested.  I can find no other examples of Welch ripple-front steeples in Ly’s book on Welch clocks, nor in the Antique Clocks Price Guide; the only ripple-front examples I can find are round gothics (beehives) and four-column gothics (onion tops), making this steeple rather unusual.  $600-$900.