Antique American Clocks July 2021
79. $250
Boston-area banjo, ca. 1870? This banjo clock is unusual for the brass side-arms and the
chimney and eagle finial. Some early Boston/Roxbury banjo makers did add a top finial and chimney, but it wasn’t common. I can’t find any similar examples with brass side-arms; as they attach with screws rather than pins, I suspect they came from a later
model. They could be removed with little harm if you wished. The eagle finial may be a replacement. The 29-inch
case appears to be mahogany, likely stripped of any grain painting, and restained with a mahogany stain. All three glasses are
old and the throat and tablet with the original paint; a circular window tablet was used on early Boston banjos including those from
Howard & Davis in the 1850’s. The dial is glossy paper over an iron dial, the hands are appropriate and period. The
movement is unsigned and mounted to the backboard with two diagonal corner screws. The pendulum has a round keyhole, a flat
wooden stick, and a plain brass bob. There is a wooden weight shield in the throat but is missing on the bottom. The weight
is cast iron. The clock is running without problem. $250-$400.