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Antique American Clocks                      January 2022

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81.       $350

John Birge 8-day small OG with remote fusee, ca. 1848.  A 23.25-inch OOG case with a glossy finish on the mahogany veneer.  Both glasses are old but not necessarily original; the lovely tablet may be an old repaint, as it shows only slight wear.  The dial has been repainted and is starting to chip around the mainstem; there are gesso decorations in the spandrels.  The hands are period-correct but the minute hand is a slight mismatch.  The brass movement is signed “Birge & Mallory” just under the mainstem, although the label lists only John Birge as the manufacturer.  This clock was discussed by Snowden Taylor (The Chairman) in Research Activities & News, NAWCC Bulletin (vol 292, page 657, 1994), an excerpt of which is printed on the back of this clock.  The remote fusees Birge used here are mounted in a cast iron frame, but the frame is upside-down relative to its usual use.  To secure this frame additional iron hooks are attached to the bottom of the case.  I have been told that they have been found in another example of this model and that they are likely necessary to keep the fusee frame from detaching from the back of the case.  This clocks winds and runs without problem.  A decent green label inside; an unusual clock.  Tim’s Auctions sold a similar example in 2018 for $475.  $350-$500.

 

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