JG-19.             $50

Seth Thomas “Fleet No. 2”, ca. 1913.  The Fleet series clocks were produced to honor the world cruise of 16 US naval steam battleships from 1907-1909, ordered by President Theodore Roosevelt, to demonstrate American good will and American naval strength (particularly to the Japanese, with whom tensions were high over the mistreatment of Japanese in California).  Seth Thomas produced three simple shelf clock models with differing crests, but all shared the same stenciled door glass that showed four steamships at sea.  The cases were “old oak”.  Fleet No. 2 has square metal buttons on the crest; the finish is old and uneven.   The flat dial is glossy paper on a zinc sheet; I am not sure if they originally had paper dials.  The 8-day, time-and-strike movement is signed and will run for a while; the strike side has been repaired and is currently frozen.  It strikes on a wire gong on a Seth Thomas base.  The Seth Thomas pendulum bob is badly corroded.  There are remnants of a label on the bottom.  Get this example and you’ll only have two clocks to go to complete your Fleet set.  $50-$100.