67.              $1200

Welch, Spring & Co. “Gale Drop Calendar”, Model 2, 1874-1879.  Daniel Gale marketed his clocks through Welch, Spring & Co.  There were three spring-driven, time-and-strike models and one weight-driven time-and-strike that used the Model 2 calendar mechanism.  This is the spring-driven Model 2; the models differ in the calendar mechanisms, dials, lower door glasses, labels, and even pendulum bobs.  See Ly, Calendar Clocks, or Ly, Welch Clocks, Second Edition.  Models 2 and 3 had paper dials, as found here, although this is a reproduction that differs slightly from the original paper dial.  The door glass has the proper gilding and has been rebacked; there should be a black and gold Welch, Spring & Co. label inside but instead there is black flocking paper, very old, that was used on Model 3, with an instruction label on the bottom.  The instruction label here is a reprint.  The pendulum bob and stick are proper for a Model 2.  The cases for the spring-driven models were grain-painted, as found here; the dial glass is original.  Much of the graining has been lost from the wood bezels.  So, what does this clock tell us?  The time, of course (top dial), the date (the outside dial), the day of the week (left dial), the moons age and phase (right dial), and sunrise and sunset for each week of the year in New England, with a pointer that makes it easy to find the current week.  Do these work?  I advanced the time hands and the weekday, date, and moon age all advanced.  The clock runs and strikes on the hours.  It is interesting what people thought was important about time in the 1800’s; the moon phase was important if you wanted to work at night under a full moon, or planting under a certain moon phase was important.  Sunrise and sunset were useful to know, especially if you were a farmer.  There are lots of sales of this clock on LiveAuctioneers, so it must have been a popular clock in its time (and still is).  The buyer should be aware that there are reproductions of this model as well.  For five sales on LiveAuctioneers since 2020 the average price is $2070, and ranges from $1700 to $2750; however, Schmitt Horan sold one in November for $1000.  $1200-$2400.