73.              $100

E.N. Welch ripple-front miniature steeple, ca. 1875.  This 14.5-inch steeple is probably a fabrication, with the ripple trim applied well after the clock was made.  Both glasses are period, the tablet with some losses; the contoured dial was repainted by The Dial House in 1977.  The hands are period. The small, square, 30-hour movement, time-only, is not signed and may not be original to this case, as there are additional mounting holes in the backboard.  It is running strongly.  There is a good Welch label inside.  The only manufacturer of ripple-front steeples was J.C. Brown, and a few were later sold by Welch after they bought out Brown.  All had a Forestville movement. AAC had a similar example in January’s auction; it contained the same movement found here.  Close inspection of the ripple trim on this case suggests that it is a later addition, possibly with ripple trim supplied by Irvin Rosen (see the discussion of the January clock linked above).  You can find a true Rosen ripple-front clock in this auction (#74) for comparison.  $100–$250.