90.              $400

Brewster & Ingrahams Patent Eight Day Repeating Brass Clock (steeple), 1843–1852.  This steeple uses a modified version of Kirk’s patented eight-day repeating brass movement where only the springs are enclosed in cast iron cups, and there is no iron backplate.  Ly (American Clocks, Vol. 3, page 32) states that this was a transition movement that was probably only used for a year, after which the use of enclosing cups was discontinued. The repeating function derives from the rack and snail strike mechanism (barely visible at the back of the movement) that can be initiated by pulling a wire inside (and sometimes outside) the case to repeat the last hour strike.  Perfect if you were in bed, in the dark, and wanted to know how many more hours of sleep you were going to get.  The case is 21 inches tall on gilded ball feet, likely original, with gilded finials.  Much of the gilding has been lost.  The veneer is rosewood on the front and mahogany on the sides.  Both glasses are old, the lower milk-glass tablet original and in good condition, the dial glass possibly replaced (held in place by newer putty).  The contoured dial likely has the original paint with little flaking, no signature, and period/original hands.  The 8-day, time-and-strike movement is die-stamped, rack and snail, with the springs in cast iron cups, as noted. I do not know if the springs are still brass.  The clock is running and striking, and the repeat wire is present and working. There is a good label on the back wall.  There is a working key and door latch, and a proper winding key.  I could not find a steeple with this rare version of Kirk’s Patent movement on the Antique Clocks Identification and Price Guide or LiveAuctioneers; AAC sold a beehive with this movement in 2022 for $1300, and a second example last winter for $950.   $400–$1000.