12.                   $400

Chauncey Jerome miniature flat-front empire, ca. 1850.  This is a miniature version of Jerome’s flat-front empire, standing only 18.75 inches tall with a renewed finish on the flame mahogany veneer.  There are a couple of professionally repaired chips, one at the top and one on the back right side, both are nearly invisible.  The glass is period/original, the wooden dial with old paint and fading to the numbers; there is wear at the winding ports.  The dial is signed but I am not sure that the signature is original. The hands are period/original.  The 30-hour, time-and-strike movement has false fusees with springs mounted behind the wooden barrels; it is signed and running, although quite oily, striking on a wire gong.  There is a good card label inside.  Miniatures of this model are uncommon (I can find only three examples); the standard case is 24 inches tall.   Schmitt Horan sold a miniature last February for $950, and one in 2014 for $550.  Skinner’s sold a nice one in 2009 for $4000, but that’s just crazy. $400–$800.