jan25_overview_1028010.jpg

27.            $800

Early gilt-front banjo, ca. 1830.  A 33-inch mahogany case with the almost certainly original rope-twist gilt front, two period glasses, and possibly the original dial glass.  The gilding has not been cleaned in decades, and I note a slight mismatch between the two brass side-arms; there is a period/original gilded acorn on top.  The throat and box paintings are clearly period and have not been touched, but I think the box glass is a replacement, based on the wood mounts.  The door is imprinted ‘622’ and so is the backboard behind the weight shield. The dial was probably repainted, with some further touch-up; it is held in place with two L-turns.  The grommet in the winding port seems original, but not something I’ve seen before; it may have been added when the dial was repainted.  The hands are period. The brass 8-day movement is period Boston issue; it is running strongly, driven by a large cast iron weight and regulated by a period pendulum.  There is an old tin weight shield but no tie-down, and of course no label.  This clock is largely original, as best I can tell, and everything is period.  An uncommon example.  $800–$1500.

Reinspection of this clock suggested that I had underestimated its value significantly (now adjusted).  I do not believe the box glass is a replacement as it matches the throat glass.  I think more likely is that the wood strips holding it in place are replacements.

jan25_overview_1028009.jpg jan25_overview_1028008.jpg jan25_overview_1028007.jpg jan25_overview_1028006.jpg

Antique American Clocks                     january 2025

jan25_overview_1028005.jpg
 
 
jan25_overview_1028004.jpg jan25_overview_1028003.jpg jan25_overview_1028002.jpg jan25_overview_1028001.jpg