jan25_overview_3009009.jpg

108.               $1500

E. Terry & Sons box clock with “window shade” alarm, 1823-1831.  Although Eli Terry’s earliest shelf clocks took this form, the pillar & scroll style became more popular, and these simple box clocks were not made in quantity.  Similarly, the torsion-spring (window shade) alarm was soon replaced by weight-driven alarm mechanisms.  Not all box clocks contain this uncommon alarm mechanism, which can also be found in some pillar & scrolls.  The case is 22.25-inches tall and 14 inches wide with good mahogany veneer all around (I see one well-done repair on the left side), and a clean finish.  The dial glass is original and with period-appropriate waviness (there is a crack in the upper right corner); the lower glass has been repainted and seems to be modern glass, but the putty looks very old, suggesting it was repainted in place.  The wooden dial shows numerous losses and some touch-up repairs.  I’m not certain that it is original, as the back shows that the center opening appears to have been pared back relatively recently to accommodate the alarm ring.  On the positive side, it does show a decoration below the mainstem that was favored by Terry in his early clocks. The hands are period, as is the alarm ring.  The five-arbor wooden, 3o-hour movement is running and striking and the alarm is functional, striking on a second iron bell.  There is a period pendulum bob and two cast iron 30-hour weights, and a good, if dark, label inside on the backwall.  AAC sold a nice example in 2023 for $5000; Cottone’s sold one without an alarm in 2023 for $1400.  No sales records on the Antique Clocks Identification and Price Guide.  $1500–$4000.

jan25_overview_3009008.jpg jan25_overview_3009007.jpg jan25_overview_3009006.jpg jan25_overview_3009005.jpg jan25_overview_3009004.jpg
 
 

Antique American Clocks                     JANUARY 2025

jan25_overview_3009003.jpg jan25_overview_3009002.jpg jan25_overview_3009001.jpg