Eli Terry Jr. “Patent Eight-Day Brass Clock”, ca. 1831-1835. Here’s an example of how easy it is to fool a rube like me.  The “Jr.” that should follow the name on the label in this clock has been scraped off, making it look like a clock by his father.  Because the wood behind the label has aged to match the label I missed it, and I did not discover it until I posted this clock on the Facebook CogCounters page for comments.  Kathi & Dave Smith noted that the name, Eli Terry, was shifted to the left, and suggested that the Jr had been erased.  There also is a missing comma after Terry that contributed to my confusion.  The Smiths were correct, as one photo below, where I changed the angle of the lighting, shows. 

The clock stands 38.5 inches tall on paw feet in front and ball feet in back.  The mahogany veneer is complete with a clean finish; note the delicately carved column capitals and deeply carved basket splat.  The dial glass is modern, the lower glass old but replaced and repainted.  The wooden dial is clean and retains the decorative spandrels and most of the gilding; the hour hand is iron, likely original, the minute hand an iron replacement.  The 8-day, time-and-strike brass “horseshoe” movement is found in other Eli Terry Jr clocks and was likely designed by Junior’s little brother Silas.  It is running and striking, driven by two 8-day cast-iron weights.  Note the large opening in the wooden dial to view the brass movement, with the flourishes on the brass movement favored by Silas.  There is a nice label inside noting that the clock was made in Terrysville (later, Terryville, formerly Plymouth).  Eli Terry Jr worked on his own from 1831-1835.  Don’t be fooled into thinking Eli Terry (Sr.) made it, like I did!  $250–$500.

Thanks to Kathi and Dave Smith for setting me straight!

Antique American Clocks                     JANUARY 2025