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216.            $125

Birge, Peck & Co. “Extra 8 Day Brass Clock”, 1849-1859. A 32.5-inch case in crotch mahogany veneer with a clean and polished finish, and just a chip or two.  The three glasses appear to be original, with losses to the tablets.  The Smithsonian Institute tablet on the bottom is one I have not seen before and is not the same view as one sees today; in the tablet image both towers are identical, but the actual building has two different towers (north façade, see early image below).  Interestingly, the original drawing of the structure to be built showed two symmetrical towers, but those towers differ from the towers in the tablet.  So, the actual structure differs from the architect’s (James Renwick) original design and differs from the tablet image (that would have been taken from a contemporary lithograph).  I believe this illustrates the liberties taken by the lithographers of the day; accuracy was not essential when getting out topical images. Moreover, the building of this clock and the Smithsonian Institute were concurrent, so few if any would know or care that the fashionable image on their clock was not correct.  And today, few if any would notice this error (and then there’s me). 

The contoured metal dial is clean and holds the original paint, with proper and possibly original hands. The strap-brass 8-day, time-and-strike movement is unsigned, as was typical; it is running and striking on a wire gong, driven by two thinner than typical 8-day weights. There is a stained but complete label on the backwall that includes “The Breeze” steam train and a boy and his dog watching. $125–$225. 

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Antique American Clocks                     JANUARY 2025

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Today
Original plans
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