18.              $150

Prichard & Blakesley 30-hour long-drop shelf clock, ca. 1835.  Buel Prichard (Pritchard) worked in Dayton, OH alone and with others, as found here, making wooden works shelf clocks and later, brass movement clocks.  His partner here, Blakesley, has not been identified.  This fully refurbished case is 30 inches tall with bronze-stenciled half-columns (faint) and a more strongly stenciled splat that may be a replacement. The mahogany veneer is complete and clean with a glossy finish; both glasses are replacements, the tablet of the Miami Canal done by Tom Moberg.  The Miami & Erie canal was constructed from 1825 to 1845 and connected Lake Erie to a waterway system ending in Cincinnati; its construction nearly bankrupted the state and by the time it was done railroads were out-competing it, especially since it was nonfunctional in the northern part of the state during the winter.  It was dug largely by men with picks and shovels. The wooden dial has been repainted, a bit too brightly for my taste, and the hands are period appropriate.  The 30-hour wooden movement is reluctant to run but probably could be coaxed into action; it will strike on the iron bell.  There are two period 30-hour weights, a period pendulum bob, and a good label inside.  A must-have if you are an Ohio collector.  Meander Auctionssold one in poor condition last year for $350.  $150–$400.