85.            $100

Birge, Gilbert & Co. Patent Brass Eight Day Clock, 1834-1837. A 35.5-inch-tall case with a dark finish over mahogany veneer.  The carved splat is impressive, the half-columns have been painted gold; the dial glass is old, the middle mirror is period but the putty renewed, and the lower door glass is likely original with a nicely repainted tablet.  The wood dial black chapter ring and gold numbering has been redone, but there are a lot of “stretch marks” and it looks best from a moderate distance.  The hands are brass and period; there is a pull-up mirror behind the dial with a wire through the top to allow you to lift the mirror to view the “modern” brass movement.  The dial mirror is a period replacement.  The 8-day time-and-strike strap-brass movement is unsigned; it will run for a while and strikes on an iron bell. The two weights are modern.  There is a good label inside.  Clocks from this firm are not common.  $100–$200.