64.              $100

Birge & Ives “Patent Brass Eight Day Clock”, 1832-1833.  John Birge “rescued” Joseph Ives from debtor’s prison in New York in 1830 and purchased the rights to use Ives’ patents in his clocks.  He included Ives on the labels of clocks made in his shop in 1832 and then formed a partnership with Hervey and Erastus Case in 1833, including Ives as a consultant.  The partnership broke up in 1835 and Birge formed Birge, Gilbert & Co. which turned into just Birge & Gilbert in 1837 and then Birge, Mallory & Co in 1838.  This guy could not form lasting business relationships!  He was, however, a very successful businessman who also built wagons and was a farmer; his list of partnerships in clockmaking is longer than your arm.  Died at age 77.  This triple-decker case is 36 inches tall with numerous repairs to the mahogany veneer on the door, a beautiful carved fruit basket splat, carved half-columns on the sides and middle pier columns. The dial glass is an old replacement, the middle mirror is old/original, and the lower glass a later replacement with a repainted tablet.  The wooden dial is dark, the numbering fading, and some losses across the middle.  The hands are interesting but I believe they are from a later period and not original.  The 8-day, time-and-strike strap-brass movement is weight-driven and unsigned, as was typical with Birge.  It is running and striking on an iron bell with two proper weights.  There is a dark but complete label inside.  Birge & Ives clocks are not common, given that they were partners for just one year; there are a couple on LiveAuctioneers.  $100–$250.