With the current economic downturn, there are great deals to be had for the discerning buyer. But, as always you must be careful, there are also some pretty rotten clocks with a lot of cosmetic makeup, if you will, that are being passed off to unsuspecting buyers.
So what do you look for?
Much of that depends on the type, look, and function of the Grandfather clock you are looking for, see buying Grandfather clocks . First for the style or period that most interest you.
Some examples of small clocks would be:
• 16th century early clock designs
• 16th century to the 17th century would see an inrush of German clocks from Bavaria home of Augsburg clock making.
• 17Th centuries would see the rise of the Black Forest cuckoo clocks.
• 18th century continued the cuckoo clock explosion
• 19th century saw the influx of regulator clocks that set standards for accuracy
• 20th century
During the 1800s, Black Forest clockmakers prided themselves on their craftsmanship of cuckoo clocks.The design and production of cuckoo clocks that came out of the Black Forest were made to extraordinarily high precision even by today’s standards.
Floor clocks, upright, long case, and tall-case clocks were renamed Grandfather clocks around 1876 after the publication of the song by Henry Work called “Grandfather’s Clock”.
The principal reason for the long case was the need to house the long pendulum. The long pendulum among other leaps in design during this period increases the accuracy of the clocks to a loss of only a few seconds per month.
Some examples of long clocks would be:
• Roxbury clocks
• banjo clock
• Seth Thomas Company
• Comtoise clocks
• Bornholm clocks
If you are buying an antique tall-case, you must look very carefully and do the research.
Be careful, many a great clock was altered during a repair cycle. Examples are: the feet have been removed, the clock face was repainted, the top fretwork has been broken or cut to fit a home with a shorter ceiling. Next look at the wood finish and see that the original finish was maintained, clues would be newer finish material (such as poly’s).
Next, check the internal clock workings, check for a clock retro fit namely extra unused drill holes on the back near the clock assembly. Verify that the clock assembly was not altered from the original design.
All of this could bring a clock that would sell normally for $100,000 down to a $10,000 value. So when you see a high value clock going for penny’s on the dollar you have to ask, why?
So how do you pick the grandfather clock you always wanted?
First you need to do some research and get to know what a grandfather clock is and is not, who made or makes the best clocks within your budget, what features are available and what package or style will fit you décor.
Michael
Tags: antique clock, antique grandfather wall clock, Black Forest, buying clocks, buying grandfather clock, clock, Clocks, cuckoo clock, evaluate grandfather clocks, grandfather clock, grandfather wall clock, pendulum clock, pendulum clocks, Tall Clock
