Who Likes Antique Clocks?

[Ramjo]

I have a few.

Seth Thomas "College Harvard" circa 1900

 

Seth Thomas Round Bend model circa 1860s

 

Seth Thomas OG weight driven clock circa 1865

 

One of these days I want a cuckoo clock. 

[Ramjo]

Hmmm...guess I'm all alone on this one. I figured people would want to talk about something other than the looming legislation for a change....

[jhc77]

I've got an antique watch of my dads that I started wearing. It's a Wittnauer Automatic from the 70's (not sure on the year), none of the local jewelry stores can date the thing. It's a looker for sure. My mother has a grandfather clock, not sure if its an antique..yet.
Edit: can't spell Edited January 10, 2013 by JHC77

[MrBrian]

It's hard to pick my favorite of the 3...  I like the top one because it's similar to the one at my grandparents' house... I like the middle one because of it's age, and the dog... and I like the bottom one because it tells all about the clock on the page....   And if you get a cuckoo clock, you'll gain 5 coolness factor points

[tartanphantom]

Hmmm...guess I'm all alone on this one. I figured people would want to talk about something other than the looming legislation for a change....

"

Nope, not alone. My father was a clock collector-- at one time we had over 200 antique clocks of various kinds-- banjo clocks, OG's, "Gingerbread" clocks (like the Seth Thomas college model in your post), cuckoo clocks, Atmos clocks, anniversary clocks, mantel clocks, kitchen clocks, schoolhouse clocks, regulators, weight-drivens, keywounds, "perpetual motion drive"--just about every type of antique clock imaginable (including four "grandfather" or "hall clocks"). On top of that he had another 50 or so in storage or under restoration at any given time. He and my mother are/were (she's still around, he passed away in 2004) lifetime members of the NAWCC, and she still attends meetings & regional conventions. Let me say that there is nothing like the sound of 100+ clocks going off at the top and bottom of each hour. Fortunately, my father used to set some either a little ahead or a little behind on purpose, which made the chimes last longer (chimes would sound anywhere between 5-til and 5-after the hour), but they did not all go off at once.

Needless to say I grew up with them, and have a few myself. I also have some that he had reserved to me in his will, but my mother still has those at her house for now. Even so, I do have a few already. Sadly, a very interesting hobby that fewer and fewer people seem to pursue these days-- kinda like jukebox collectors.

 

A word of advice on cuckoo clocks-- I highly recommend looking for one with an 8-day movement. We had several Black Forest-style cuckoos, and only 2 of them had 8-day movements... most of them have the dreaded 30-hour movement, which means you must remember to wind them daily, just like an old alarm clock.

Edited January 21, 2013 by tartanphantom

[Ramjo]

Awesome! I'm up to 5 of my own, all in my bedroom...I keep them about 15 sec apart on striking.

[Motasyco]

Nice clocks!  I'm not a clock collector but I do have an appreciation for things older than me.  Thanks for posting.

[urdubob]

I have the Last clock also, My family bought it in the 1850's if the info I have is correct. The clock was to big for the Yankee foragers to steal. , one of my family treasures along with coin silver spoons from the 1780's that they buried in the back yard.

 

BoB

[leroy]

Ram:_____________

 

Thanks for posting the pictures.  I like this one best (...has the dog motif...): Seth Thomas Round Bend model circa 1860s..

I grew up around these old clocks.  Had an uncle that collected and worked on them as a hobby.  My grandparents had a clock on their mantle that looked like your Seth Harvard Mantle.  It's interestin that ya mention them strikin the hours.  I can remember that goin on at the grandparent's home place.  They never listened to anything but conversation, the clock strikin, the dogs barking, and the occasional saturday afternoon baseball game on an old tube radio.  These old clocks are a genuine relic of another time.  Thanks again for posting the pictures.

 

leroy

[Smokin45]

Ram:_____________

 

Thanks for posting the pictures.  I like this one best (...has the dog motif...): Seth Thomas Round Bend model circa 1860s..

I grew up around these old clocks.  Had an uncle that collected and worked on them as a hobby.  My grandparents had a clock on their mantle that looked like your Seth Harvard Mantle.  It's interestin that ya mention them strikin the hours.  I can remember that goin on at the grandparent's home place.  They never listened to anything but conversation, the clock strikin, the dogs barking, and the occasional saturday afternoon baseball game on an old tube radio.  These old clocks are a genuine relic of another time.  Thanks again for posting the pictures.

 

leroy

Sounds like my up bringing  I miss those times!!!!     Beautiful Clocks

[Red Haired Girl]

Your clocks are beautiful. They all look original. When I ran an antique mall there would always be one dealer who thought things should be "fixed" and would end up destroying the value of items. I had one who removed the face from an old, working clock and used a face from a completely different clock that didn't work to replace it. He ended up with two worthless clocks.

[Ramjo]

Your clocks are beautiful. They all look original. When I ran an antique mall there would always be one dealer who thought things should be "fixed" and would end up destroying the value of items. I had one who removed the face from an old, working clock and used a face from a completely different clock that didn't work to replace it. He ended up with two worthless clocks.

Thanks. I have cleaned just about all the movements in the ones I have. I am currently learning to repair them from another guy.

 

As far as the cases go, I try to stay away from the ones with severe wood veneer damage because I wouldn't be able to leave it that way. I'm up for refinishing a clock if it's in real sad shape. Although, dials with paint that is flaking are so hard to work with, I just leave them alone. I figure, it took them this long to look that way and I might as well leave it be.

[Ramjo]

Here is a new one.

 

Interesting little time only movement. Says Pat'd Aug. 30 1870

 

Edited January 22, 2013 by Ramjo