(before 1870)


Gilt Column

Maker: Seth Thomas, Plymouth Hollow, CT
Built: 1856 - 1864
Case: looks like rosewood & veneer

The dating on this clock is interesting -- according to Roy Erhardt, Seth Thomas clocks of this era can be dated by the address of the printer who produced the label! My label shows the printer as Elihu Greer at 16 State Street in Hartford. The dates shown correspond to this address. The looking glass configuration of this clock appears to be original. The mirror is obviously quite old, and I have seen similar looking glass designs in various books. The gilding on the columns is in beautiful shape. The wood is in great shape, too, except for a crack in the veneer at the top. 30-hour, weight-driven movement. Original painted dial.


O.G.

Maker: Chauncey Jerome, New Haven, CT
Built: 1845 - 1855
Case: Some kind of knotty veneer

Chauncey Jerome was largely responsible for the first mass-produced brass movement clocks in America. He operated in New Haven between the dates shown. In 1855, he went out of business and the New Haven Clock Company took over his operations, producing clocks under the name "Jerome & Co."

This clock has one very interesting feature that makes it quite rare: It has a three-weight movement with time, strike and alarm. At the auction where I purchased this, there were several clock guys whom I recognized from local NAWCC events. They all passed this by as "just another OG" without noticing the third winding hole! Here's a shot of the weights and label.


Small O.O.G.

Maker: New Haven Clock Co., New Haven, CT
Built: c. 1860
Case: Rosewood veneer

This ogee is only 18.5" tall. It has a 30-hour, spring driven movement. All original. Glass painting is in good shape except for a dime-sized piece missing from the middle of the beehive. It has an alarm mechanism in the main part of the movement, but the actual alarm works are missing. (Any suppliers of original alarm works out there? See What I'm Looking For .)


Column & Splat

Maker: R&I Atkins
Built: 1833 - 1837
Case: Mahogany & veneer

This huge clock has a 30-hour, weight-driven wooden movement. When I got it, it was missing a verge, so I had one fabricated for it. The movement looks a lot like those made by Terry. The "R&I" refers to Rollin and Irenus, the latter being the more dedicated clockmaker. (A later incarnation of his company, the Atkins Clock Co. is represented in my "Mantel" page.) He was a Baptist minister as well!


"Square Rose"

Maker: Waterbury Clock Co., Waterbury, CT
Built: 1855-1870
Case: Rosewood veneer

From what I can tell from my books, this case style was already a little old-fashioned when the Waterbury Clock Co. was formed in 1855. I can't imagine this 30-hour, weight driven clock being made after 1870. The glass is original. Some of the veneer has been replaced, but the effect is undiminished -- it's still a very stately and well-proportioned clock.


"Doric"

Maker: Waterbury Clock Co., Waterbury, CT (perhaps)
Built: circa 1867
Case: Painted cast iron front, wooden back

This is an unsigned clock -- there are no manufacturer's marks on either the movement or the case. But this exact style appears in the 1867 Waterbury catalog, hence my identification. It is still possible that the casting was made by another company (like Nicholas Muller) and sold to more than one clock maker, which would mean that this is not a Waterbury. Nevertheless, the dating would be accurate as this type of clock was only made around that time. A real charmer.


Iron Gothic

Maker: Upson Brothers, Marion, CT
Built: Early 1850's
Case: Cast Iron with Mother-of-Pearl inlay

This is a very rare piece. Several New England clock makers were producing these cast-iron cases with inlay. Interestingly, one of them was Terry & Andrews, the predecessors of the first Ansonia Clock Co. In fact, some early Ansonia clocks have the same embossed dial with "Ansonia Clock Co." embossed on the inside ring.


Column

Maker: Seth Thomas Clock Co., Thomaston, CT
Built: c. 1870
Case: Roseweed Veneer, plaster columns

This clock is huge. It has two weights of almost 15 lbs. each to provide the motive power for the interesting 8-day "lyre" movement. (I'm always fascinated by the sense of aesthetics that appears in normally hidden places.) I've based the dating on the fact that while the label says "Thomaston," the movement is marked "Plymouth." It's likely that a number of Plymouth movements remained in stock after the town of Plymouth Hollow was renamed Thomaston in honor of its most prominent citizen (and employer) in 1866. All the glass is original. The gilding at the ends of the columns was concealed under a century of crud, which I painstakingly scraped off. The result was worth it.


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