Not every old clock is worth collecting. In fact, collecting clocks can be a challenge because of the amount of space they take up. So people who do collect them are very particular.

In selling real estate, location is prime. But in antique clock collecting, condition is all important. To be worth anything, an antique clock needs to be in working order—in other words, it needs to tell time almost as good as it did when it was first made.

Prior to the 19th century, master clockmakers produced fewer than two dozen clocks per year. These were tall-case clocks. referred to today as grandfather clocks. The term grandfather clock wasn’t used until after 1876. when a song American composer Henry Clay wrote, called “My Grandfather's Clock,” became popular. While these early clocks demonstrated the finest quality of workmanship, the cost of $50 or more excluded anyone but the very rich from owning one.

The Willard Brothers
Toward the end of the 18th century, two brothers, Simon and Aaron Willard. made an abbreviated version of the tall-case clock. The Massachusetts shelf clock resembled the top half of a grandfather clock.

In 1802, Simon patented his improved “Timepiece," a wall clock shaped like a banjo. This style would be copied many times. Years later, the Waterbury Clock Company manufactured a number of banjo clocks and used the name "Willard."

While the Willards introduced new lock styles, it was Gideon Roberts, a Revolutionary War veteran from Bristol, Connecticut, who began to make clockc more affordable. Roberts replaced the brass movements used up to that time with less expensive wooden ones and also used painted paper dials. Imitating the German styling known as #wag-on-the-wall,” Roberts also made clocks without case. The exposed works could be encased for an additional fee. Using these methods, Roberts was able to produce 10 or more clocks at a time.

While these production methods were innovative, it was Eli Terry who historians generally credit with bringing mass-production to America. In 1797, Terry received the first American clock-related patent. In 1807, he signed a contract to make 4,000 clock movements within three years. Legend has it that Terry spent the first two years designing and constructing the machinery, which would allow him to fulfill his obligation. In 1810, with the help of apprentices Seth Thomas and Silas Hoadley, Terry's “pillar-and-scroll” shelf clock became the first inexpensive, factory-produced clock available to the American public.



Thomas and Hoadley purchased Terry's factory that same year and worked together until 1813. Eventually, Thomas became one of America's best-known clockmakers.

Important American Clockmakers
The American clock industry continued to thrive through the first half of the 19th century. An 1850 census listed clockmaker as the occupation of 582 Connecticut residents. Well-known makers included the Ansonia Clock Company, in business from . 1850 to 1929, The Waterbury Clock Company, operating from 1850 to 1944, The New Haven Clock Company, producing clocks from 1853 to 1960, E.N. Welch Manufacturing Company, in business from 1831 to 1903, the William L. Gilbert Clock Company, making clocks from 1828 to 1964, and The E. Ingraham Company, operating from 1828 to 1967.

By 1850, technology changed most movements from weight to spring-driven, replacing brass coiled springs with cheaper steel springs. Among the most popular clocks were the schoolhouse clock, the pressed oak "gingerbread" kitchen clock, the steeple clock and the OG clock, which featured a double continuous S-shaped molding.

Researching an antique clock’s origins can be challenging. Those made in the 18th and at least the first half of the 19th century bore no labels. Some clockmakers did sign their works, especially those that made tall case clocks. Generally, they signed them somewhere on the dial. Many of those that did have labels in the latter part of the 1800s, lost them over time.

The key to acquiring museum quality clocks is learning how to research, properly identify and evaluate antique clocks. The primary factors are condition, originality, rarity and provenance. Unfortunately, thousands of clocks on eBay aren’t properly identified. Beware of vague descriptions. Whether a collector buys clocks online, at auction, or at a shop, novices should consider hiring an expert as their broker, especially when paying serious money.

An antique clock isn’t always as good as it appears. While a clock may look great from the outside, the condition of its works is what counts. Over time, abuse and bad repairs can add up, rendering what could have been a great find nearly worthless. Rarity, provenance, originality, quality of manufacture, and quality of restoration all affect value.

The sad thing is that many antique clocks cannot be repaired. Even the best horologist can’t work miracles on many old clockworks. The reason is that most cannot obtain the parts needed to do the repairs. And the few younger clockmakers just don’t have the skills necessary to make the parts themselves.

Unlike a piece of antique furniture that has been restored, an antique clock that isn’t running isn’t worth collecting.

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