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Post by pooka on Nov 19, 2019 15:05:39 GMT -5
Saturday on my way to work, I swung by the Goodwill that's minutes from my house as I often do to see if anything interesting had shown up. It's a bad habit I need to curb. Well I walked in looking to the left, but none of the furniture caught my eye. Walking past the counter, nothing new sitting out. Further in past the framed art & mirrors leaning against the wall, same old same old. Next the tables where they put lamps, electrical & miscellaneous stuff. Lamps, crock pots, cordless phones. Maybe an alarm clock or two. But what's that down at the end of the table? After a few steps closer, I'm already lost. The shape is unmistakably Art Deco, one of my favorite eras. Turning it over & around for inspection, it seemed to be all in order. Time to look deeper, so I opened the back finding normal wear that I'd expect, & it does have it's pendulum ball loose in the bottom, so I hang it to see if it run..... it does. As you may have guessed from the last line, it's a clock. An old clock that's key wound. Not too old, but appropriately old. Being Art Deco in style puts it squarely in the 20s or 30s. That make it period correct for my 1939 house. I knew I wasn't getting any further or buying anything else that day. The price of $25 gave me pause, cause I'm cheap. Well that's too harsh. I'm a bargain hunter. My modest income doesn't allow me to live a life of lavish extravagance. When I buy things I don't need, I have to do it at budget prices, or I don't do it.
This clock says on the face New Haven, for the New Haven Clock Company. On the bottom is a label that says HARMONISTE. I guess that's the model name. It's what they call a tambour clock. They have a big hump in the middle, curving down & out to a wide base on either side. Seth Thomas introduce the design in 1904 I think I read. There are numerous variations on the original. Mine being an Art Deco in flavor has an octagonal frame around the dial, so that gives the top of the case three flat surfaces corresponding to the top of an octagon.The numbers on the face also bear the style of the time. It didn't have a key to wind it, but I had one that worked.
The mahogany case is in pretty good shape. It's got that kind of rippling in the finish from the cracking of the old varnish. It's got that deep dark color that only come with age. There is a crack just to the right of the top, but nothing to be concerned about. One source dates this clock to about 1930. They made simpler & more elaborate versions of this clock, both in the case & the movement, so it's a medium grade one. The cheapest have single gong. The most expensive have a Westminster chime. This one just has the two notes.
The plain back opens up to show movement & chime rods. The original tag hangs on a thumb tack. Some would call it a bim-bam chime. I found a pic of original instructions. It calls it "HARMONY DUO-STRIKE MOVEMENT" This clock was used & well cared for by someone for quite a while anyway. There are notations in pencil on the hang tag & on the inside of the door on the back. For the pic bellow, I had to hold a white envelope up to it to get the light to reflect off of the penciled script. I know watchmakers & clock makers have a habit of signing there work when they service a piece. It looks like this has been to the shop quite a few time. I think I've read old clocks like this should be looked at about every three years. What your seeing in a service record for quite a while.
So what I ended up with is a 1930 New Haven Clock Company HARMONISTE Art Deco tambour clock with a mahogany case. I'll need to see if I can find a proper winding key. It's suppose to have a double ended key. One end to wind the clock, & the other end to adjust the fast or slow arbor at the top of the dial. You can adjust the speed by shorting or lengthening the pendulum, but it's a little trickier. I think I've got it pretty close for now.
I found this video of one just like mine, except it has a different Art Deco script for it's numbers on the face than mine. This is just the clock striking Three O'clock. Mine isn't quite that loud. They must have had the mic right up close or something.
I think I did well. It's not like it's the crown jewels or anything, but I like it. Clocks like this aren't highly prized, but it's a good quality movement in a stylish case that speaks unmistakably of a particular era. A time of boom to bust with a crash at the end. What would eventually become our beloved stoves was born soon after in the midst of Great Depression. I can just see a clock like this looking down from the mantelpiece of Mr. Chambers study. OK, that's enough of me gushing about my new treasure. Oh, here's another video showing the back of a "Harmonic" model. It's nearly identical & uses the same movement & chime.
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Post by Chuckie on Nov 19, 2019 22:40:11 GMT -5
I think I did well. It's not like it's the crown jewels or anything, but I like it. Clocks like this aren't highly prized, but it's a good quality movement in a stylish case that speaks unmistakably of a particular era. A time of boom to bust with a crash at the end. What would eventually become our beloved stoves was born soon after in the midst of Great Depression. I can just see a clock like this looking down from the mantelpiece of Mr. Chambers study. OK, that's enough of me gushing about my new treasure.
Pooka you KNOW how fond I am of old clocks--from your "trying" to sleep on the couch in the living room when you came for the eclipse---what with all of them bonging/cuckooing the hours away!!! KEWL/GOOD find, CONGRATS!! CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by vaporvac on Nov 19, 2019 23:22:36 GMT -5
That is a VERY stylish find AND it tell times. There's something so comforting about the sound, but I'm a heavy sleeper. It's really beautiful and I think you got a good deal.
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Post by pooka on Nov 20, 2019 6:57:14 GMT -5
I've had a number of the Chinese made old style key wound clocks, but they eventually stop working, & they're not worth having them worked on.
I've had a love of clocks off & on all my life, but this is my first working old clock, & only my second really old clock. The only other old clock I have is this Seth Thomas Ogee Clock that I got for the grand sum of $2.50. It needs some work though. The movement has been messed with & the beautiful veneer & paper label on the inside has been painted over. It's cool to look at. This most recent one has not been messed with. It was owned & loved by someone for a long time as evidenced by that long list of service records penciled in the back.
These Ogee Clock were made from the 1840s until around 1913. This was is a later one. They were first made with wooden movements, but later switched to brass movements. You usually date these from information on the big paper label pasted on the inside of the case. Since it's been pained over, a date would be tough to pinned down. It's not a good idea to try to refinish something like this, because the chemicals used would dissolve the hide glue used to secure the veneer, causing it to come off also. These cases were made of cheap pine or poplar, with exotic veneers to dress them up. These were some of the first affordable clocks for the common man. Millions of them were made. Here's a quote from National Museum of American History on Jerome Brothers Ogee Clock"A typical factory might produce several thousand wooden clocks per year, but the Jeromes—and their principal imitators and rivals—were soon mass-producing brass clocks in the hundreds of thousands."
Then further,
"The reception Chauncey Jerome's clocks received in England, home of some of the world's finest clockmakers, illustrates the impact of his innovation. When the first clocks arrived in 1842, valued at an improbable $1.50 each, English customs inspectors assumed that Jerome had set the figure far below cost to avoid paying the proper duties. To teach Jerome a lesson, the inspectors bought the whole shipment at the declared price. When a similar cargo at the same valuation arrived a few days later, they did the same. Only with the third shipment did they recognize that they were unwittingly becoming distributors for Yankee clock manufacturers. Jerome was content with the prices British customs agents had been paying him and would have happily supplied them indefinitely. From then on Jerome's clocks entered the English market unimpeded."
Because of this, it's common to find old American Ogee Clocks in England. There were so many made, & widely distributed.
My clock would cost more to restore than it's worth. Actually, they probably couldn't restore it, because there's no way to safely remove the paint. The best I could hope for is to get the movement repaired. The lower glass should also have a reverse painted scene or design on it. Sometimes it's replaced with a mirror. It's cool just to look at, but it would be better if it worked.
vaporvac, I had a big Chinese clock in the hall for years when my brother was still living here. He hated the chime bonging every hour, so I just stopped winding the spring for the chime. I could sleep through anything myself. I often sleep with the TV & the lights on, & sleep at irregular hours.
Chuckie, Your front room is like a slice of Victorian splendor, with all your clocks & furnishings. It was a real treat to spend time there. The TV was the only hint I hadn't time traveled back to the 1890s. Your clocks, while beautiful, are far too fine for me. I like simpler, uncluttered designs myself. This most recent clock has such a clean Art Deco style, as I said, I was lost as soon as I saw it. If it was in worse shape or it didn't work, I might not have gotten it. It's one of those treasures amongst the trash that you can't pass up. Not a lot of people would have any idea of what it was, but only that it was old. I walked in at just the right time before a dealer came through to scoop it up. Had I not gotten it, it was probably destined for an antique shop at a much inflated price.
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Post by nana on Nov 20, 2019 7:06:44 GMT -5
Pooka together we can say it out loud--we're cheap and we're proud!! Although frugal makes it sound more virtuous. I know that feeling when you see something and it speaks to you. It could be as big as a stove or as small as a demitasse spoon. For me it's not only the item itself but the vibes you get from its past. There's a reason why The Velveteen Rabbit and The Skin Horse are two of my favorite books. The thought that inanimate objects can have "lives" is appealing to me. Finding something old and allowing it to live and be loved again...there are worse things you could do!
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Post by karitx on Nov 22, 2019 19:12:37 GMT -5
Nice find and worth the extra splurge! One of my thrift store regrets is passing on an old Mission style wall clock. I fretted about it all night, but it was gone when I went back the next morning. So I am happy that you bought yours.
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Post by pooka on Nov 23, 2019 4:36:32 GMT -5
I've been tempted by Mission style wall clock myself. I like simpler designs myself. ones with clean lines where the form outshines the filigree. More ornate clock are beautiful, but not my cup of tea. I'd prefer maybe Arts & Crafts, Mission or Art Deco if I'm choosing. I've always been fascinated by those big regulator clocks. The ones that are three or four feet tall. They are usually lightly decorated.
I've had those kind of second thought where I walk away hoping it was there the next day. But c'est la vie. It's one of my control methods. I usually don't need the thing, but I want it bad. I let it go for a day. If it's gone, ah well. I've got too much stuff now. I try my best to be very selective. I look for value. Try to buy the best quality things, be it pots & pans, wardrobe or sundries. In this case I knew it'd be gone very quickly. If this had been a plain tambour clock. One with a rounded top. I might have looked at it but pass it by. The Art Deco motif is what got me. Nothing over the top just clean mathematics lines.
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