Post by pooka on Oct 26, 2021 15:41:52 GMT -5
My birthday was the first of the month, & I tried to ignore it, cause at my age all it means is I'm one year older & closer to death. I've already lived a bit over three years longer than my dad, & out lived my mom. My sister made me a German chocolate cake like mom always did. She brought it to work for me, but all the kids turn up their noses at it, because of the coconut in the frosting. It took a week for me to eat it all myself.
Back to the subject in the title. About a week after, I spotted this at Goodwill on the way to work. I hesitated because it was a bit pricey for my taste at $60. It was in great shape, even though the pendulum & key were missing, but it would strike the hour when I turned the hands forward. There was a little note inside that said it was bought in 1965 for $15 at a farm auction a bit north of here near Elberfeld, IN which shows a population of 625 as of 2010. There's a label on the back that shows it was sold at a saddle & harness shop in Elberfeld. I don't know if they sold it new or second hand.
They made simpler ones, & much more elaborate ones, so this is an average middle of the road one. I've determined it was made between 1881 & 1886. It has to do with how the name is stamped on the base. It says "MANUFACTURED BY THE E. INGRAHAM & CO. BRISTOL CONN." In 1881 the added the "THE". After 1886 they removed the "&". I waited to post about it until I got a pendulum to see if it would run or not. They made similar clocks from around the Civil War up to the early 1900s. They just changed the style of decorations over time. It would have sold for around $4 or $5 at the time, plus 50 cents extra for an optional alarm. They made tens of thousands of these, so they're not of great value, but they're plentiful, so you can pick & choose to spend a lot on a fancy one that's been serviced & in great shape, or a little on one that may need some work. A good choice for a beginner clock repairman. I still need a key, but I have one from another clock I already had. I researched a bit & found there were many different pendulums it could have had, but I settled for the cheapest one I could find on eBay at $12.63. I could have spent twice that much or more for one I liked better, but all I wanted was one that worked. It seems to be running alright for now.
So this is a belated birthday present to myself. I'm not keen on presents, cause I've got most everything I reasonably want or need. But when I find something like this, I'll treat myself.
I went to a local clock shop to see if the guy could help me with a correct key for one of my other clocks & maybe a key & pendulum for this one, but no such luck. His place was so packed, there wasn't a flat spot to set anything down. If I need any repairs done, I'll have to look elsewhere.