Antique clocks: how to start, date and restore

Start with one clock that runs. A weight-driven shelf clock or a simple spring-driven mantel clock from the 1840s to the 1920s is common, repairable, and cheap enough that a mistake does not hurt. Learn its movement before you buy a second one, and buy from sellers who will let you see the back of the case.

That advice holds whether you have $40 or $400 to spend. The clock world rewards patience more than budget.

How do I start collecting antique clocks?

Pick a narrow type and stay with it for a year. American shelf clocks, French carriage clocks, schoolhouse regulators, and Connecticut wall clocks are four different hobbies with four different price structures. Collectors who mix them end up with a shelf of unrelated objects and no way to judge a fair price.

Look at three things before money changes hands. First, the case: veneer lifting at the base, replaced feet, or a refinished surface all lower value. Second, the dial: original painted dials show even crazing, while repainted dials look flat and often have lettering that is too sharp. Third, the movement: a clock that has been cleaned recently will have bright pivots and no black residue around the bushings.

Estate sales in Vermont and the rest of New England are the usual starting ground. So are small auction houses that sell house contents rather than single clocks. A beginner who reads a collecting antique clocks guide before the first purchase will recognize the vocabulary: movement, case, dial, pendulum, weights, and the difference between a time-and-strike and a time-only clock.

Set a rule about running condition. A clock sold as running may still need a cleaning within a year. A clock sold as not running may need a bushing job, a new mainspring, or a full overhaul. Neither is automatically a bargain.

How do I date an antique clock?

Dating starts with the movement, not the case. Makers stamped or labeled movements, and those marks survive better than paper labels on the back of a case. Look for a maker's name, a city, a patent date, or a serial number on the back plate.

American clockmaking gives a rough framework. Wooden-movement shelf clocks belong to the first half of the 19th century. Brass movements with mass-produced cases dominate from the 1840s onward. Ansonia, Seth Thomas, Waterbury, Gilbert, and Ingraham all made clocks in large numbers, and their catalogs are documented well enough that a model name and a rough production window can often be matched.

Patent dates are the most useful single clue. A stamp reading "Patented June 3, 1880" means the clock was made after that date, not in that year. A patent date is a floor, not a ceiling.

Other clues help narrow the range:

• Dial style. Painted zinc or tin dials with Roman numerals point to the 19th century. Paper dials with Arabic numerals are more common after 1900.
• Case hardware. Hand-cut screws, square nuts, and hide glue suggest earlier work. Phillips-head screws and machine-cut threads suggest the 20th century.
• Labels. A paper label pasted inside the case often carries the maker's name, the model, and sometimes a city and street address. A street address with a number is a late clue, since numbered street addresses spread in American cities in the later 1800s.
• Glass. Original reverse-painted glass tablets on shelf clocks are period-specific, and replacements are common. A replaced tablet is not fatal, but it should be priced in.

When two clues disagree, trust the movement. Cases were repaired, swapped, and refinished far more often than movements were replaced.

What does restoring an antique clock involve?

Restoration splits into two jobs that should not be confused: the movement and the case.

The movement is mechanical work. A proper cleaning means disassembly, not a spray of oil into the pivot holes. Old oil turns into a gum that wears pivots and ovalizes the holes they sit in. A clockmaker cleans the parts, inspects each pivot, and re-bushes worn holes. Mainsprings are checked for cracks and replaced when they are set. The clock is then reassembled, oiled at specific points, and regulated over days or weeks.

Expect a cleaning and overhaul to cost more than many common shelf clocks are worth. That is normal, and it is why collectors learn to buy clocks that already run.

The case is a different discipline. Conservation is the goal, not renewal. Original finish, original glass, and original dial paint are part of the object's record. Stripping a case to bare wood destroys that record and usually lowers value. Loose veneer can be re-glued with hide glue. A dirty dial can be cleaned gently, but a repainted dial cannot be un-repainted.

Some work should be left alone. Do not re-silver a worn dial unless the clock is otherwise important. Do not replace a missing finial with a modern turning if an original profile can be matched. Do not run a clock with a broken mainspring to see whether it works.

What should a beginner avoid?

Avoid clocks sold with no movement visible and no return policy. Avoid clocks described only as "old" with no maker, no model, and no photograph of the back plate. Avoid any seller who will not say whether the clock runs and for how long.

Avoid the urge to fix a clock yourself in the first year. Cleaning a movement requires tools, a cleaning solution, and a way to control the mainspring. A slipped mainspring can cut a hand.

Avoid buying a clock because it matches the sofa. Furniture matching is not a collecting criterion, and it leads to purchases that are hard to resell.

How do collectors keep and display clocks?

Keep clocks out of direct sun. Painted dials fade, and veneer dries and lifts in low humidity. A room at 40 to 50 percent relative humidity is kind to wood and to paper labels.

Wind a clock at the same time each week, and wind it slowly. Do not force a key. If the key turns hard, stop and have the movement checked.

Run only the clocks you can maintain. A house full of stopped clocks is a house full of dust collectors, and dust in a movement is the beginning of wear. Rotate which clocks run, and let the others rest.

Keep records. Note the maker, the model, the purchase date, the price, and any repair. A written history helps when you sell, insure, or pass a clock to an heir. Photograph the movement and the label before any work is done.

Where does a beginner go next?

Read one reference book on American clocks before buying a third one. Join a regional collectors' group and attend a show where you can handle clocks. Ask questions of dealers who repair as well as sell, because repair experience shows in how they describe a movement.

The hobby rewards slow buying. A collector who learns to date a clock by its movement, who understands what a cleaning involves, and who resists refinishing will end up with fewer clocks and better ones.