David

Mearto specialist

Hello Yoel, Thank you for sending in your family heirloom grandfather clock to mearto.com for an appraisal. I shall try to help you with that today. TITLE: Stained oak, three weight, eight-day time, strike and quarterly chiming, Presentation Hall clock (aka the modern grandfather clock), imported West German movement (possibly made by ‘Urgos’), made by the Ridgeway (Gravely) Furniture Company, Ridgeway, Va. circa 1980. DESCRIPTION: Case: Size not provided but approximately 75-80" in height. This stained Virginia oak Hall clock has a dome-shaped, stepped and convex “break-arch” pediment with an arched cornice just above the arched glazed tripartite dial door. The upper section of the glazed door overlies the dial while the largest section is the glass waist through which one can see the arc of the pendulum as it swings, and the descent of the three brass canister weights. The bottom of the door is a rectangular panel with concentric stepped raised applied panels at the center. The full-length door is flanked by full length flat segmented pilasters with a corbel at the uppermost level. There is a concave molding leading down to the stepped broad flat base sitting flat to the floor. The sides of the case have open brass grillwork in the hood, glazed panels in the waist and stained oak in the sides of the base. There is a brass plaque on the façade of the case with an engraved presentation, “To my Wife on Mother’s Day, Edward, May 11, 1980”. The wood has a pressed oval with Ridgeway marked in the center and the Gravely Furniture Company of Ridgeway, Virginia” Dial: An arched brass alloy dial with silvered Roman hour chapter ring, closed minute track, filigree brass dial center with ‘Ridgeway’ name under twelve, ‘West Germany’ under the six position and machine stamped Chippendale style hands. There are embossed winged angel spandrels in the dial corners with a foliate pattern in the gilt brass dial center with a stylized rosette in the precise center. A revolving moon dial is seen in the lunette with a lunar calendar of 29 ½ days above and two engraved hemispheres below. The base of the dial indicates the dial and movement were made in Germany. (The case was made in Virginia.) Movement: NOT SHOWN - German made (Possibly by Urgos) solid brass plate movement with three chain driven weights powering the movement for eight days, striking on the hours and chiming on the quarter hours, most likely with a set of eight movement hammers striking a similar number of metal rods. Three polished brass canister weights are wound by manually pulling up the weight chains onto the three sprocket gears within the movement. There is a metal pendulum rod with a round brass covered bob. There is a chime/silent lever at the three position on the dial. . . Condition: The clock appears to be in very fine condition. I make the assumption it is fully functional. The case is very fine as is the dial and movement. Such clocks were made during the era from the 1960’s into the 1990’s by the tens of thousands, primarily in West Germany. The major makers during this era were Urgos, Hermle and Kieninger. They originally sold retail in the low four figures. Since the turn of the 21st century their value has fallen precipitously, although new models are still made by certain companies selling for $3000-$4000 retail. One is much better off purchasing an older example which tended, like yours, to have better proportions and be extremely reasonable to purchase on the auction market today. COMPARABLES: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/36602691_ridgeway-grandfather-clock (sold in 2015 for $100) https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/73286642_cherry-ridgeway-grandfather-clock-71 (sold in 2019 for $120) https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/82841628_ridgeway-tallcase-clock (sold in 2020 for $200) https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/80145668_mahogany-ridgeway-grandfather-s-clock (sold in 20200 for $20) RIDGEWAY CLOCK COMPANY HISTORY: The Ridgeway grandfather clock story is one many decades in the making. The start of this clockmaking business dates back to 1920’s America when the annual salary was $1,236 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 100. World War I had been over for several years and America was working to hit their stride once more. The company that started making these renowned clocks was The Gravely Furniture Company. While the country saw growth in wages and life expectancy over the next four decades The Gravely Furniture Company put men and women to work defining a quality that became the Hallmark of the Ridgeway grandfather clock. It was during the 1960’s that The Gravely Furniture Company focused exclusively on their Ridgeway clocks. By the 1980’s the U.S. population had doubled since the company opened its doors. While numerous fads were popular with teens during this era their parents were waxing nostalgic. The contemporary art that had been popular from the 1960’s on were becoming passé for many. The well-defined art of yesteryear made The Gravely Furniture Company a prime purchasing opportunity. In 1985 the Pulaski Furniture Corporation purchased Gravely and added the Ridgeway grandfather clock to their growing line of home furnishings. The first year of combined sales saw annual revenues in excess of $90 million. Pulaski was able to offer the Ridgeway clocks with curios and other furnishings that would match and enhance the visual experience of owning one of America’s premier grandfather clocks. Nineteen years would pass before Ridgeway would change hands once more. Dwindling sales in the 1990’s and early 2000’s saw Pulaski focusing on home furnishings that were consumer driven. Sadly, the Ridgeway clock was not a prime seller during that time and new management at Pulaski worked to find a buyer for Ridgeway. That buyer was Howard Miller Clock Company headquartered in Michigan. PRICING: I believe this clock has much more value as a family heirloom than it has monetary value in today’s very weak market place. If offered today the fair market value would range between $150-200 with a retail value somewhat higher. It is hard to believe the low value attributed to this type of clock despite the fine cabinet and workmanship that went into it. That is why I believe it is certainly worth keeping a gift from your grandfather to your grandmother. Certainly, is not worth selling this timekeeper. I hope this proves informative to you. My best, David