David

Mearto specialist

Hello Janice, Thank you for sending in this Waltham floor clock to mearto.com for an appraisal. I shall try to help you with that today. TITLE: Solid mahogany, 9 tube, three weight, triple jar mercury pendulum, eight day time, strike and quarterly chiming Hall clock, variant of model no.924, made by the Waltham Clock Company, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA circa 1915-1922. DESCRIPTION: CASE – 8 ‘ x 24” x 6” solid mahogany Hall clock case with a concave molded, stepped pediment with an undulating shape, a solid stained wooden tympanum and an arched cornice over the arched beveled glass, two part door, the latter flanked by two full length rounded free standing Corinthian columns with carved capitals and rounded bases. The upper part of the door overlies the arched dial while the lower part of the door allows one to view the nine silvered brass tubular bells at the back of the case with a three jar mercury pendulum bob (12.5 pounds of liquid mercury) swinging in front of the chiming tubes and behind the three brass canister weights. Resting atop the beveled glass there are thin connected strips of wood, purely ornamental in nature, which takes a serpentine course around the front of the glass in the lower section of the door. Below the door there is a narrow horizontal wooden base with a recessed panel with an undulating border. The case sits on wooden bracket feet. DIAL – Waltham Chime dial # 1. This an arched solid brass dial plate with applied silvered Arabic hour chapter ring with raised brass Arabic hours in circular cartouche form, engraved floral half hour markers, closed minute ring, the brass foliate filigree dial center with a silvered seconds bit under twelve, a silvered plaque over the six marked, “Waltham Clock Co.”, three winding apertures and steel Chippendale style hands. Each corner spandrels, also in filigree form, contains a cornucopia spilling forth an abundant harvest. The upper spandrels contain subsidiary dials for the choice of chimes (Westminster, Oxford and Whittington) on the right, while on the left there is a strike/silent feature. The lunette has a revolving moon dial with the lunar calendar of 29 ½ days just above and two engraved hemispheres below. Between the hemispheres is the logo of the Waltham Clock Company. MOVEMENT – Not shown but would be a heavy cast brass plate movement, the plates connected by thin tubular brass pillars, three grooved winding drums take up the cable for each of the three brass canister weights which power the movement for a duration of eight days, causing it to strike the hour and half hour on a single large tube and allow quarterly chiming on a set of eight silvered brass tubular bells with eight hammers which extend upwards from the top of the movement. This movement has been fitted with a long metal pendulum rod and heavy three jar mercury pendulum for precision accuracy. The movement is key-wound from the front of the dial. CONDITION – The case is in very good condition with the only obvious damage to the pediment where there is a horizontal crack across the upper section. The glass is beveled as it should be and the wooden mask over the trunk door is intact. The dial is in good condition with signs of silver oxidation in that the silvered surfaces have begun to oxidize and darken from age. The paint in the rotating moon dial has begun to flake off and appears to be in need of stabilization and/or some repainting. The movement is not shown but I assume it is clean, original, genuine and functional. HISTORICAL: WALTHAM CLOCK COMPANY: The Waltham Clock Company formed in 1897 in Waltham, Ma. to manufacture high grade clocks and go into competition with the English and the German Hall clocks coming out of Europe. The business began to roll in the first decade of the 20th century with a multitude of cases each with a choice of movements. In 1913 the company was purchased by the Waltham Watch Company. The Waltham Clock Company name was used until 1923 and then it became the Waltham Watch & Clock Company for two years and then simply the Waltham Watch Company post 1925. The production of clocks ended with the onset of the Great Depression. Speedometers, electric clocks and automobile clocks managed to survive until 1940. COMPARABLES: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/50185156_antique-waltham-9-tube-grandfather-clock (Sold in 2017, 9 tube, mercury pendulum, sold for $2300.) https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/fabulous-9-tube-waltham-grandfathers-clock-chinoi-251492798e (sold in 2018, 9 tube, sold for $2000) https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/waltham-by-j-e-caldwell-and-co-longcase-clock-Z-Egh74InX (sold in 2017 for $750) https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/lot/waltham-9-tube-mahogany-tall-case-clock-c-1900-8rlWvXSCf (sold in 2017 for $800) My opinion of the fair market value of your clock in today’s market would be in a range of $1800-$2200. Retail prices would be significantly higher of course. I hope that helps you with understanding this Hall clock a bit more thoroughly. Thank you for using mearto and it has been a pleasure to be of service. My best, David