If, on the other hand, you just want help identifying one or two clocks you happen to have, post it here. So, as you can see, there is a lot to learn if you want to do this yourself. All these items have dates and companies that used them along with the years they were in use. Some of the other things that are looked at are the type of glass and stenciling, the dial (paper, tin, wood, ceramic, etc.), the type of strike (gong, bell, chime rod, etc.), case materials, hand styles, type of fasteners, and many more. Some of these styles are banjo, OOG, black mantel, beehive, steeple, lantern, iron, cottage, and many more. These styles are well documented in clock books as to the years they were made.

Ingraham, and The Waterbury Clock Company.Īnother thing to notice is the style of the clock. Good examples of this are The Seth Thomas Clock Company, Ansonia, E. So if you know the time line of a company’s history, you can tell when your clock was made. This may also help to date the clock since many companies changed either their name, or place of manufacture many times in the course of time.

They tell you the name of the company (or clock maker) that made the clock along with the city, state, or country of origin. The paper labels that were glued on many antique clocks are a wealth of information if they are still readable and intact. When this is the case, look next to the label. The manufacturer does not put their name on the clock at all. In this case, look at the movement for the name or trademark of the maker. Good customers of a clock company that bought in bulk could arrange to have their own name printed on the dial. Sometimes, however, the dial may have the name of a retailer, or other special name that was requested by the customer. Many clock makers (and companies) put their names directly on the dial and on the movement. But some of the most common things to look at first are usually the most helpful.įirst, look for the obvious signed dial, and/or movement. Entire books have been written on the subject. There are many ways to identify and date an antique clock. View other visitor’s posts, and help them if you can, here. Post the clock you would like to learn more about here. Also, if I know anything about your clock, I will also post a comment for you. If these visitors have knowledge of your clock, they can post comments about it here. You can post your clock here for other visitors to see. This clock forum page may be able to help. However you might end up with your special clock, you probably would like to identify, date and generally learn more about it. Some people will see a clock at an antique store that would look good in a certain room of their house, and end up with it that way. The question I get most from the comment form on this web site is: “What can you tell me about this clock?” Most people do not collect antique clocks per se, but end up with one or two clocks that were handed down from family members.

I have concentrated on the American clock companies for my collection, so there is much for me to learn about clocks from outside the US. I’m still a long way from knowing everything though. There are so many styles and types of clocks, made by so many clock makers and from so many countries, that I was totally lost. When I first started my antique clock collection, the first thing I noticed was how little I knew about the clocks I had.

1950s swing clock mini grandfather