Posted 14 years ago
lallen180
(1 item)
this clock was my grandmothers and has been passed down to me.it seems to work good as long as it is on a really flat surface.it has a beautiful sound to it.it is in really great shape. im a little scared to wind it as im not exactly sure how to go about it.i believe it is at least 100 years old.i would appreciate any help on this. and would also like to know about what the value would be as i would like to insure it if it is of a great value other than being a family treasure.thanks for this site and any help would be appreciated.
Tip the clock upside down (after removing the pendulum bob) and you will find four numbers stamped on the bottom, either impredded into the wood, or in white ink. That is the Seth Thomas date code. it is the year reversed and will be either preceeded by or followed by a letter, which is the month. For example, my Seth Thomas Dana number 4 is stamped C3091 indicating that it was made in March, 1903.
The springs in the photo of your clock are fully wound. If it has been tht way for a number of years, they have probably both rusted in the inner coils, and taken a set, which means it will probably not run the full eight days before running out of power. Springs for those Type 89 movements are runnigng at about $20 a pair right now. Because they are not made in the US anymore, the prices of springs tend to vary in accordance with the value of the US dollar against the Euro. You can get springs made in India, but I never buy thse, as they are often not evenly tempered, and will break when in the clock. A broken mainspring usually messes up other things inside the clock movement when it lets go. I do not know the values of those clocks, but you can easily find out, as they and similiar ones come up often on eBay. If I had to venture a guess, I would say its value is probably somewhere in the $100.00 to $200.00 range.
Forgot to mention about the finish. It is "Adamantine", a Seth Thomas copyrighted name for a plasticised veneer finish over common wood. They were made from about 1900 until WW I. Values are not terribly high, but like most antique clocks, will probably continue to rise with age. Do NOT clean it with any solvents!!!! Many of the common cleaners on the market will eventually attack the plastic, and make it dull. The best way to clean this case is with a damp cloth, followed by any good automotive wax. I like automobile paste waxes, rather than creams, but that is mostly just a matter of personal preference. Do not try to wash or wax the dial. The numbers and the Seth Thomas logo are just black ink on the painted dial surface, and will come off, even with just water. The glass can be cleaned with any normal glass cleaning product; I use Windex on my client's dial glasses.
Those 89 series movements are robust, and will run for quite a long time with no maintenance, but when they wear too far, instead of stopping, they usually wear to the point that the pivot holes are so ovaled that the wheels lose their mesh. When that happens, they spin freely until the spring has run down, and make a terrible mess of things. Before you run this clock, you should have it looked over by a competent repair person, to see if all the pivot holes (called bushings) are in good condition. A complete cleaning and overhaul of this movement should run somewhere in the range of about $150.00 to $250.00. That includes a complete disassembly, inspection and cleaning of all parts, replacement of any worn bushings, polishing all pivots, cleaning up and reblueing the hands and all screw heads, reassembly, oiling, and regulation. If new mainsprings are required, They usually add about $40.00 to the overall repair price. With that service, and two year maintenance schedules, this clock should continue to operate for another hundred years, easily.