Posted 2 years ago
Bevjoe
(1 item)
This was handed down to me I have no idea what this clock is so I’m hoping you can help me out.. it’s seems to be in good condition
Mantel clock | ||
| collectorpaul's loves1605 of 2011 |  |  |
Mantel clock | ||
| collectorpaul's loves1605 of 2011 | | |
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Posted 2 years ago
Bevjoe
(1 item)
This was handed down to me I have no idea what this clock is so I’m hoping you can help me out.. it’s seems to be in good condition
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You can add one more image, so might try adding an image of the back. It might add clues about the construction...
A google visual search indicates it is late 19th century Victorian mantel clock. Are there any marking such as "Ingraham" or "Sessions" or "Seth Thomas"?
While it does have the look of a Sessions or Seth Thomas Mantel clock, if it's all original, I would say that it is an Ingraham. The one, tell-tale clue: Note the small horizontal 'slot' centered above the hands on the dial; this is for the small speed adjustment wheel, turned L or R to make the clock run faster or slower. To my knowledge, I've only seen that method used in an E. Ingraham Clock Co. movement where most all others were adjusted by a small "pin" turned with a key, and normally positioned at the edge of the dial face just above the "12", sometimes marked with a small printed 'F' and 'S' to each side of the opening.
I believe these are called Ansonia clocks. That is a brand but I believe that is what they call the clocks with the faux marble. I am not wuite sure if that is the term but it is something like that.
fortapache,
I think the term you're thinking of is 'Adamantine', which was the unique process patented by Seth Thomas for 'heat-shrink' wrapping the wood cabinet components with a thin celluloid material which was developed in a multitude of faux marbles and colors, especially used as gloss black and marbled accent finishes for their mantel clocks. Everyone about that time was trying hard to manufacture an American made alternative clock which had the extremely popular look of the French clocks of the period which are often called "Black Slate", but actually the material is a very dark Belgian Marble, and in doing such making ownership far less expensive than importing, and more marketable to the more "modestly" endowed, average American family. I think several American clock makers wound up using Adamantine or a similar 'plastic-coating' process, while others such as Elias Ingraham instead used their own method called 'Ebonizing', which was a form of total immersion of case components in a sort of 'black bath' and giving them the appearance of what we think of today as a 'Black Lacquer' finish.
Ansonia was indeed a large and important American clock manufacturer, and one known for an incredible line-up of unique and unusual models and styles that included cases in a variety of materials from cast-iron to porcelain to the traditional wood case. While Ansonia may have used the Adamantine method for faux marble finishes, I don't recall for sure, except to say that I'd bet of all the USA clockmakers Ansonia produced the least number of clocks having a plasticized faux marble finish; they were far too busy designing and producing other extremely unusual clock styles of their own at the time. (and during the same era went through some hard times themselves, struck down with disaster not once but twice by massive factory fires which destroyed huge amounts of inventory and manufacturing equipment as well as the bulk of their records from the time; one of the major reasons that collectors today can often find it very hard to discover a more complete recorded detail and model info for clocks thought to be Ansonia made. They also did a huge business in providing movements that were installed into other company's cases, and/or private labeled merchandise that only bore the importer's business name.
Bevjoe- I found it; it is the "Mosaic" model mantel clock manufactured by the E Ingraham Clock Co sometime between about 1918 and 1930. You can find the advertising photo and model description in a new show and tell item I'll be adding here now. (since I don't find a way to add a pic to a reply.