GUEST: My grandfather, back in the '60s and '70s, flipped houses, and this clock was in a house that he got. My mom found it in the house, it was in a shoe box. She took it to a clockmaker, who put it back together and offered to buy it. She said no. They offered her a little more money, and she said no again, and it's been hanging in their house until just recently, and then she gave it to me.
APPRAISER: How much was your mother offered for the clock?
GUEST: She was offered $50 first, and then a week later she was offered $100. And that was in the early '70s, I believe.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. It falls into a broad category of clock referred to as Vienna regulators. They come in all shapes and sizes, but this one is significant because it's a miniature. They're very rare. The clock doesn't have any markings on it. I've examined the movement. It doesn't even have a serial number on it, so it's an anonymous maker. However, it was made in a factory, versus an individual clockmaker's workshop.
GUEST: Okay, that's very interesting.
APPRAISER: And it's made out of wood, and what's interesting about it is that the wood has been given a faux finish to make it look like rosewood. And that way they could produce a clock for a little bit less money without using rosewood. The dial itself has an enamel dial, and...
GUEST: I didn't realize that.
APPRAISER: As does the pendulum center.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: It has that "R" and "A" on it. Now have you ever asked yourself what that R-A might be about?
GUEST: Well, I know that's for making it go faster or slower.
APPRAISER: Exactly. Now, if that were in English, that would be an "F" and an "S".
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: But it's in French.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: "A" is for avancer.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: And the "R" is retarder.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And the arrow that you'll see points down to the little regulation nut at the bottom. There are people in this trade who refer to these as "R.A.s". The movement is brass and steel, and these run a week on a wind, which is remarkable considering how small it is. It dates from anywhere between 1880 to 1910. Its retail value is $1,200.
GUEST: Wow, very good.
