Clocks

William L. Gilbert Clock, ca. 1880

Appraisal: William L. Gilbert Clock, ca. 1880

Transcript

GUEST: My mother purchased this about 70 years ago at a local antique shop to hang above the piano. And there was a picture of myself and my sister. I got the clock and my sister got the piano. There's a picture here of a woman, and she was bare-breasted, but my mother didn't want us children to see that, so she scratched them off. And she told me that about ten, 15 years ago.

APPRAISER: Well, it is a pretty clock. It's a Victorian clock. Heavily carved, black walnut was the wood. It was made by the William L. Gilbert Clock Company, and they were in Winsted, Connecticut. 1880.

GUEST: 1880!

APPRAISER: Now, I don't know if you notice the calendar hand is no longer on there, but these numbers, one through 31...

GUEST: I had no idea...

APPRAISER: ...that was for a calendar. That was a-- indicated to me an upmarket clock, and wow, look at the case. And also, this is a crystal pendulum on here that's etched and then mirrored in the back. And not many clocks had that. This is an eight-day clock, strikes on the hour and the half-hour. The average Victorian parlor clock would sell, in an unrestored condition, for about $150 today. Your clock was better. I would say that the retail value, in unrestored condition, probably about $700.

GUEST: Wow.