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ANTIQUES PEEK by Jessica Kosinski
ANTIQUES PEEK

Time Is On My Side

hey say one of the most Another big difference is earlier grand- note, especially with 1800s
valuable things a person father clocks were generally designed with clocks, is that they sometimes
Tcan spend is time. That practical use in mind. Grandmother clocks were marked with the names of
is definitely true. I spent many produced in the 1900s were often designed the companies selling them
a day in the backyard of the more to be decorative. instead of or in addition to the
family home I still live in names of the actual makers.
gardening with my grandfather The Origin of the Grandfather Clock • Dial Size – Many pre-1700
when I was a kid. When he As mentioned above, grandfather clocks as grand-father clocks had dials with
wasn’t gardening, he could we know them now were first invented in nine-inch diameters. Clocks pro-
usually be found tinkering at Europe in 1680. Specifically, the first was duced from that point to 1740
his desk, watching sports on made in London, England by a clockmaker often had ten-inch dial diame-
TV, or winding his treasured named William Clement. He was, in fact, the ters. Clocks with eleven-inch
grandfather clock. I will always top clockmaker in that area at that time. dial diameters were standard
have fond memories of the time However, he couldn’t have made a grand- after that until 1770, which is
I spent with him, including father clock without a Dutch inventor named when twelve and thirteen-inch
watching him wind the Christiaan Huygens. Mr. Huygens created diameters became popular.
1820 Jacob Cope Clock clock. That’s a big reason it the first pendulum clock in 1656. Although, • Hands – Several 1800s John Osgood
still sits in its same place of as far back as the 1580s Galileo Galilei changes have occurred to Clock, Haverhill NH
honor in my living room today, even though experimented with the idea of a pendulum- grandfather clock hands
it hasn’t run since he passed away in 1999. driven timepiece. over the years, but the most significant
That’s why I was so thrilled to be asked this was the addition of the minute hand.
month to write a piece taking a peek at the Some Early American Grandfather Many early clocks (especially those produced
history of grandfather clocks. Clock Producers before 1730) did not have one. It’s also worth
Although they originated in Europe, noting that clock hands became more decora-
Names for Grandfather Clocks grandfather clocks were also popular here in tive throughout most of the 1800s than they
The term "grandfather clock” came from the United States, especially in the 1800s. were previously.
an 1876 song by Henry Clay Several early American clockmakers produced • Numerals – Roman
Work called Grandfather’s them. Here are some examples: numerals were used on many
Clock, but the creation of • Charles Babbitt (1786-1854) older, antique grandfather
what we know as grandfather Taunton, MA clocks. However, many
clocks long predates the song. • James Cary Jr. (1790-1865) models produced from 1800
Therefore, it should come as Brunswick, ME to 1830 featured Arabic
no surprise that other names numerals, instead.
were developed for the clocks • Josiah Gooding (1777-1867) • Weights – Pre-1770
over the years, both before Bristol, RI grandfather clocks usually
and after the song’s release. • John Osgood (1770-1840) had lead weights. Although,
They are most commonly Haverhill, NH many were brass-encased.
called longcase / long-case After 1770, cast iron was
clocks or tallcase / tall-case Determining the Age of a frequently used.
clocks. They are sometimes also Grandfather Clock
known as floor clocks because Grandfather clocks are, of course, still Of course, the above are
they stand on the floor. produced today. However, many people just some guidelines. Those
prefer the appeal of an antique grandfather characteristics did not apply to
Grandmother Versus clock. If you are one of those people, it’s every antique grandfather clock
Grandfather Clocks important to make sure you get what you are produced. However, keeping
It is important to know that seeking. If you are not educated about grand- such things in mind can help
grandmother clocks also exist, father clocks, it’s easy to think a newer clock is you at least narrow down a
but they are not the same. an antique. Here are some ways to potentially certain clock’s age a bit. Always
Grandfather clocks are typic- determine (or at least roughly estimate) the take the time for the necessary
ally six to eight feet tall. age of a grand-father clock: amount of inspection and
Grandmother clocks are usually • Makers’ Marks – A maker’s mark can tell research, especially if you are
shorter. Grandmother clocks you a lot about a clock. Most antique thinking of investing in an
also weren’t introduced until clocks were made by artisans or companies in expensive antique grand-
the 1920s. Grandfather clocks operation for specific, well-documented years. father clock. When in doubt,
first became popular in Makers’ marks are often found on the dials of ask a clock expert for help to
England and other parts of clocks, but they can sometimes be located in confirm you are making a
Europe around 1680. other areas. For instance, it is common for good purchase.
internal mechanisms to be marked instead of
17th Century William and Mary or in addition to dials. One more thing to New Castle England Hugh Stokelli
Grandfather Clock Clock Circa 1800

Jessica Kosinski has been a freelance researcher and writer since 2001. She developed a passion for 1980s pre-1980s TV and films as a kid, and she has never grown out of it. Recently, she turned that
passion into a retro TV and film blog. Follow along with her at https://medium.com/@jkos_writing, as she dives deep into the characters, actors, quirks, and trivia that brought us some of the greatest
films and shows in TV history and also discusses some of the more obscure films and shows most of us may have forgotten.

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