Original Listing Description

BANJO-LIKE 8-DAY TIMEPIECE CLOCK WITH ROUND BOTTOM ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGE D. HATCH OF NORTH ATTLEBORO, MA ca.1860; FULLY RESTORED WITH ATTENTION TO D. HATCH (1816-1879) WAS A CLOCKMAKER IN NORTH ATTLEBORO FROM 1837 TO 1873 MAKING A NUMBER OF DIFFERNT STYLES OF WEIGHT-DRIVEN BANJO AND REGULATOR CLOCKSWHEN I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THE CLOCK CASE AND MOVEMENT MISSING THE 3 GLASSES, DIAL AND WEIGHT WERE MISSING. ALL THE GLASS HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH THE 2 BOTTOM TABLETS REVERSE PAINTED AND GILDED BY TOM MOBERG IN THE EXACT STYLE FOUND ON THE ORIGINAL HATCH CLOCKS OF THIS TYPE. THE DIAL I CUT FROM A PIECE OF IRON, PAINTED IT WHITE AND HAND-INKED THE ROMAN NUMERALS AND THE NAME RIGGS & BRO. OF PHILADELPHIA, A NAME OFTEN FOUND ON HATCH DIALS. RIGGS WAS THE RETAILER OF MANY OF HATCH'S CLOCKS. THE PERIOD CAST IRON WEIGHT I FOUND ON EBAY AND IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE NORTH ATTLEBORO SCHOOL OF CLOCKMAKERS AS THEY ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY USED CAST IRON RATHER THAN LEAD FOR THEIR BANJO WEIGHTS. I ADDED THE PENDULUM AND PENDULUM ROD, AGAIN COPYING WHAT IS FOUND ON HATCH CLOCKS. IN PARTICULAR, THE BOB IS DETACHABLE FROM THE ROD MAKING IF VERY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BANJO STYLE CLOCKS WHERE THE PENDULUM MUST BE SECURED WITH A TIE-DOWN MECHANISM DURING CLOCK MOVEMENT. I ALSO ADDED ORIGINAL PERIOD J-HOOK LATCHES AND A SMALL BRASS ACORN-SHAPED PENDULUM MARKER THAT I MADE MYSELF. THIS WAS SECURED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BLACK PAINTED WEIGHT BAFFLE USING THE SAME HOLES THAT THE ORIGINAL PENDULUM MARKER HAD BEEN FIXED TO THE BAFFLE. NOTE THAT THE VERY THIN BLACK PAINTED WOOD WEIGHT BAFFLES ARE ORIGINAL TO HATCH CLOCKS AND ARE OFTEN MISSING DUE TO THEIR FRAGILITY. THE BACK IS COMPLETELY ORIGINAL BEING MADE FROM 5 PIECES OF PINE AS FOUND ON ALL HATCH CLOCKS OF THIS STYLE. I DID NOTHING TO THE FINISH ON THE CASE EXCEPT APPLY A COAT OF QUALITY CABINMAKER'S WAX. THE SIDES ARE GRAIN PAINTED TO LOOK LIKE ROSEWOOD WITH THE GRAINING TOTALLY INTACT AND VIBRANT (SEE PHOTOS). THE HALF-ROUND FRONT PARTS HAVE BEEN VENEERED IN QUALITY STRIPED MAHOGANY. I AM NOT CERTAIN THE VENEER IS ORIGINAL AS MOST HATCH CLOCKS THAT I COULD FIND WERE ROSEWOOD GRAIN PAINTED ON BOTH THE SIDES AND FRONT. NEVERTHELESS, IF NOT DONE ORIGINALLY, IT WAS EXECUTED QUITE A WHILE AGO AS I HAD TO RE-GLUE QUITE A FEW AREAS THAT WERE COMING DETACHED. THERE IS LITTLE QUESTION THAT THIS QUALITY VENEER LOOKS VERY GOOD ON THIS CLOCK, WHETHER ORIGINAL OR NOT.THE BRASS MOVEMENT IS EXACTLY THAT EXPECTED FOR A HATCH CLOCK OF THIS TYPE. IT IS RESTING ON A SEATBOARD AND IS ATTACHED TO THE BACKBOARD WITH 2 SCREWS PLACED DIAGONALLY THROUGH THE BACK PLATE. IN ADDITION IT HAS A RECOIL ESCAPEMENT, A BUTTERFLY SHAPED SUSPENSION BRIDGE, LONG STRAIGHT CLICK PAWL, STRAIGHT PILLARS BETWEEN THE FRONT AND BACK PLATES, AND TRAPEZOIDAL SHAPED FRONT AND BACK PLATES. THESE ARE ALL TRAITS FOUND WITH HATCH CLOCK MOVEMENTS IN THIS STYLE OF CASE. IN THE LAST PHOTO IS A PAGE FOUND IN THE EXCELLENT BOOK TITLED WILLARD'S PATENT TIME PIECES, A HISTORY OF THE WEIGHT-DRIVEN BANJO CLOCK BY PAUL FOLEY (2002) SHOWING A HATCH CLOCK LIKE THIS ONE ALONG WITH DETAILS OF THE MOVEMENT. ALSO SHOWN IN THE NEXT TO LAST PHOTO IS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS CLOCK IN TREASURY OF AMERICAN CLOCKS BY BROOKS PALMER (1977). YOU WILL NOTE THAT AT THE TIME THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED THE MAKER OF THE CLOCK WAS LISTED AS UNKNOWN. THIS WAS BECAUSE THE CLOCKMAKERS OF NORTH ATTLEBORO WERE VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN IN 1977. THIS I ATTRIBUTE, AT LEAST PARTIALLY, TO THE FACT THAT VERY FEW OF THEIR CLOCKS WERE EVER MARKED WITH THE MAKER'S NAME (i.e., NO LABELS OR SIGNED DIALS COULD BE FOUND ON CLOCKS MADE THERE). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SUCH AS ADVERTISING HAS SINCE BECOME KNOWN ALLOWING MANY OF THESE CLOCKS TO BE ASSIGNED A MAKER. IF YOU ARE MEMBER OF THE NAWCC YOU CAN VIEW AN EARLY BULLETIN ARTICLE TITLED ATTLEBORO CLOCKMAKERS BY STEVEN PETRUCELLI, FEB., 1981, #210, PAGES 14-19.I CLEANED THE MOVEMENT & OILED THE PIVOTS AND IT HAS BEEN RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS. IF YOU KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY SET UP A CLOCK AND INSURE THE PENDULUM HAS A UNIFORM 'BEAT' IT SHOULD RUN FINE FOR YOU. ONE OTHER POINT: THE STEEL 'MOON' STYLE HANDS ARE NEW THAT I FIT TO THEIR RESPECTIVE ARBORS. THERE IS A KEY BUT IT COULD STAND TO HAVE A KEY WITH A LONGER SHAFT GIVEN THE DEPTH OF THE WINDING ARBOR DIMENSIONS: HEIGHT = 33-1/4", OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF TOP DOOR = 14-1/2", DIAMETER OF BOTTOM DOOR = 10-3/4", DEPTH APPROXIMATELY 4"IN DESCRIPTIONS OF THIS CLOCK IN A COUPLE OF AUCTIONS THAT I COULD FIND, THEY WERE CALLED BALTIMORE OR FIGURE 8 STYLE CLOCKS. TO BE HONEST I AM NOT CERTAIN WHERE THE BALTIMORE CAME FROM BUT FOR COMPLETENESS I AM INCLUDING IT HERE. THE FIGURE 8 IS UNDERSTANDABLE AND IS VERY SIMILAR TO A FIGURE 8 STYLE CLOCK MADE BY EDWARD HOWARD OR HOWARD AND DAVIS. I SUSPECT THERE WAS SOME COMPETITION BETWEEN HOWARD AND THE ATTLEBORO CLOCKMAKERS AS THEY WERE BOTH IN BUSINESS AT THE SAME TIME AND BOTH WERE MAKING HIGH QUALITY CLOCKS OF A SIMILAR DESIGN. I HAVE SEEN RECENT AUCTION PRICES FOR THIS STYLE OF CLOCK RANGING FROM $750 TO $2800. I AM STARTING THE AUCTION $250 BELOW THE LOWEST SALE PRICE I COULD FIND. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS!AS YOU MIGHT GUESS I ENJOY RESTORING EARLY CLOCKS, AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE, TO THEIR ORIGINAL STATE. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE WHERE ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS OF THE ORIGINAL CLOCK WAS CLOSELY FOLLOWED IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE RESTORATION.THE CLOCK WILL BE DOUBLE-BOXED AND WELL-PACKED FOR SHIPPING BY FEDEX. TOTAL WEIGHT WILL BE SOMEWHERE AROUND 30 LBS.THANKS FOR LOOKING! (Condition: Pre-Owned)

Note: This item has been sold and is no longer available. This page serves as a historical price reference for clocks collectors and appraisers.