Antique Clock Valuation

Antique clock valuation is something that most people who own an antique clock would probably be interested in, especially when it comes to selling one. Fortunately the clock market it is fairly well established and there are many sources where you can get some information about your clock and antique clock valuation. Some of the questions you probably want answers to are:

• What it is?
• Who made it?
• When was it made?
• How much is it worth?

The answer to the first question should be relatively easy. There are a few different types of clock that are the most common and we can give examples so that you can identify exactly what type of clock you have. These are in no particular order and are shown in a neat little table for easy reference.

Antique Clock Valuation - What is it?

Some Different Types of Antique Clocks
Bracket Clock	Lantern Clock
Longcase Clock	Tavern Clock
Wall Clock	Skeleton Clock
Marine Chronometer Clock	Carriage Clock
All images kindly reproduced with kind permission of Brain Loomes

Antique Clock Valuation - Who Made it?

The next question may not be quite so easy. Sometimes it was the practice of some resellers of antique clocks to put their own names somewhere on the clock, thereby making it difficult to trace who actually made the piece unless there are some definite distinguishing marks on the clock.

However, having said that we do have enough information about most of the clockmakers that should enable us to sort out who made a certain time piece if their mark can be found. Most makers usually placed their mark prominently on the dial of their clocks, leaving no doubt who the maker was.

There are literally thousands of clock makers that have some sort of research on them that enables us to give at least some idea of the maker and their importance in the world of horology. The maker can be significant - find yourself a clock made by Joseph Knibb and you could be considerably better off!

Antique Clock Valuation - When was it made?

Another way of asking how old is my clock, this again depends on many factors. Longcase clocks are notorious for having had the actual clock mechanism removed from its original case and re-housed in a different case. This will be explained in some depth in another article but for now you need to be aware that this will affect the clock's value.

On the other hand Lantern Clocks are almost always original and may be a better place to start for the beginner collector. There may be certain features that the clock has, such as the type of escapement, the design of the case, the type of dial it has, and the maker's name. All these things can assist our accuracy when dating a clock. Since each type of clock has its own features they will be pointed out in articles related to each of the types of clocks as listed above.

How Much is my Clock Worth?

Hopefully if you've read everything above you will have some idea of how hard it really is to come up with a definite value for an antique clock. The best way is to check out what other people have actually paid for similar clocks and there are services available on the Internet that do just that.

Anyone who collects Antique Pocket watches will know just how difficult it can be to find values for watches, however us clock collectors are far more fortunate when it comes to the volume of information that is available to us. A quick search on Google will throw up many companies willing to put to paper what your clock is worth.

For a better understanding of what features to look out for and how they affect antique clock valuation I suggest you check out the pages of the site that are specific to your own type of antique clock, there you will find hints and tips about what makes a good quality clock, no matter what type.

Happy Collecting!

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