Antique Appraisals and Online Valuations Ranging From Furniture to Car Appraisals


Appraisal ID:	213728

Appraised On:	25-09-2010

Title:	Grandfather Clock

Date/Era/Period:	late 1800's or early 1900's

Description:	German-made Mahogany Tall Case Chime Clock - Ormulu and silver drum dial clock with lunar dial. Signed W.H. Son. Pyramid cornice over rectangular fluted post column with bevel glass enclosing tubular chimes.

Condition:	Excellent condition with the exception of a couple of nicks shown in the pictures.

Origin:	My husband inherited this clock from his mother who inherited it from her parents.

Provenance:	This clock was purchased by my husband's grandfather at a 1955 estate sell for Frank A. Simmons in Los Angeles, California. (I do have the estate auction catalogue from that time)

Appraised By:	David A. Sperling

History Of The Item:	The Winterhalder clock enterprise began with the clockmaker Nicholas Winterhalder(1710-1743) of Neustadt-Schwarzenbach, Germany. The clockmaking tradition was passed through several following generations. It was circa 1810 that Thomas Winterhalder established a factory at Friedenweiler, Germany. He was joined by sons Karl, Mathaus and Thomas in the formation of the Winterhalder Clock Factory. Clockmaker Anton Hofmeier joined the firm in 1850 and the well renowned firm of W&H was established. Satellite factories began to spring up, and by the mid and late 19th century they were producing clocks of premier quality. The entire family was involved in this industry. Hans Winterhalder founded a company called HAWINA Clock Company with 800 employees devoted purely to the exportation of Winterhalder clocks to England, Russia and America during the first decade of the 20th century. Hawina was eventually sold to the giant German clock firm of Junghans in 1925. Hans then immigrated to Philadelphia intent on opening a clock shop, but this endeavor failed, concluding this branch of the Winterhalder business. With the crash of the stock market in 1933 the Winterhalder enterprise lost all of their assets. Due to the withering effects of Nazi Germany's racial and religious attacks during the mid 1930's the Winterhalder family was unable to obtain bank credit. In 1937, after 200 years of superb quality clockmaking, arguably the finest in Germany, the firm closed its doors for good. The movements produced by this firm around the turn of the 20th century are often mistaken for English movements because of their fine quality. W&H made Hall, wall and mantel clocks. A 1909 catalog of Grimshaw, Baxter and JJ Elliott Ltd. (fine English clock firm) shows two examples of superb W&H bracket clocks imported by Grimshaw and priced at half the price of similar English examples in the same catalog. There are at least 10 Winterhalder trademarks that I could locate. Although I cannot find the W.H. son that you mention in the photos, the most common trademark was "W&H Sch"(Winterhalder & Hofmeier Schwarzenbach) registered in 1927 but used for some years prior to that.This trademark was usually stamped on the brass movement.============= Walter Durfee of Rhode Island is generally considered to be the "Father of the Modern Grandfather Clock". He developed the concept of the large Hall clock with a glass waist door through which one could see the descent of brass weights and the arc of the long pendulum. On a trip to England in 1886 he met J. Harrington who had just patented a chiming mechanism utilizing heavy brass tubes, which also were visible through the glass door in the waist of the clock. At the same time J.J. Elliot of London was making movements for these large Hall clocks. Durfee arranged to have Elliot make the movements and Harrington the tubular chimes for his tallcase clocks. Most cases housed either 5 or 9 tubes. Although quite expensive they were an instant hit with the public in North America. This business association continued well into the 1900's. Numerous firms began to spring up offering some version of this product. In the U.S. the Herschede Clock Company of Cincinnati was the largest dealer in that country. Companies could make their own movements or order them from clock movement companies in England or in Germany. In addition, high end store such as Tiffany in N.Y.C., J.E. Caldwell in Philadelphia and Black Starr and Frost of Boston sold many of these clocks by ordering the case from a furniture maker and the woks from a clock company. By 1900-1910 it became evident that factories in Germany could produce a quality product at a cheaper price than the factories in America or England. Many of these German movements were imported and used in 'American' Hall clocks, and most commonly there were no identifying markings on the German brass movements. Inevitably the American clock factories tried to compete with Germany on price and produced similar clocks but with thinner, less well made and less expensive movements. These movements did not strike on tubes but struck on rod gongs and were usually imported from German firms. These clocks produced a melodious sound but were considered inferior to the tubular chimes. These slightly later rod striking examples bring substantially lower prices than those with multiple tubes. The zenith of hall clock production ran from circa 1890 to about 1920. The demand for such clocks has never completely disappeared. Although demand for these clocks has waned from these early days, one still finds that the mahority of grandfather clocks in American homes remains some form of Hall style clock.

Appraiser Tips:	1-Never move the clock without first removing the weights, the pendulum and the pendulum bob. use only movers trained in dealing with grandfather clocks. 2-The clock needs attention when it continually stops or begins to slow down 3-Just dust the case. There is no need for waxes and polishes. 4-Never move the minute or hour hand backwards. do not attempt to move the hour hand at all. 5-Don't let the clock run all the way down. If it is a one week clock, wind it weekly. 6-Try to keep the clock on a level surface, where the tick and tock should sound evenly balanced. 7-Use only a well trained repair person to work on the movement 8-Do not store clocks in damp or heavily sunlit areas. Do not store in basements or attics.

Research Sources:	1-Online price guides for clocks Antiqueclock price guide.com Maine Antiques Digest price database 2-Price Guide to Antique Clocks by Ehrhardt 3-The Mart, a supplement to the Bulletin of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. 4-European clocks, EJ Tyler 5-Collectable Clocks, Alan & Rita Shenton 6-Antiques Price Guide, Judith Miller 7-Kovels Antique Price Guide 8-Clock and Watch Trademarks of Wuropean Origin by Karl Kochmann. 9-Watch and Clockmakers of the World by Brian Loomes

Appraiser Comments:	Your mahogany W&H Hall clock dates from circa 1920. It features a classical Greek architectural pediment with the suggestion of a small squared off caddy-top just behind that. The clock case is flanked by fully fluted columns running its length. Beneath the pediment is an arched cornice above an glazed dial door. A horizontal strip of mahogany separates the 'hood' from the long waist of the case. This portion is simply glazed and left entirely open to allow visualization of the five silvered brass chime tubes, the wooden pendulum rod with large brass bob, and the descent of the three large undecorated brass weights. The base of the case is small ,horizontal and rectilinear, made of solid mahogany and shows no evidence of any feet. The square dial with a lunette above is made of decorated brass and nickel. The Arabic numerals are placed in a circular cartouche, each separated by small floral engraved designs. The brass corner spandrels are engraved with leaves and flowers as is the dial center. There is a small seconds bit and the original Chippendale style stamped steel hands. The lunette is comprised of two hemispheres with stylized maps imprinted upon them. There is a revolving moon dial which usually contains two moon and two painted scenes. Each scene usually comprise a water and a landscape or a combination of the two. There are three winding holes on the dial corresponding to the three weights for striking time, hours and tubular bells. There is mechanism to turn the chimes on and off. I am not told what the chime plays, but these are frequently Westminster or Whittington chimes. Chiming is every quarter hour.======The movement is superbly made of very heavy brass. It is an eight day clock. The winding drums are grooved to take up the cord and done in the English tradition in that regard. If one simply saw the movement with no identifying marks one might automatically call it English since their early Hall clock movements were considered the finest made. This German movement is indistinguishable from those made by the English makers. Each part, wheel and gear, when looked at closely, is superbly machined and of course this era clock was totally 100% machine made. The clock has a heavy and reliable rack and snail strike. The attachment of the pendulum rod spring to the movement is solid and well made. The individual striking hammers are noted and the attachment of the tubular bells are seen.=======The condition of this clock, including case, dial and movement is excellent. All parts of the clock are genuine and show no evidence of replacement or repair. There are a couple of dings to the case which I would consider very minimal wear and not affecting value. Earlier designed cases might be a bit more decorative in the case carving and those would bring a higher price at auction than this model clock. An example would be a more classical broken arch pediment or wooden carvings in the door of the trunk of the case. ornate weights and spectacularly designed pendulum bobs are other more expensive features. Those clocks would have been built in the decade prior to WWl. ===What follows is a listing of comparable auction and retail sales that I have located for this appraisal. The wording used is by the auction house or the retailer (not mine). If read carefully opne understand why one clock brings a greater valuation and another a lesser one.The retailer or auctioneer does not frequently explain why the price of one is low and another is high and one is left to assume that the very low prices are simply because of major defects that are not stated.What follows contains a lot of information and requires careful reading.===========1- Antique Dealer David Ellis, Marietta, Georgia- retail sale of Winterhalder & Hofmeier “made for Tiffany & Company” 9 Tube Tall Case Grandfather Clock-Germany Circa 1895 Winterhalder & Hofmeier tall case, grandfather clock. This nine tube clock towers over 8' tall and retains its original finish. The works are signed: W&H SCH ELITE Germany. Winterhalder & Hofmeier is very likely the most famous of all German Victorian clock makers. The clock is in working order and very fine condition. Dimensions Approx: 101" tall, 25" wide, 17" deep. $12,500 ===2-Solvang Antique Center, California, retail sale Origin: German Maker: Winterhalder & Hofmeier Date: 1905 Dimensions (inches): 98" x 29" x 19" Exceptional hand carved Honduras mahogany hall clock with rare, four tune Winterhalder & Hofmeier movement playing the quarter hours on nine oversize tubular bells with three jar mercury pendulums. The brass dial features pierced and engraved gilt spandrels, silvered chapter rings and original moon dial. The dial and movement are signed W&H. This is the finest example of this model we have had the privilege to offer and consider it a worthy addition to any serious collection. $47,000 ===3- Alberts Antique Clocks-retail sale- 1908-1925 WINTERHALDER COMPANY HAWINA 5 TUBE WESTMINSTER CHIME TUBULAR CHIME GRANDFATHER CLOCK! $11,985.===4-Manufacturer: Winterhalder and Hofmeier Price Type: Auction Sold Date: May 7, 2005 Pre-Auction Estimate: $2,500-$3,500 Price Realized: $1,700 Courtesy of R.O. Schmitt Fine Arts-Auction sale C.1900, German, Winterhalder and Hofmeier, ===5-Tube, 3-weight, quarter chime tall clock in mahogany. Condition: the case has been refinished and there was some lifting of the veneer on the top of the hood, over the dial, that has been glued down prior to refinishing. Otherwise the case is fine. The clock has stood idle for some time and the movement is dirty, and the weights each with some minor dings; we had to open up the hooks in order to hang the weights for the foto. Beveled glass in door is fine. And it even wants to run and chime through the dirt. Height 85.5 inches=== 5-Manufacturer: Winterhalder and Hofmeier Price Type: Auction Sold Date: July, 2002 Pre-Auction Estimate: 6750 Price Realized: $7,350 Courtesy of Horton's Antique Clocks- Winterhalder & Hoffmeyer Hall Clock. Large 8 day movement playing 8 bells or 4 gongs on the quarters and a large gong on the hours. 12 inch brass and silver dial with raised numerals, pierced and engraved, cast corners, hand painted moon wheel showing moons, marine view and landscape, just a little paint loss. Silver arch ring. Strike-Silent and Gong-Silent, levers on the edge of the dial. 3 large brass weights, brass pendulum ball, nickel steel pendulum rod. Running and striking but will no doubt need adjusting after transporting. Broken arch case style, 3 brass finials, 2 full turned columns with brass capitals and bases. Engraved around top, delicate scroll cutouts on the sides with cloth covering. Quarter columns in the center, key lock in the door, beveled panels in front, delicate feet. 94 inch mahogany case of heavy construction. Just under 8 feet making it an ideal size for most homes.=== 6-Manufacturer: Winterhalder and Hofmeier Price Type: Auction Sold Date: 4/21/2001 Pre-Auction Estimate: $2,000-$2,500 Price Realized: $2,900 Courtesy of R.O. Schmitt Fine Arts C.1910, German, Winterhalder and Hofmeier 9-tube, 2-tune longcase hall clock with restoration. Note this clock is clean and running; however the owner bought this clock at an estate sale WITHOUT a hood, and made this one to match. It looks pretty good, but lacks the stylish grace the Germans would have given it. In any case it is an opportunity to own a 9-tube quarter chime hall clock for a reasonable price; would have brought $7500 if original Height 95" ==== 7- Fontaines Auction sale November 21, 2009 lot 34 sale price $3695 OAK WINTERHALDER & HOFFMEIER GRANDFATHER CLOCK W/ BELLS AUCTIONEER JOHN L FONTAINE, Pittsfield, Ma.===== 8- www.rclocks.com- retail sale -Winterhalder Hofmeier Tubular Bell Grandfather Clock, - $7,900.00. 82"t x 25"w x 17" d ... This clock is a common German style with some very rare original features. ... ====9- Eduart Tohikian, retail sale $2,700 USD 2734 E Chapman ave Orange, CA 92869 This Handsome Tall Case Clock was made by the Famous Clock Firm WINTERHALDER at the turn-of-the century. The case is excellent in original condition, is of made of mahogany. Do note the beautiful inlay work on the door, the base of the case and on the top arch, also the finial on the middle of the broken arch pediment. 84 inches high - 19 ½ wide. The dial is brass with engraved roman numerals, and silvered chapter ring. The Movement it's very unique with back striking hammers, eight days duration, has been professionally overhauled and runs just fine. The Winterhalder name is stamped on the movement. It is a Westminster Triple chime clock.==== 10- Sold January 2010 on E-Bay-auction sale- $6900 Recently oiled, the 8 day movement works perfectly, with a Westminster 5 tube chime on the quarter hour and strike on the hour. The deep, majestic tone is wonderful. An amazing dial is hand-engraved nickel and brass filigree on a mahogany back plate, with strike and chime shut off levers. There are mars on the three heavy weights and pendulum bob. Dimensions of this clock are 28" wide, 19" deep and 7'8" tall.=====11- Weiderseim auction gallery, auction sale-$6,500 Winterhalder & Hofmier Mahogany Grandfather Clock Winterhalder & Hofmier, Germany, Mahogany Case Nine Tube Three Weight Grandfather Clock. Stamped “Elite” on face. 97"h x 27"w x 17"d====12-Ivy Auction, August 8,2010, Lot 216 auction sale -$5,000 Winterhalder Grandfather Clock 9 Tube Winterhalder Nine (9) Tube Carved Mahogany Grandfather Clock..====13-Dirk Soulis Auction, WINTERHALDER SEVEN-TUBE GRANDFATHER CLOCK December 2009-Lot 209, auction sale $1,750... A fine Hall Clock with both hand painted and chromolitho moon phase dial, seven chiming tubes, both Canterbury and Westminster chimes (or silence), a central seconds bit, a very ornate dial with hand cut and engraved filigree frame over copper colored background along with additional dial elements in silver plate. The Colonial Manufacturing Company mahogany case with beveled glass all around measures 81 inches high by 22 wide and 20 inches deep. Excellent condition, appears all original, running condition.====14- Weiderseim gallery Lot 183 May 8 2010, auction sale. $550 Winterhalder & Hofmaier mahogany cased chime clock, c.1925, with a three-train movement and beveled glass door, made for Bailey, Banks & Biddle, Philadelphia. 82"h.x20"w.==== 15-John Moran, Lot 1111, auction sale- $18,000 A WINTERHALDER HOFMEIER GOTHIC-STYLE OAK CLOCK late 19th/early 20th century, the movement marked "Winterhalder & Hofmeier/Neustadt Baden GMBH/Germany", the circular silvered dial within a pierced etched brass surround with Arabic chapters, also with a strike/silent dial, a song dial (St. Peter/St. John's/Westminster/Whitington), seconds dial and phases of the moon dial, the dead beat escapement striking on nine tube bells all within an arched glazed hood with griffin terms on quatrefoil columnar uprights above a conforming case with central glazed door enclosing three weights and a mercury pendulum over a rectangular base with figural terms to corners, on bracket feet, 97.5 H x 27.5 W x 18 D, est:$4000/6000. Condition: Nicely carved. Well made. Structurally sound. General marks, nicks and scratches. With a nutty brown color to timber overall. With some minor nicked losses to timber, notable to back molded edges.. One side panel to hood with interior molding, broken and repaired. Some over painted restoration to moon dial. Works appear original and intact. =================What is unpredictable today is the marketplace, which is a bit schizophrenic due to current economic conditions. However, what you have is genuine and solid and I probably would not part with it for less than $4000. A colleague in Colorado suggest using BRUHNS Auction, located at 50 West Arizona Avenue, Denver Co. 80223 (1-303-744-6505). This house has specialty auctions several times a year. Sometimes these auctions are also featured on a national website called www. liveauctioneers.com which might ensure a better price. You can make that request when you speak with the auction house, i.e. that your clock be included in one of their specialty auctions featured on live auctioneers. ===============THANK YOU FOR SENDING THIS FINE CLOCK TO ME FOR APPRAISAL AND GOOD LUCK IN ITS DISPOSAL. I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD BE KIND ENOUGH TO LEAVE FEEDBACK FOR ME REGARDING THIS APPRAISAL. THANK YOU!

* Current Fair Market Value:	$6,000.00

** Replacement Cost:	$11,000.00

All values are in US currency

This online appraisal is an expert's opinion of the item(s) depicted above based solely on images and information supplied by our customer. Additional information, not shown on this certificate, may have been taken into account for this online Appraisal.

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