early hamilton movement and case serial numbers

[michael chamelin]

Some of the early Hamilton pocket watches in various sizes were boxed in the old rectangular mahogany boxes and had a insert card which listed the movement number and case number. In order to expand a small data base that is in progress , I wish to invite anyone with a card from one of these early boxed hamilton watchs of any size to submit that info to me for future publication. These old original cards are bonafide documentation that will help future collectors date the cases as we can date their corresponding movements, this will help additionally in determining if other early Hamiltons that turn up in Hamilton cases are indeed original. Be that as it may, I invite anyone with info that is interested to feel free to contribute in this post, thanks for the Hamilton Memories .........Michael Chamelin...

[michael chamelin]

Some of the early Hamilton pocket watches in various sizes were boxed in the old rectangular mahogany boxes and had a insert card which listed the movement number and case number. In order to expand a small data base that is in progress , I wish to invite anyone with a card from one of these early boxed hamilton watchs of any size to submit that info to me for future publication. These old original cards are bonafide documentation that will help future collectors date the cases as we can date their corresponding movements, this will help additionally in determining if other early Hamiltons that turn up in Hamilton cases are indeed original. Be that as it may, I invite anyone with info that is interested to feel free to contribute in this post, thanks for the Hamilton Memories .........Michael Chamelin...

[Bob Sharp]

Not to throw cold water on the idea, but what about the blank cards that are available? ... or the forgeries perpetrated by those with a little PhotoShop skill and a high quality color copier or printer?

About a year ago I bought what was supposed to be an original 974, solid gold case, matching Hamilton document card and leather(ette) bound box. Luckily I didn't spend much more than the value of the solid gold case becasue it was an good quality fraud. Some one (not the seller, he assures me) had used a color printer to make facsimilies of the card, then filled it in with the appropriate numbers to make it look real. The trouble was that the number of adjustments listed didn't match those on the movement. That led me to take a closer look and discover that the yellowish warranty document had a core of clean white (and modern) card stock. So I was played for a chump bo some one (not the seller, he tells me).

In a related vein, I also recently purchased a couple of apparently genuine Hamilton warranty cards; never filled out and looking like an invitation for someone to create up a fresh pedigree out of a pile of parts.

Am I alone in these unfortunate experiences, or is this kind of misleading "documentation" more common?

[michael chamelin]

well anything can be faked and as Jon Hanson says,..."stare and compare"........if you can't tell a fake from the original, you just haven't held enough of the "Real McCoys" in you hands , only experience can give you that or the school of hard knocks in some cases......for lack of a hamilton example at the present time and for those of you who have not been collecting for 30 years and are not familiar with what type of boxes I am talking about, look at the Illinois example on page 45 of the Volume 2 American Pocket Watches on the Illinois Watch Co. by Meggars and Ehrhardt from an early montgomery ward ad for the much sought after Diamond Ruby Sapphire Greenwich 23 jewel.......and you will see an original , cased , adjusted , rated and BOXED factory watch.......