Brooklyn Watch Case - Gold or gold-filled?

[Jerry Matthews]

I haven't done very well of late interpreting 19th century American gold and gold-filled marks. (See my recent post on a Fahys 14k which turned out to be g-f.) I am now inquiring about the case on an 1887 Illinois lady's-size watch. Beautifully engraved hunting case made by Brookly WCC, case serial number 516556. Is it gold or gold-filled? The only mark on it is the wheatsheaf (or is it a sheaf of barley?) exactly as shown on p. 35 of Shugart's PG (2006 ed). If it is gold, would I be right in saying it is 14k, or what?:confused:

[Kent]

Jerry:

The Brooklyn Wheat Case (http://static.flickr.com/28/100192902_22a273039f_o.jpg) is solid gold, although not all of it being 14-karat, as explained in the ad.

[Bryan Eyring]

Hi Jerry;

I too have a Brooklyn Watch Case and the hallmarks used by them are somewhat esoteric and can be confusing. Attached is a jpg of some hallmarks from Ehrhardt's trademark and hallmark book. According to this your case is both 14k and 8k. My 18s case has the hallmark below yours (an eagle). It is a flimsy case and I was kind of skeptical but after testing it I found it to be slightly higher than 8 karat!

If you have any further doubts about its gold content you can consult the following thread:

http://mb.nawcc.org/showthread.php?t=43407

Regards,
Bryan

[Kent]

Bryan:

Brooklyn A1 Eagle (http://photos17.flickr.com/20224485_3535e73e49_o.jpg) cases are 8K solid gold and, according to their ad, are of the same gold of Brooklyn's former Eagle line of cases. Hence, the older Eagle cases are 8K solid gold.

[Bryan Eyring]

Thank you Kent - I gathered that from the Ehrhardt book and from the ad you posted. Now for my next question, was BWCC a subsidiary of Fahys? I was unaware of their affiliation with this manufacturer...

Great ads - thanks again for posting!

Regards,
Bryan

[Kent]

The Brooklyn Watch Case Co. (BWCCo.) is discussed in the book, History of the American Watch Case, Warren H. Niebling, Whitmore Publishing, Philadelphia, PA, 1971 (available on loan by mail to members from the NAWCC Library & Research Center (http://www.nawcc.org/Library/library.htm)). Information on the company has also appeared in an article entitled "The Story of Hayden W. Wheeler," by Howard Lasser, NAWCC Bulletin, October 2005, 549-550. Notes based upon this article will appear in blue. Mr. Niebling describes the firm as starting in New York City in 1865 and moving to Brooklyn (at that time, a separate city, one of the country's largest) in 1866. Hayden W. Wheeler formed the Brooklyn Watch Case Co. on March 10, 1873 to devise methods for the mass production of watch cases. Joseph Fahys was one of the original directors of the company. The company started out by making gold and silver cases, but production of the silver cases eventually ceased. 18-karat and 14-karat cases were made in some quantity prior to the firm moving to Warren St, near Fourth Ave. in Brooklyn. Brooklyn made gold-filled cases, and 14-karat solid gold cases, but is perhaps best known for its line of Eagle solid 8K gold cases. However, Brooklyn offered a Variety of Grades (http://photos7.flickr.com/10756891_df9c6699ac_o.jpg), detailed below. Sometime in the late 1890s or early 1900s, Brooklyn was bought out by Joseph Fahys & Co. a major watch case company who had been listed in Brooklyn ads since 1896 as their selling agent. Joseph Fahys acquired Brooklyn prior to Wheeler's retirement in 1891, by which time the firm was producing 75,000 cases per year. Fahys continued using the Brooklyn name and trade marks.

A pair Brooklyn ads from 1909 give a glimpse into jewelry industry practices at the time. In a January 1909 Ad (http://photos7.flickr.com/10756893_b6ed974853_o.jpg), Brooklyn proclaimed itself the industry leader on account of U.S. government assays showing that Brooklyn used purer gold than its competitors in its 14 kt gold cases, even though all exceeded the requirements of the government's recently enacted stamping law. The fact that none of the case manufacturers' 14 kt gold cases actually assayed at 14.00 fineness or better didn't seem to bother the advertising department who proudly showed it to be 13.92. Perhaps there was some negative comment at the time because an October 1909 Brooklyn Ad (http://photos5.flickr.com/10756894_a8f64370b3_o.jpg) showed that five out of ten case manufacturers' cases assaying at 14.00 or better, with Brooklyn still in the lead at 14.29.

A number of Brooklyn case designs may be seen in an 1898 Brooklyn ad at:
elginwatches.org/scans/misc_ads/1898/m_brooklyn.html
To view, go to the Elgin Watch Collectors Site Home Page at elginwatches.org, then copy and paste the address in your browser's address bar and click on 'Go'.

Brooklyn Gold Case Grades
14K (http://photos17.flickr.com/20253219_f9e50382f8_o.jpg): - - - - 14K solid gold.
Wheat (http://static.flickr.com/28/100192902_22a273039f_o.jpg): - - Double Stock - 14K outer layer, 8K inner layer. Discontinued in 1893 (http://photos6.flickr.com/10756892_e1f7be4ac3_b.jpg).
Granger (http://photos6.flickr.com/10756890_af831f1532_o.jpg): - Double Stock - 14K outer layer, 8K inner layer. Possibly introduced in 1889.
Eagle (http://static.flickr.com/28/100192902_22a273039f_o.jpg): - - - 8K solid gold. Discontinued in mid-to-late1890s.
A1 Eagle (http://photos17.flickr.com/20224485_3535e73e49_o.jpg): - - - 8K solid gold. Introduced in 1898.

Brooklyn Gold-Filled Case Grades
Brooklyn appears to have only made two grades of gold-filled cases for a short time:
Bristol (http://photos5.flickr.com/10795432_869b65dc7f_o.jpg) - - 25 Year, 14K gold-filled. Introduced around 1905, production taken over by Fahys in about 1907 (dates approximate).
Windsor - 20 Year gold-filled. Introduced around 1902 and seemingly phased out around 1907. (dates approximate).

It seems that the Brooklyn Bristol and Windsor cases were short-lived and the gold-filled line was phased out by 1907. A February 1907 Fahys Ad (http://photos8.flickr.com/10795433_f431009350_o.jpg) shows and describes the Bristol case, although the cuts still bear the "Brooklyn Bristol" name. An early June 1907 Fahys ad of the same year for the Bristol case showed cuts of cases carrying the "Fahys Bristol" name. The Windsor case name appears to have faded away around that time as Fahys promoted the Permanent case, the Bristol 25-year case and the Montauk 20-year case.

[John Pavlik]

Jerry,

And after reading all that, about just a couple of companies, some folks think that English Hallmarking is confusing..

[Jerry Matthews]

Gentlemen,

Thank you all. I shall never cease to wonder at the amazing font of knowledge you provide.

[Jerry Matthews]

Jerry,

And after reading all that, about just a couple of companies, some folks think that English Hallmarking is confusing..

You are so right, John. I didn't really appreciate English hallmarking until I started looking at 19th c American marks.