Ball Private Label # 13266

[BILL KAPP]

HI guys and gals,

This movement came without its dial. movement is marked C.C. Fried. I know my chances are next to nill of ever finding it but maybe you guys can look through your boxes of damaged dials. Condition is not a concern.

Only about 37 of these 18 size Ball Hamilton Private Label watches have surfaced so far. They were phased out early in the game. 5 are known in the 28K range and 2 in the 42K range. After that, I don't believe any have shown up.

You can see a pic of the movement if you scroll down the page at

http://williamkapp.tripod.com/id25.htm

Happy hunting
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[Don Dahlberg]

Hmmm

Since Ball was a private label, these were private label-private label.


Don

[BILL KAPP]

While trying to find out if anyone has seen Ball Hampden marked movements without a Ball dial, I got sidetracked on a discussion of "improved dials" and inadvertantly discovered that # 13266 has been in some famous hands.

EHrhardt has a movement pic in his 78 Price guide, Meggers and Ehrhart refer to this same watch in their American Pocket watches book and Col Townsend drew pictures of the movement and dial in his little book, American Railroad Watches.

Unlikely any of those guys would remove the dial. Anyone know who bought their collections? Maybe we could ask them to look in their parts bins!

[Fred Hansen]

Bill -

I believe a small number of jeweler marked Hamilton-Ball watches do exist in the low 6 digit serial number range, but agree that the bulk are at 42K serial and below.

Fred

[Jon Hanson]

all of the low numbered PL 18s Balls that I have owned had matching dials--MAYBE that was before the switching craze took place.

[BILL KAPP]

Hi guys and gals,

thought you might get a kick out of what further research has shown:

Turn on your pop up blockers, this is chap 52's freebie webhost.

http://williamkapp.tripod.com/id31.htm


some neat pics of Mr Fried and of his store with a nice attatched clock along with some biographical material.

Happy hunting,

Bill Kapp

[BILL KAPP]

Hi again,

That picture of Mr Fried in front of his store was taken Jan 27, 1895 and the original was owned by Mr Fried's son. This information was given to me by Flossie Hulsizer of the Clark County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.

I see another thread that rightly says we should always give full attribution and credit for our sources.

Kind of neat that the watch and the picture date so close together!

happy hunting,

Bill Kapp

[BILL KAPP]

One more time!

While not of a horological nature, I just obtained a silver spoon with the retailers name of C.C. Fried on it.

these Ball retailers were substantial men and the watch inspection and sales were only a fraction of their business. In the two local ads that Mr Fried runs, he emphasizes the jewelry end of the business.

It occurs to me that as Ball was spending a lot of time setting up the inspection system and traveling to different cities to put together his group of inspector jewelers, that men of this substance would make likely partners in his Watch companies. The disapearance of PL watches pretty much coincides with the failure of the RRWCO venture in 1897.

A jewelers journal of 1897 according to Robert P winslow in bulletin 310 states that Ball had 10 partners in that venture. According to the article it was incorporated in Columbus Ohio.

anyone have copies of Jewelers journal from around november 1897 or know how to search the incorporation records of Columbus?

I would love to find something that shows the inspector/jewelers and Ball were partners.

Happy hunting,

bill Kapp