Attleboro Banjo I.D. Ideas?

[oxblood2]

Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has any ideas about the possible I.D. of this Banjo Clock. It seems typical of the Attleboro area and of a production type clock. One feature I was thinking could pinpoint was the dial . I have looked thru "The Banjo Timepiece" by Ela and cannot fined a dial with the lines that extent out from the 12,3,6 and 9. This could help. Of course it could be changed. If anyone out there has some info it would be greatly apprciated.
Thanks,
Robin

 

[Steven Thornberry]

George Hatch, perhaps? Difficult to say.

 

[tom427cid]

Hi,
I don't think that your clock is a Hatch, because the movement is tab mounted,but it will help narrow the field for identification. The shape of the click and where it is mounted will also help. Look at the escape wheel and note if it is thick or thin,again this will help to even further narrow the list of possible makers.There are some other details,but they are more case related as far as dating is concerned. Check Foley's book and if you can get acces to Petrocellie's book you probably will be able to determine its age and a "school"(somebody trained by---). hope this helps.

 

[tbonjour]

This looks like a clock that was on Ebay yesterday. I thought about buying it at the buy it now price. I thought it was a good buy.

The clock has a lot of features that point away from the Attleboro makers. The earlier mentioned tabs on the movement are not at all typical of Attleboro and are really not that often seen on banjo clocks in general. The sidearms appear to have lost the top scrolls and what is there does appear to be the same as the ones on a Tifft banjo I have, but these wooden sidearms also appear on non-Attleboro banjo clocks. The small scrolls at the top of these arms were often broken off.

The movement has two other features that caught my eye: the click spring and the idler gear. In Foley's book there are two clocks which have movements with the tabs, this style idler and this rather distinctive style click spring. The J.L. Dunning shelf timepiece on page 105 and the unknown maker lyre on page 135. Both of these clocks have very similar movements. The right hand tab on these two movements resemble the right hand tab on this clock. The hands on both are a similar style to the hands on your clock. The click and click spoke used in both movements are also similar to click and click spoke in the movement of your clock.

 

[oxblood2]

Thanks for all the onfo. I am fairly new to the clock world and will always be in a learning mode. I thought that the cases with the bevels trim around the door and throat were distictive of Attleboro types and the tab mounts were more prevalant on production type clocks. Glad to hear the tab mount works were not that common and learn tha the cases could be from other places.
I don't have the Foley book so the info you give is helpful. This is the clock listed on Ebay yesterday. I have another that is similar with thinner arms and a similar works with the tab mounts. It has flame mahogany panels in the throat and door.
Thanks again for the info,
Robin

 

[tbonjour]

I think we all still learning if we are with the living.

I think flame mahogany panels in this style case is a good look. I highly recommend Foley's book. I have most of the other books, but this reference is often the one that contains the information that I need about period timepieces. It has been an enormous asset for me in researching banjo clocks. The quality of the pictures is a big advantage over the much earlier books.

 

[Andy Dervan]

Hello,

The bevel frame case style and wood sidearms are similar to what Horace Tifft produced in North Attleboro. The movement mounting is not a normal Attleboro style; the ear mounted movement is one version from John Sawin in Boston or possibly another Boston maker.

Andy

 

[oxblood2]

Thanks Andy for the info. Just wondering too what kind of time frame this might be from/ Ball park,
Thanks,
Robin

 

[tom427cid]

Hi all,
A guess as to the age-1830's to late 1840's.Having an idea as to the maker would narrow the time frame. Hope this helps.
tom

 

[Andy Dervan]

Hello Robin,

Tifft was active clock maker in Attleboro, MA from 1851 to 1861 so that would be time frame your clock was manufactured...

Andy Dervan

 

[oxblood2]

Thanks Andy,
I looked back thru my book " The BanjoTimepiece" by Ela and it has a preface by Steen Petrucelli that has Tifft it has him born in Attleboro and "in his opinion he started makeing Banjo clocks @ 1830 and an established make by1840 leaving the area between 1846 to 1856 leaving the business to Geoge Hatch". This is an older book(1978) and there may be new info on him. Thanks for the info,
Robin

 

[Charles E. Davis]

It will be some time before I can join this discussion, but I do have a clock with a case much like this one. Instead of the bird on the top it has a rather heavy wooden finial. The bottom door is a diamond shape with with additional scroll work. There are no lines on the dial.
The movement features will have to come later. Sorry.

 

[Andy Dervan]

Hello,

Chip Ela's book is full of errors... Best book on banjo clocks is "Willard's Patent Timepieces" by Paul J. Foley's - fantastic book!

Tifft learned clockmaking in NH was a machinist in Millbury, MA before moving back to N. Attleboro.

Andy

 

[oxblood2]

Hi,
Just got Foleys book and the movement is very similar to a Joseph Dunning listed on page 105 . Also the clock listed as Fig. 246,with this movement, also has the lines that pass thru the hr. and quarter hour past the outer ring with triangles at the quaters and squares at the others . Just a few more dots!!!!
Robin

 

[Andy Dervan]

Hello Robin,

Aaron Willard Jr. sometimes had lines on his dials at 3, 6, 9, 12.

As the colorful reverse painted glasses were eliminated makers experimented with a variety of plain case styles and black/gold glasses so this bevel frame and half round frame cases became popular.

Based on movement mounting (ears) this could be a later clock from Boston possibly late 1840's early 1850's. Maker would have had difficulty competing once Howard & Davis got established.

Andy

 

[oxblood2]

Thanks Andy,
. I have been looking thru Foleys book for this type of movement and the dial. Little things can help even though one will never know without the signature. The movement has been a little easier to figure out an area. Very few dials I've spotted have the lines in the dial, so far.
Thanks again,
Robin