J.A. Bills & Son~ Vinton Iowa... Looking for

[Christina K Walsh]

I hope this is allowed. My Great Great Great Grandfather was John Adams Bills of J.A. bills and Son in vinton, Iowa.
I am hoping to find a complete watch or watch faces from his shop. I have his jewelry hammer that was found in an antique shop (his name is carved into it) in Vinton but would love to have at least one of his watches for my family archives. Any suggestions of the best places to search? As it stands, I just go online on occasion and do google searches or search etsy/ebay.


Thanks bunches!

 

[Rick Hufnagel]

Welcome to the nawcc message board!

Really neat that you found the hammer. Your already doing what I would do when I try and find a watch, but spreading the word around here is a great idea, there are many collectors here, and some that collect private labels like the watch your looking for.

Good luck on your search!

You can actually save searches on the auction site so they automatically come up with new results, I do this and it works very well.

 

[Christina K Walsh]

Thanks Rick!
and good idea about saving the search! Much appreciated!

 

[Frank N]

I did a Google search with the name "A. bills and Son in vinton, Iowa" and came up with a pocket watch of the same name at Red Cedar Antiques in Vinton, Iowa.

Take a look and good luck

 

[Christina K Walsh]

Thank you Frank. Yes...that post from Cedar Antiques was from 2004. That same google search led me to that shop- they had his hammer which I purchased online.

 

[musicguy]

For us to let this thread stay active
please keep this post on how(or where) to search for a watch rather than
where you found one for her to buy.

Thanks
Rob

 

[ben_hutcherson]

I will add this name to my list of watches to look for.

With that said, I'd suggest setting up a "saved search" on Ebay. Doing so will notify you by email if something matching your search terms comes up for sale. I'd suggest limiting the search terms to just his name-it may result in "false positives" that you have to deal with, but will also reduce the chances of one coming up for sale that you miss.

 

[John Cote]

Ben is right...if one shows up it will be on eBay. We have a National Convention coming up though and I will keep an eye out for one at the Mart.

 

[Christina K Walsh]

Thanks! All around, everyone!

 

[shutterbug]

You might contact Tom Harris Auctions in Marshalltown, IA. He does yearly clock and watch auctions, and might be able to give you a lead.

 

[thepker]

Sorry I know this is an old post, but we are in the process of getting this clock appraised from my husband's grandmother's estate. It is a Seth Thomas mantel clock and has J.A. Bills and Son - Vinton, Iowa sticker on back.

 

[Christina K Walsh]

Sorry I know this is an old post, but we are in the process of getting this clock appraised from my husband's grandmother's estate. It is a Seth Thomas mantel clock and has J.A. Bills and Son - Vinton, Iowa sticker on back.

View attachment 771653 Hello! Yes, That is from my Great great grandfather's store in Vinton!

 

[Christina K Walsh]

*FYI- hello super awesome pocket watch folks! I’m still keeping an eye out here!
Thank you!

 

[MrRoundel]

A gentleman here who hails from Iowa, and probably knows many of the Iowan watchmakers, jewelers, etc., who are, and have every been, is neighmond . Perhaps he can look through his stuff-a-plenty and see if he has anything related to your relative. Good luck.

 

[shutterbug]

There's nothing in Vinton any more. Closest is probably the Amana clock shop.
The clock pictured is nice, but is not uncommon. It probably dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. In its current condition, it's not worth a lot. I'd suggest having it repaired and keep it in the family.

 

[topspin]

That's one good option...
Alternatively, if it is just another piece of clutter to be disposed of from the estate, then why not send the OP a private message, see if there is any interest in buying it or putting in a bid.

 

[Christina K Walsh]

There's nothing in Vinton any more. Closest is probably the Amana clock shop.
The clock pictured is nice, but is not uncommon. It probably dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. In its current condition, it's not worth a lot. I'd suggest having it repaired and keep it in the family.

The store is still in existence and still owned by a branch of the family- it operates under a different name- and mostly as a jewelry store.

 

[Christina K Walsh]

That's one good option...
Alternatively, if it is just another piece of clutter to be disposed of from the estate, then why not send the OP a private message, see if there is any interest in buying it or putting in a bid.

There is interest!