$124,425 19th century wall clock stars at Skinner's July 16 auction

 

 

It was expected to be the highlight of the auction and it didn't disappoint.

A 90-day wall regulator clock, made in 1858 by Boston based manufacturer E Howard and Co, was the top lot at Skinner's Science, Technology & Clocks sale in Massachusetts, US on Saturday July 16.

Estimated at $80,000 to $120,000, it sold for $124,425 including buyer's premium, thanks in part to its rarity and the high quality of its craftsmanship.

Made from walnut and containing Henry C Fay's patented escapement, it is the only known 90-day duration wall clock.

The sheer beauty of the piece will have helped increase the price, as bidders became enraptured by the elegance of the clock's casing.

A less ornate, but also impressive table regulator pushed it close for top spot.

The Charles Fasoldt table regulator, created in 1870 in Albany, New York, sold for $100,725 including buyer's premium; slightly above its $80,000-100,000 estimate.


An 1858 wall clock sold for $124,425 at Skinner

This piece was designed purely as a time-keeping device, although its minimalist nature surely helped boost its appeal to design-minded collectors as well as avid horologists.

Away from the clocks there was a concerted effort to own an early 19th century Holtzapffel & Deyerlein ornamental turning lathe and a range of accessories; the hammer eventually falling at $65,175.

Featuring a mahogany bench with foot treadle, flywheel and drawers below the iron bed, the London-made lathe more than doubled its $25,000 high estimate.

At the more affordable end of the auction, an 18th-century walnut compass made in New England by John Dupee sold for $1,185.

 

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