Posted 5 months ago
ryaninPA
(1 item)
Hello,
I'm wondering the manufacture date of my great grandmother's Seth Thomas #99 mantle clock. It's a Westminster #124 movement.
Many thanks!
Ryan
-
Fashion
Fashion Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
Vintage Guru Reveals Her Glamour Secrets
V
intage can be intimidating. It's certainly not as simple as going to the mall, finding your size, and buying a mass-produced outfit. You have to dig through racks and racks of wildly diverse items, with mysterious sizing, looking for…
-
The Killer Mobile Device for Victorian Women
Adrift in a sea of digital apps for every imaginable function, we often feel our needs are met better today than in any previous era. But consider the chatelaine, a device popularized in the 18th century that attached to the waist of a wo…
-
-
Design
Design Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
The meerschaum pipes carved in Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th century are among the most bizarre and improbable concoctions in decorative art. Some feature …
-
The Beautiful Chaos of Improvisational Quilts
What would jazz look like if it had a physical presence? According to Sherry Ann Byrd, a celebrated quilt maker who posts on Show & Tell, it might look something like the hand-made "M-provisational" q…
-
-
Machines
Machines Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
Our Dad, the Water Witch of Wyoming
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of …
-
This 1959 Goggomobil Is Insanely Cute and Gets 55 MPG. Why Can’t Detroit Do That?
The last time we spoke to Justin Pinchot, he took us on a guided tour of his collection of toy robots. Recently, J…
-
-
Culture
Culture Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
California Cool: How the Wetsuit Became the Surfer's Second Skin
When Bob Meistrell started surfing in Northern California during the early 1950s, 20 minutes was about all he could stand in the frigid coastal waters. Despite the constant rush of …
-
The Unfiltered History of Rolling Papers, Plus Tommy Chong's Big Fat Jamaican Vacation
It’s kind of ironic that Tommy Chong, the smokiest half of Cheech and Chong, i…
-
-
Collectibles
Collectibles Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
World's Smallest Museum Finds the Wonder in Everyday Objects
Tucked away in a lower Manhattan back alley, the freight-elevator-sized, generically named Museum is one of New York City's newest curiosities.…
-
Fightin’ Femmes: Unmasking Female Superheroes with Author Mike Madrid
When I was growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, reading comics wasn't as popular as it had been in the ’40s or ’50s. But my older sister had comics, including a big collection of “Betty and Veronica.” Our parents encouraged us to read everything, so at 6 years old…
-
Mantel ClocksMantel clocks (also known as mantle or shelf clocks) were inexpensive to ma…
Seth Thomas ClocksSeth Thomas (1785-1859) began his clockmaking career in 1807 as an apprenti…
Hi, beautiful clock! My references show it to be from around circa 1928. The no. 124 was a workhorse of chime movements for Seth Thomas. Reliable and extensively used, Seth Thomas made them from the early 1920's up to around 1956 when they started outsourcing (or rather importing) German movements.
Bruce, I was hoping to hear from you and I can't thank you enough. I searched extensively on the web, but could only find one or two examples of the #99...and they contained limited information. My great grandmother's clock is in excellent working and cosmetic condition. I'm planning on having it serviced soon and I'm hoping that my family will continue to enjoy it for many more generations.
Thank you again,
Cheers,
Ryan
Bruce,
One more question: Is the dial silver? I know the cabinet wood is mahogany...but I read that similar clocks have silver on the clock face. Any thoughts you can give would be most appreciated.
Cheers,
Ryan
Hi Ryan,
You're very welcome. Yes, your heirloom has a "silvered" brass dial with raised, "bronzed" arabic numbers and matching bronzed serpentine hands....all original. Silvered dials should only be cleaned with very mild, non-abrasive soap. If and when needed, I usually apply dish wash detergent "suds" (like Dawn) with a very soft cloth and remove soap residue with a lightly damped soft cloth. The silvering finish is *very* thin and is easily damaged by over aggressive cleaning attempts. If you ever see silvered dials with shiny silver patches or yellow discoloration (brass starting to show through) you know that someone has damaged the finish. It should have a uniform low gloss, or flat finish. Try to avoid touching it as much as possible and be mindful when winding. It can be quite easily scratched up around the winding arbors.
Hope you and your family enjoy your great grandmother's clock for generations to come. It's obviously been well cared for. Thanks for sharing it with the CW Community.