Posted 3 years ago
Gage_rober…
(68 items)
I posted this clock about two years ago. For those of you who don't know, I attend a Theatrical Arts school, and one of my classes is on the subject of Art History. For my final project, I had to take an old family heirloom and figure out the complete history of the item, (or at least find as much information as I could). Before this project, all I knew about the clock was that it had been handed down in my step mothers family for years. I didn't even know how old it was. After talking to my step mothers-mother, and asking her about the clock, I managed to pick up the entire history. The person you see above is Alfred Lillibridge. My step mothers great grandfather. He was born in 1884, and died in 1965. He was a cadillac dealer who resided in Norwich Connecticut from birth to death, and through most of those years lived in the house pictured above. Alfred owned a lot of interesting items and was very mechanicaly inclined. On top of this Sessions mantle clock, he owned a lot of other clocks, too, most of which were converted car clocks which he put together himself. After his death in 1965, his wife Etta Lillibridge lived in the house until her death in 1973. In 1974, a year after her death, the old family house was sold, and the stuff was cleared out. My step mothers - mother (my step grandmother) took all of the clocks, including many other items such as old oil, and electric converted antique lamps (which I will be posting soon) and an old baristers bookcase which you can see in the backround of the clock. My step grandmother, Bonnie craig had the clocks on display, and my step mother grew up with the sounds of ticking and tocking thoughout most of her childhood. But then, in 1982, there was a robbery. All but one of the clocks was stolen. This one, had survived because it had been placed on the floor behind a flower pot, due to it not working, thr robbers never saw it, and now, it is the only surviving clock that Alfred Lillibridge owned (as the stolen clocks were never recovered). Bonnie craig gave the clock to my step mother, Suzie Craig, in 2008, and for about 20 years or so, it fell silent. It was only in 2019 that the clock was repaired and is now ticking and keeping time perfectly once again. I hope you enjoyed this little historical research project. More posts to come soon!
How interesting! It would be good if more folks were inclined to research and record family history and the items the family treasured enough to pass down thru the generations.
On a different topic, what are the pottery objects beside the clock? They look unique.
Great clock and super provenance information. Most information like this long lost, especially for a clock that has gone through an estate auction. Thanks for sharing Gage!
Yes if only @watchsearcher, to answer your question, my dad was an arts major in college and those were some of his pottery pieces.
Sure thing @Bruce99!
Thank you for your comment on my collection, could you tell me what model of the Sessions clock you have mentioned you have 2 of and your showing here. The one that I am working on didn't have the back on it and I'm attempting to make one myself, and info you can give me would be greatly appreciated
@MAcowan the model is called ‘Ideal’ the Sessions brand was the successor to the E.N. Welch brand, when the Sessions family decided to purchase it in 1903. So that limits how old your clock would be to 1903. The Sessions brand stopped producing mechanical clocks in 1930, so that gives you a good estimate of about 30 years. But I would say yours was probably made more precisely between 1905 and 1915. Unfortunately it can be hard to date the exact year on most sessions clocks because they did not leave any serial codes or numbers on the movements or cases which translated to an exact date like most clock makers of the time period like Seth Thomas and Gilbert for example. Value wise, I just sold one of my two Sessions clocks for $120, and thats pretty much as good as your gonna get assuming the movement is working. But for me, i find the historical value is more valuable than any dollar amount you could put on the clock. enjoy the clock for what it is as a reminder of a time when things were built to last.
I hope you found my post helpful. let me know if you have any other questions.
Regards,
- Gage Robertson
Thank you very much for the information, I do enjoy finding out the history behind the clocks and I agree that they were built to last with a little TLC. One day it will be handed down to my daughter who I know will take very good care of it. Thank you once again, Michael Cowan
@MAcowan Anytime, Michael.
- Gage Robertson
Depends on where you sell them and what kind of condition the whole clock is in. I've seen them go for more, but I agree: $150 give or take $50 seems to be the current market value on eBay. Some models consistently do better:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Sessions+black+mantel&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&LH_Sold=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=17331&_sargn=-1%26saslc%3D1&_salic=1&_sop=16&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&LH_Complete=1&_fosrp=1
Bruce