Skip to content

Antique Clocks at Nest Egg Auctions

Clocks are often among the most artful and intricate antiques available, blending mechanical ingenuity with artistic beauty. Antique Clocks are one of Nest Egg's major specialties.

Antique Clocks are Native to Connecticut

The history of antique clocks in Connecticut begins around 1773 with Thomas Harland in the town of Norwich. His apprentice, Daniel Burnap, eventually leaves to setup a shop in South Windsor and takes on a then 14 year-old Eli Terry. Eli Terry became the first American to patent a clock in the United States. His business became one of the most important and influential clock manufacturers of the 18th Century. These first few men lay the groundwork for what became one of the earliest and most prolific Connecticut industries.

Seth Thomas and Chauncey Jerome both worked with Terry and as the state moved into the 19th Century, clock makers started to produce timepieces in towns all over Connecticut. E.N. Welch made clocks in Bristol, William Gilbert in Winsted, and the Ansonia Clock company during the Victorian era. The early part of the 20th Century brought big production from the Ingraham Co. and the Waterbury Clock Company, which eventually became Timex.

Ways to Identify an Antique Clock:

Take the time to carefully inspect your antique clock. Many clocks bear a signature on the face or dial. Sometimes this does not indicate the specific clockmaker, but it can also be a retailer of clocks (such as Tiffany & Co.). You may find that inside the main case or around the pendulum there is an original paper label that gives information about the town, manufacturer, date, or model of the specific clock. If the back of the clock is easy to access look closely at the movement of the clock. Brass movements are often stamped with a maker’s mark such as Junghans or Japy Freres.

 Remember that over the years many clocks were repaired and parts were often replaced. You might discover that your clock has a replacement movement, or that replacement and reproduction parts have been substituted. Nest Egg Auctions can also help you personally with the appraisal and identification of your antique clock.

Keep Up To Date

A.D. Mougin French Mantel Clock
French Marble & Metal Mantel Clock

Nest Egg Auctions is where you want to sell Antique Clocks from Connecticut & New England.

Over the course of more than 20 Years, the Brechlin Family has sold thousands of clocks, parts, movements, cases, tools, and historical clock items to dealers and collectors around the world. We can give you the advice and assistance needed when it’s time to sell a collection of antique clocks. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation that can help you make decisions about how to handle clocks from your family estate, when it’s time to downsize, or when you get that great flea market find and want to know what it’s worth! Auctioneer Ryan C. Brechlin can help you with an informal verbal appraisal or guide you through the formal written appraisal process. From the most common clocks, like New Haven and Ingraham clocks, to the more obscure Hotchkiss and Parker timepieces, we can help you get the most for your antique clocks at auction.

Nest Egg Auctions has handled many collections and hundreds of antique clocks from Connecticut clockmakers, including:

Some types, styles, & clock movements you might find at Nest Egg Auctions:

Shelf, Mantle, Banjo, Gingerbread, Ogee, Calendar, Regulator, Schoolhouse, Grandfather, Tall Case, Tavern, Lighthouse, Bracket, Dwarf, Porcelain, Tambour, Novelty, Column & Splat, Weight Driven, Wooden Works, Alarm, Bell, Time & Strike, and more.

Examples of Antique Clocks at Nest Egg Auctions