Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

I brought in my collection of 13 miniature clocks. My mother and my father were clock collectors. My dad would buy hanging clocks, and my mom would buy little clocks. And the first one she ever found was this one. And over the years, it grew to 13, and they all were lined up on our mantel.

APPRAISER

Do you have a favorite?

GUEST

I think this one's really special with the little spot. My favorite color is green, so I love the green one. My mother's favorite was this one and the blue one, because blue was her favorite color.

APPRAISER

Okay.

GUEST

But this one has the stones in it. And this she always said was the most valuable. I don't know.

APPRAISER

Well, these are all what are called subminiature carriage clocks. These clocks were all of Swiss manufacture. They were made between 1900 and roughly 1925. And they were sold as sort of little tchotchkes when you traveled over in Europe. You'd buy them in finer jewelry stores or in clock shops. It's a nice representation of what types of things were available, the styles of cases that were available in this type of grouping, if you will. They are very, very colorful.

GUEST

Yes.

APPRAISER

You have this wonderful little turquoise, and the pink, and this one sort of an alabaster, almost a pearl color. Swiss movements, designed to run eight days. They're almost like miniature watches in clock cases.

GUEST

In clocks-- eight days, I never knew that part. They all had little leather cases and they were pretty torn up. I have the cases, don't know where they are, but I didn't discard them.

APPRAISER

Yeah. Protective cases usually for travel.

GUEST

Yes.

APPRAISER

And they wouldn't be as colorful in them, so most people did put them in a different location.

GUEST

Right.

APPRAISER

It's unusual to see so many. As a grouping, we have a nice variation of values. The first two, this little pendulette here.

GUEST

Yes.

APPRAISER

The first two are the more basic models. And these would have a retail value of somewhere in the $400 price range.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

The next grouping, probably closer to $600 to $800 each.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

So there's four represented there. And then these next really nice enamel clocks. If you look very closely at this one, it has a guilloche engine-turned design.

GUEST

Ah, yeah.

APPRAISER

Which is a turned enamel, and they put a cover over it to make it jump out a little bit more.

GUEST

And it does jump out.

APPRAISER

And these would be in the probably $1,000 price range each.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

The last enamel one is a little bit more interesting in its case design, and as a result, I think today, you probably could get a little bit more money for it. Probably has a retail value of closer to $1,200 to $1,400. And the last one, you mentioned the sapphires.

GUEST

Yes, are they sapphires?

APPRAISER

They are sapphires. They're calibr sapphires, which means they're actually cut specifically to fit in the round.

GUEST

Fit in the round, okay.

APPRAISER

Yeah. So very nice decorative detail on that. That one there probably has a value of closer to $1,500 to $1,800.

GUEST

Wow.

APPRAISER

So with 13 clocks, you're looking at somewhere between $10,000 and $12,000.

GUEST

Wow. I had no idea what... these were worth. None!