Was my moms. It’s about 20 years old. 1 of the chains is off the gear. But it works and keeps time.
Was my moms. She passed and I really have no use for it.
Hello Bill,
Thank you for sending in this cuckoo clock for an appraisal to mearto.com. I will try to help you understand what you own and its value.
TITLE:
Modern era, polychrome enameled handcrafted wood, three weight, one day, musical Swiss Chalet cuckoo clock with dancers, music box made in Switzerland, movement made by the Regula Clock Company of Germany and the case carved by A. Schneider Sohne, Schonach, Black Forest region of Germany, circa 1990s.
DESCRIPTION:
Case: Size not provided. A Swiss Chalet cuckoo clock, polychrome paint decorated, with a canted tiled roof, a platform with vertical decorative fluting with painting of flora, where colorful human figures emerge and dance to music. This balcony sits just below the just below the door where the cuckoo bird emerges to make his hourly call. The dial is centered on the facade of the house flanked by floral paintings in blue, green, white and red. Below is the base pedestal, shaped and paint decorated with flora as seen above. Access to the movement is provided by a simple wooden door at the back of the case. I cannot see the back of the case, but often there is a pasted label of the music box maker, and this is at time accompanied by the tunes being played while the figures dance. On German clocks there is commonly a Swiss made device for the music.
Dial: Wooden dial with stylized iveroid or bone Roman hours, and Chippendale-style white hands. These dials are not signed in any manner. The dial of cuckoo clocks has not changed much in two hundred years.
Movement: Not Shown but most likely is a skeletonized brass plate movement, signed 'Regula' for the German Clock Company and also signed for the carver, A. Schneider Sohne (both located in Schonach, Germany) with various patent dates on the back plate of the movement The movement is powered by the descent of three iron pine cone weights and has a wooden leaf like pendulum. There are wooden bellows using air pressure which provide the song of the bird on the hour. The music box usually sits off to one side, apart from the movement.
Condition: From what you say the clock is functioning but one of the pull up link chains is off its track at the moment. The case appears to be in very good condition for its age. These were quite commonly purchased by tourists to the Black Forest region since the later years of the 20th century. These were commonly made clocks and do not have great value on the market today.
HISTORICAL:
Anton Schneider first produced cuckoo clocks in the Black Forest region of Germany in 1848. The company that bears his name has been producing quality cuckoo clocks from a factory in Schonach, Germany, since 1952 and through 6 generations. A. Schneider Sohne continues to create intricately hand carved cuckoo clocks today. Regula is one of only two clock movement companies that continue to produce cuckoo clock movements in the Black Forest region of Germany. Regula makes the movements only and is a Trade Mark name. "Regula" is the Trade Mark of J. Burger Söhne in Schonach, a casting-company, which made a great number of Cuckoo-movements for the Black Forest-cuckoos in the 19th century. Ca. 1880 Burger made also stamped movements. The trademark name "Regula" was again placed into use after WW2, but was not registered for the first several years. Burger Söhne finally registered this TM in 1966. Burger Söhne was later split into two different companies. One of these is named "SBS-Feintechnik" and is still a manufacturer of clock movements. One of the very last movement makers in Germany.
When comparing this clock to others like it that come to auction today, my impression is that the fair market value ranges from $150 - $200, with the retail pricing being about $350-$400.
I hope this information has been of some help to you.
My best,
David
For sale
Bill,
Mearto.com does not buy items since it does the appraisals and doing both would present a conflict of interest in this business. However, we do have contacts with auction houses that may possibly sell your item. I would contact our coordinator of operations: [email protected]
Best of luck,
David
How do I get in touch with Lindsey Bourrret?
Will your company buy it? $150-$200 sounds good to me. Just need to know where to send it.