Hello Cynthia,
Thank you for sending in your mantel clock for an appraisal at mearto.com. I will try to help you with this lovely item today. i appreciate the many views you supplied for me.
TITLE:
Brass, beveled glass and Royal Bonn porcelain (Germany), eight day spring driven, crystal regulator mantel clock with outside escapement, “Crystal Regulator No. 4”, made by the Ansonia Clock Company, New York City, New York, circa 1906.
DESCRIPTION:
CASE – 17.75” X 9.5” X 8”, ornate brass post and beveled glass paneled mantel clock with Royal Bonn painted porcelain pediment and base. The green porcelain broken arch domed pediment is surmounted by a green porcelain cap with golden rose at the top. The sides of the dome are green porcelain in fish scale design with the lateral portion of the pediment painted in colorful polychrome colors under a glazed finish. There is a green and cream colored shell at the both the back of the case and the front with a lion head just above. The edge of the pediment is painted in gold colors. Just below is the posted glass rectilinear clock case. The corner columns are Ionic columns with fluted gilt vasiform shaped at both the top and the lower end of the pillars. There are beveled plate glass panels on all four sides enclosing the dial and movement. A door is present at the back of the case to access the movement. Below is a broad foliate shaped painted base ornamented with flowers, edged in gilt, and having green painted porcelain curled acanthus feet with gilt highlights. The bottom of the porcelain base has the imprint indicating the Royal Bonn, German origin of the case.
DIAL - A beaded brass bezel encloses this two part white porcelain dial with enameled Arabic hour chapter, open bar minutes and a Brocot aperture @12 for altering the speed of the movement. There is a recessed white porcelain dial center with a visible brass escapement at the top with exposed escape wheel and pallets. The lower dial has the logo for the Ansonia Company. The base of the dial states clearly the make and location of the Ansonia Clock Company. There are steel fleur-De-Lys hands. .
Movement: Round solid brass plate movement connected with pillars, anchor escapement, steel cut pinions, steel arbors, and an outside rack and snail for the striking function. The movement has two barrel springs which provides eight day duration of running time and striking a coiled Cathedral gong on the hour and half hour. The movement has the name and logo of the Ansonia Clock Company of New York City with a patent date. A faux mercury double jar pendulum bob swings at the rear of the case. . .
Condition: Just a beautiful example of the Ansonia regulator #4. The case shows some separation of the pediment from the brass and glass case on one side. There is loss of some gilding on the corner pillars. The dial is in good condition with some darkening around the extreme edges of the dial. There is also some evidence of oxidative changes to the brass portion, especially the ring separating the two parts of the dial. The movement appears to be in very good condition and genuine and likely is able to run, at least with a simple cleaning. . .
HISTORICAL:
Ansonia Clock Co. was in business in southeastern Connecticut from the 1870s to 1929. Royal Bonn is the trade name used on pottery made by Franz Anton Mehlem. He operated a pottery in Bonn, Germany, beginning in 1836 until 1931. The Ansonia Clock Company’s roots lie in the Ansonia Brass Company, founded by Anson Greene Phelps in 1844. Phelps supplied brass to Connecticut clock manufacturers until 1851, when he joined forces with two powerful clockmakers, Theodore Terry and Franklin C. Andrews, to create a clockmaking company of his own. Terry and Andrews, who had a successful clockmaking business in Bristol, sold half of their business to Phelps in exchange for cheaper brass materials. Thus, the Ansonia Clock Company subsidiary was born (The Ansonia Brass and Copper Company).
In the 1870s, the Ansonia Clock Company separated from the Ansonia Brass Company and moved part of its production to New York City. Although the company continued to produce clocks in Connecticut, the New York factory, with clockmaker Henry J. Davies at the helm, employed more than twice as many workers—the majority of clocks produced from approximately 1880 on are marked "New York."
PRICING:
Two decades ago, at the height of the clock market, the dark green version of the Ansonia Crystal Regulator No.4 sold for approximately $2900-$3200. Since that time the prices of most clocks have fallen off by large percentages. However, your example is one of the most desirable of all the Ansonia porcelain crystal regulators. I think that the signs of wear are all acceptable and the separation at the top of the side of the case and pediment should be properly repaired by the proper clock person. So, there are no major demerits here such as broken porcelain, glass or a fractured dial. I congratulate you on this fine piece and I think in today's demanding market your clock would still bring $2500-$3000.
I hope I have been of help to you today.
My best,
David