If any one can identifie these two clocks That would be gr8

Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 9:52 am     Post subject: If any one can identifie these two clocks That would be gr8

Hi Can any when help with these two clocks,, this is the info I have,,
I have been told they were in Cunard Line 25th Broadway building in the ticket office in the early 1920's. They were moved from the building when it was taken over by the US post office in the mid 1970's & put in storage in Cunards new building 555 5th Avenue NY. Then they were on display on the QE2 in the ships library, then were put in storage in Southampton warehouse where they were written off for scrap .
They are electric & have no markings, the fronts may of had marble on them? the larger is double faced & hangs upside down, they apear to be made of bronze? most of the above may not be true but is what I was told.
A maker or old drawing or photo would help, any one with a possitive id & location will be rewarded as have contacted auctions & they need to have proof of where these two clocks came from..
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 1:10 pm     Post subject:

Would the persons who once displayed the clocks know anything more about them? It might be that the display inlcuded some information on each clock (to possibly inlcude the origins). The other thing you could check for is any identifying markings on/under the case, or even on the movement itself. I am certain you have already checked for this, but thought I would mention it as a suggestion anyway.

Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:04 pm     Post subject: E Howard & Co Boston

I have found a stamp on the movement E Howard & Co Boston, Patented....

Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 2:23 pm     Post subject:

Excellent! I was able to find the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Howard_%26_Co.

Note: I know Wikipedia is not always the most accurate source, but I think it can serve as a start. Seems the E Howard Company has created many notable clocks, some of which can be referenced near the bottom of the page. I was surprised to find a couple of famous clocks close to my area (Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, Ill). Also, additional references are provided (which may be a stepping stone to finding out more about your clock assemblies).

My guess (although pure speculation) is that the clocks were designed by the Howard Co. specifically for the building they were going into. Digging up more history on the Broadway building and ticket office may be an additional avenue for info. Old photos may exist as well. With clock assemblies such as these, I am certain they would be pretty easy to spot in an old photo. Libraries (with access to microfiche) might prove helpful. Remember that old newspaper photos (etc) can be invaluable for this sort of research (if, at least, to help confirm some of the history which you have been told).

Last: Try posting your photos on the NAWCC forum as well. Their forum has been around for quite some time, and has many knowledgeable members. Between the two forums, I am certain you will find out a bit more info.

http://www.nawcc.org/

Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 7:30 pm     Post subject: cheers

have posted on that site & moved to another section,,,I am starting to get the feeling these must be rare as no one has any ideas,,,,,

Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 9:07 pm     Post subject:

It does not strike me that these were produced for any sort of retail avenue (as with most antique clock assemblies). It would seem that E Howard was commissioned to design/build these assemblies for specific establishments (much like some of the "notable" assemblies listed on Wiki). In other words, each clock the company created for any given estamblishment was a custom clock of sorts. This could make assigment of any sort of value much more complicated. However, it should also be noted that Howard clocks do not seem very common, (with the few listed as being tied to large corporate/government factions and/or landmark buildings), so there is little doubt in my mind that these assemblies have some sort of value beyond a typical antique clock assembly.

Please post if you should uncover any aditional information. I can say that I am definately intrigued!

Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 10:53 am     Post subject:

have you any idea of aprox date of manufacture as can research some ships made about that time???

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 2:02 pm     Post subject:

Did you confirm that these assemblies came from a ship? My assumption was that they were part of the Curnard Line building itself... I was just figuring a ticket office would have clock assemblies hanging around... If my assumption is correct, then the clocks could probably be dated between 1917 and 1921...

If they are traced back to a ship, then the dates expand. Seems Curnard introduced the first cruise ship to be lighted by electricity in 1881.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5443960_history-cunard-cruise-line.html

If this is the case, this could date the clocks anywhere between 1881 and up. A listing of boats can be found here (scroll down to the "fleet" section):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cunard_Line

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 2:24 pm     Post subject:

As a side note: I would research those ships that are designated as being "scrapped". I figure this is the primary way that Curnard would have ended up with these clock assemblies in their building if the clocks did come from cruise ships...