Tempus Vitam Regit. (Time Rules Life) From the moment when the doctor notes the time of our birth, we are ruled by time. Everything from the morning alarm clock, getting the kids to school, or a 1:00 pm business meeting. It's all about time. Our early ancestors realized this with some of their primative methods of time keeping. Water clocks, sundials and graduated candles were just some of the early ways to show the passing of time. No one knows the exact date of the first mechanical clock, but most clock historians think it was sometime in the late 13th century. Early clocks were hand crafted and expensive, which meant only the wealthy usually owned clocks. With the age of mass production, the average man was able to own a clock. Ogee's and cottage clocks were made by the 1000's and one would guess by 1850 every home or business in America had at least one clock.

When I first started to collect, I found most of my clocks through private collectors, antique shops, flea markets, estate sales and NAWCC meeting and marts. Because of the internet and especially Ebay, clock collecting can be done from the comfort of your home, with 100s of clocks only a mouse click away. Clock collecting is not a new hobby. N. Hudson Moore’s The Old Clock Book was first published in 1911, well before many of the clocks up for auction today on Ebay were even made. But now, just like back then, the most important thing you need is the knowledge of what you are collecting. There are many books available on clock collecting. Tran Duy Ly’s series of books on collecting American clocks are some of the best. He has taken many years of old clock company catalogs and compiled them into books from most American clock makers. They are easy to use and very helpful in identifying your make and model. He also includes a price guide, which is just that, a guide. Many of the clocks are worth much more and much less than the prices given for the clocks. Clock prices are subjective and dependent on condition, availability and desirability. There are many other books, both general and specific that are available. I’ll will mention some of my favorites at the end of this guide.

Weather you are a novice or advance collector, the next thing I recommend when buying off Ebay is to ask questions. Many sellers give a brief and less than helpful description. If they leave something out, or are vague about something, use the ask a seller a question option. It is located at the top right hand side under the sellers information. Don’t assume when the seller says it’s "all original" that it is. In a recent auction, I was following a higher end American shelf clock. The seller used original in the description no less than seven times. I could tell from his pictures that both reverse painted glasses had been cut down from a larger clock and fitted to this one. I emailed him twice and he finally answered about 2 hours before the auction ended. He claimed he bought it as original and had no reason to believe they weren’t so. I new they were not, so I stayed away. Other things to ask would be originality of the finish, dial and pendulum. Check to see if it has a makers label. What is the duration of the movement? Is it an 8 day or a 30 hour? Is it working or not? If you don’t repair your own clocks, it can be expensive. There is nothing wrong with buying clocks that may have problems, just bid accordingly

Another thing to check is the sellers feedback. There are many honest and reliable sellers on Ebay. Look at the feedback as a whole. Some negative feedback is retaliatory feedback from non paying bidders. If a sellers has numerous negatives for deceptive descriptions, poor packaging or non delivery, this should be a red flag to stay away. I’m amazed at some of the sellers feedback and their ability to keep selling on Ebay. Find sellers who give good descriptions and honest service. You have a better chance of ending up happy at the end of your transaction. Watch out for reproductions. Look for key words in the description. If it says Ansonia style or Antique like, it means it’s made in China. Another common thing I’ve been seeing is putting old movements in new cases. Reconstructed is a common word used here. It is just a way to get out of calling it new or reproduced. There is nothing wrong with buying these clocks. Just know what you are bidding on. They are worth far less than an antique original.

Shipping of your clock is an important thing to consider. There is nothing worse than buying the clock of your dreams only to have it arrive broken. Some things can be fixed, but a broken original reverse painted glass or ruined painted dial will drastically lower the value of your clock. I had a friend buy some Royal Bonn china clocks, only to have them arrive with only a sheet of cardboard between them. No need to tell you how they looked when the box was opened. Early on in my Ebay buying days, I bought a nice school clock. It arrived in two Tide detergent boxes put together to make one box. I got lucky and the broken glass didn’t hurt the paper dial. Find out if the seller has experience in packing and shipping a clock. If they mostly sell Bennie babies and comic books, I doubt your clock will make it in one piece. Ask for bubble wrap and packing peanuts. You may also want to have the glasses taped and packing put inside the case. Have all clock weights and pendulums packed separately. (I heard of an ogee clock shipped with the weights rolling around on the inside.) If the seller doesn’t want to work with you, ask if they would have it professionally packed. It will cost more, but your chances of safe arrival increases quite a bit. If you follow these steps, your clock should arrive in good shape.

A nice thing about clocks is the wide variety of items you can collect. I personally prefer American shelf and wall clocks. I have one customer who only collects art deco electric clocks and another who likes kitchen clocks of all types. A fellow NAWCC member collects clocks by EN Welch and Welch & Spring Clock Company. The sky is the limit so to speak. Buy what you like! I believe if you follow some of my suggestions above, Ebay can be a safe and fun place to build your collection. Just remember, Caveat Emptor...Let the buyer beware.

Books on collecting clocks.

• All of Tran Duy Ly's publications on American clocks.
• Two Hundred Years of American Clocks & Watches by Chris Bailey
• The American Clock by Distin & Bishop
• Connecticut Clock Technology by Ken Roberts
• Black Forest Clocks by Rick Ortenburger
• Carriage Clocks by Allix & Bonnert
• The Book of American Clocks by Brooks Palmer
• 20th Century Modern Clocks by Mark Stein

This is just a sampling of some of the books that are available. Most of them can be found on Ebay. I also have had good luck finding books at local used book stores, local NAWCC marts and regionals.  

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