Hi, is this available?

The alternate title of this post is Adventures in Haggling.

Your local horologist will avoid leaning into the issues of the moment but suffice to say that Facebxxx has many, serious flaws. However, as previously noted, it seems to be on the cusp of superseding Craigslist for horological finds and thus its use is mandatory for a serious clock hunter.

In the limited attempts to enjoy prison time in the Bay Area, while perusing Facebxxx YLH spied a lovely Arts and Crafts clock. 

Detailing the Arts and Crafts movement is way beyond the scope of this clock blog but that era produced dramatic and often gorgeous designs in art, buildings, furniture, clocks and much more. The impact on clock design was considerable and virtually every large manufacturer of clocks made dozens of different models for many decades.

Your correspondent had never seen this model before. Its oak case enticed and so an inquiry was made. 

Alphonse (name changed to protect the...) replied. Asking price was $110. 

A quick jaunt from the corporate digs to Al's garage in San Jose. It was stuffed with furniture and such.

The garage was packed. Clearly Al was an antiques dealer or something to that end. 

The clock was hanging on the wall and as pretty as the photos suggested and seemed completely original and intact. 

Except...

Uh.. the mainspring is hanging down inside the case.

"Yeah it doesn't seem to wind right. It spins."

YLH explained to Al that this likely indicates something is broken. Possibly the mainspring.

"Yeah that's why I'm only asking $110. If it was working I'd have $800 on it in my store."

[inner voice] Good luck getting that price. 

Sigh.

Hmm... Time... effort... it's pretty. 

But this is worrisome...

Mainsprings don't just fall off a movement. A clock doesn't wind down and then the mainspring falls off. No way.

If a mainspring is dangling... that almost certain means that it / something broke inside the movement. And while not a common occurrence when this does happen it is typically during the winding of the mainspring / clock. And that failure will result in an uncontrolled release of the spring with tremendous, almost explosive, energy. 

Even with normal servicing of clocks the mainsprings are dangerous when being wound and unwound on professional mainspring winders. YLH has a deluxe model provided by Johnson Arts. The stories of clockmakers hurting themselves, sometimes seriously, while working on mainsprings are innumerable. YLH wears heavy work gloves when doing mainspring work.

Unsurprisingly that sudden release of power can also cause considerable damage to a clock's movement. 

The clock is attractive but without taking the movement out (not happening in Al's garage) to inspect the spring and the movement... well this is a gamble.

"Would you take $50?"

"Nope."

"It's almost certain that this clock will require some investment of money and time to get it running."

"$85 is my bottom."

Hmm...

YLH returned to Mountain View empty handed.

A bit off additional researching unearthed a few examples of the same model in working condition that sold for about $100. 

Time went on.

The clock was still posted. Popped up regularly in the weekly searches.

It is a pretty clock. Maybe this clock hunter should relent and rebid...

Then it appeared once again but this time with $65 as the asking price.

YLH messaged Al. 

"Remember me? Would you take that $50 now?"

"Sure."

Back to the garage.

Al immediately showed this clock hunter a different clock, a late form of a German or Austrian design. Not bad but not interesting. 

Pass.

"How about some furniture? Look at this marble topped..."

Dude.

"OK. Ok."

Here was the beauty, in its place on the garage wall.

Money exchanged hands but when your correspondent asked for the key Al insisted that he has to keep the universal key (AKA a Blessing key) that he offered with the clock upon the first garage visit. 

"I need it for other clocks."

Whatever.

Resting in the back seat of the car the beauty made its way back to the apartment and several weeks later back to the shop.

Oh and here is the full view photo posted by Al.

This is a Ramona model from the Sessions clock company. Probably made around 1910. Another fine example of a Ramona can be found here (click on the images and take a look at the super high resolution photos).

The exterior of the clock is virtually flawless. Not a scratch on it save a small crack in the "9" on the dial. It appears to be completely original. The hands are right. Every minute indictor brass dot was there. Original pendulum.

And those completely intact brass door hinges and latch. Lovely.

On the back of the clock someone covered the label with scotch tape to protect it. Not the most elegant solution but it did preserve it. Labels often don't survive.

OK the clock looks great but what would we find inside?

Time would tell.

Approximate a month following the purchase and a couple weeks finally back at Chez Rancho YLH decided to open her up for a look.

Quite clean in there but there's really no way someone unwound the mainspring that much (basically impossible to do with a key) or that a repair person forgot to connect the spring properly during service.

No, something had failed.

A closer look quickly revealed that despite appearances that mainspring itself wasn't the culprit. Something else had broken causing the mainspring to sag (and likely explosively unwind in the clock).

Zounds!

Find out next time!