Silas B Terry vertical balance wheel steeple

$9,000

Silas B. Terry vertical balance wheel sharp gothic, 1849-1852.  In 1845, at the age of 73, Eli Terry was still inventing clocks.  He patented the balance wheel escapement that his son, Silas Burnham, used in this clock around 1850.  The oversized steeple case (24.5 inches tall, 13.25 inches wide) is veneered in mahogany with an old finish and no obvious repairs.  The dial glass is modern, the period mirror is likely a replacement for an eglomise painting, as found in the three other examples I can find.  The dial is wood with old/original paint, three likely original hands, and two large openings to view the seconds bit and the very large vertical balance wheel that substitutes for a pendulum.  Indeed, this opening is larger than found on the other examples; this is the only example known to use this oversized (3-inch diameter) balance wheel.  The opening is rather crudely cut, suggesting that Terry was modifying a dial made for models with smaller balance wheels. It is not clear what advantage this larger balance wheel provided, as it beats seconds just as the others do; perhaps it was being tested as a better timekeeper.  The brass movement is driven by steel springs (patented by SB Terry) housed behind the wooden fusees, painted silver.  These clocks ran for just one day.  Also notable on this movement is the rack and snail strike mechanism; all other examples utilized a count-wheel strike mechanism.  The clock is running and striking as appropriate on the wire gong.  Note the well-preserved label inside.  Antique American Clocks sold a similar example in 2023 for $7500 with a 15% premium, and a rarer example in that year for $21,000; Cottone’s sold one that year for $5000 with a 25% buyer’s premium. 

There is no buyer’s premium and no sales tax on this sale (unless you live in Kentucky), and the price includes free blanket-wrap delivery to any location in the lower 48 states.