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1850s Popular Time For Shell Clocks

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By JAY MOORE, Tribune correspondent

Published: September 29, 2007

We have owned our 16-inch-tall, cast-iron clock for years. An appraiser once described it as a 'black iron clock, inlaid with abalone shell, with an open exposure for the pendulum, made by Terry & Andrews Clock Co.'

I still have the pendulum and key, but there is no glass over the face. I do not know if it runs. Please provide me with any information you can.

B.Z.

Tampa

Theodore Terry was a nephew of Eli Terry, America's first maker of inexpensive shelf clocks. He collaborated with Franklin Andrews in 1841 in Bristol, Conn. The firm closed in 1850 when the pair helped to establish Ansonia Clock Co.

You did not mention how the appraiser came up with the Terry & Andrews attribution; other firms made similar clocks. They continued to be made after 1850 by Ansonia, often with movements marked 'Terry & Andrews.'

Cast-iron clocks with inlaid shell were popular between 1850 and 1860. Although they are relatively hard to find, they do not seem to be very popular.

This one, which obviously needs work, would retail for about $225.

We inherited our cabinet from our parents and know little about it, except that it may be from England. It has two drawers at the top, five drawers behind doors and a large drawer at the bottom.

What do you think?

A.S.
Richmond
Your linen chest probably was manufactured in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. It appears to be made of maple solids and veneers, an indication that it originated in the United States rather than Britain.

It is a useful piece of used furniture that would retail for about $185.

Have a question about antiques? E-mail a complete description with a clear digital image (.jpg file) to athome@tampatrib.com. Include a name, address and daytime phone number. Regular mail can be sent with clear photographs (plain-paper prints or Polaroid

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