Samuel Mulliken Shelf Clock

Appraised on: June 18, 2005

Appraised in: Providence, Rhode Island

Appraised by: Sean Delaney

Category: Clocks & Watches

Episode Info: Providence, Hour 2 (#1014)

Originally Aired: May 15, 2006

IMAGE: 1 of 1  

Appraisal Video: (56:40)

GUEST: I inherited it from my father. He died in 1990, and it was in his estate, and he inherited it from his father, probably in the late '70s sometime. I know that it's made by a clockmaker named, I think, Samuel Mulliken-- or some descendant of his, I'm not quite sure-- and that somehow, his family sort of ended up as the clockmakers in Concord, which is where my grandparents lived and kept the clock for a while.

APPRAISER: Well, you're right about that. Samuel Mulliken came from a long line of really well-known and respected clockmakers. And what you have here is a Massachusetts shelf clock, and it's really a wonderful piece. The condition of it is very good. There are a few apologies, which really don't affect the value to it very much, because it's sort of par for the course. Up here, there's two holes, where there originally would be little brass finials. Also, there's a little patch here, and probably the door was opened, and it fell off the hinge at one time. The glass is also replaced. But really, not a big deal in terms of the value of this clock. It's a mahogany case. It's a Massachusetts form. It stands on these wonderful ogee bracket feet, which are perfectly original. It has this beautiful scalloped apron in the front, and it extends to the sides as well, which does a lot for the clock in its appearance. It's signed here by Samuel Mulliken on the dial, which is always nice to have, because we know who made it. It's a sheet brass style, and it's a time-and-strike movement, and that's why you have two winding arbors. One powers the time, and one powers the strike. It's a two-weighted mechanism. It really is a fantastic piece. Do you have any idea of the value?

GUEST: No. It was appraised in my dad's estate for, I don't know, $5,000, maybe $10,000, something like that.

APPRAISER: How long ago was that?

GUEST: 1990.

APPRAISER: 1990? I feel that appraisal is a little low today. I would say a clock like this should be insured for around $75,000.

GUEST: Seriously?

APPRAISER: Seriously. It's that good. When it came out of the bag, I couldn't believe it.

GUEST: Wow, I love it, so...

APPRAISER: Congratulations.

GUEST: Thank you.

APPRAISER: What are you going to do with it?

GUEST: I'm going to put it right back on its shelf and get it insured for a little bit more. Wow. Really?

APPRAISER (laughing): Really.