176-C-0306

ATKINS CLOCK CO. "LONDON" SHELF CLOCK
INDEX # : 176-C-0306

circa: 1861-1870

CLOCK STYLE Small Shelf

CLOCK NAME London

MANUFACTURE

Atkins Clock Co., Bristol, Conn.
Image to the left is of Irenus Atkins (1792 - 1882

CASE MODEL # N/A

MOVEMENT TYPE

Brass, 8 Day, T&S, hour strike on cathedral gong, recoil escapement, count wheel Strike, which is located on the second strike gear. The movement plates are pinned together. This is the 3rd production (of four) movement design used by the Atkins Clock Co. in the London cases. This movement was first made c. 1861.

CASE SIZE & CONSTRUCTION

Base = 12 3/4", Height = 16 3/4", Depth = 5 1/8"
Rosewood veneer covers the entire case, with the exception of the black half columns.

LABEL INFORMATION

Original label in good condition.
"Thirty and Eight Day / Clocks & Time-pieces / Made and Sold by the / ATKINS CLOCK CO. / Bristol, CT."

The label printer is "Cobern & ?????, Printers

DIAL INFORMATION

The clock has a white zinc dial with black roman letters. The dial is 6 7/8" x 6 7/8" and has a 5" chapter ring.
The dial glass is original and measures 5 1/2" x 5 1/4" and is held in place with wood strips.

MISC. FEATURES

The dial glass has a reverse gold foil decoration surround which is backed with asphaltum.

The lower glass tablet is 5 1/2" x 3" and has reverse gold foil decoration a gold foil scene of a dog chasing birds on the bottom. The glass is held in place with wood strips. The tablet is reverse backed with asphaltum.

The lower door, which accesses the pendulum bob, has a wood panel.

ACQUIRED FROM Mart table at the 2006 NAWCC Lone Star Regional at the Mesquite Convention Center, Mesquite, TX.

CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED The clock is in running condition. The dial has some paint loss and flaking. The case is in overall good condition with no missing veneer, but the finish needs to be cleaned and the case needs polished. Both door knobs are missing and have taper pins inserted into the knob posts.

RESTORATION March 2006 - Cleaned movement and case and set clock to running.

HISTORICAL DATA

Atkins Clock shop in Bristol, Conn. c. 1855

The Atkins Clock Co. was founded by Irenus Atkins (1792-1882). The company was in business for 20 years (1859-1879). In December of 1879, the company filed for Bankruptcy, and was taken over by the Barnes Clock Co. Irenus's eyesight was failing at this point of his career, which may have also led to he retirement from the industry. Irenus Atkins had many partnerships in his clock making career, including Atkins & Downs" , R & I Atkins, Atkins & Porter, and Atkins & Whiting.
The London model listed for $7.50 in an 1876 Atkins catalog.
The London model shelf clock was the most successful clock produced by the Atkins Clock Co. The production runs for this model were not large, but they were continuous up until 1876. After this date, the clock was no longer listed in any historic documents that are currently available. It is unknown why the model just seemed to disappear after that date.

REFERENCES 1. "NAWCC Bulletin 228", page 65, "Brief Genealogy of the Atkins Clock Co."
2. "NAWCC Bulletin 225, page 476, "The Atkins Clock Co. - The End of an Era"
3. "NAWCC Bulletin 270, page 53, "Atkins Clock Co., Bristol, CT."
4. "Illustrated Catlaogue of Clocks Manufactured by the Atkins Clock Company, Bristol, Conn. - 1873" by Chris Bailey
5. "The Clocks of Irenus Atkins" by Phil Gregory & Robert King

NOTES This clock was destined to come home with us, as it appealed to both the "clock" and "dog" enthusiasts in both of us. As soon as KL saw the tablet depicting the dog, I knew we would be adding this one to our collection. Of course, it didn't hurt that I have been wanting to acquire one of the London models for quite some time, and this one was perfect for both of us.

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Please note, that our interests are in preserving and restoring horological items, we do not sell pieces from our collection or provide online appraisals. Any emails requesting values will be discarded. Sorry, but I am not an appraiser nor do I have time to provide this service. If your questions are of a historical nature, I will be happy to respond.

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CLOCK STYLE	Small Shelf
CLOCK NAME	London
MANUFACTURE	Atkins Clock Co., Bristol, Conn. Image to the left is of Irenus Atkins (1792 - 1882
CASE MODEL #	N/A
MOVEMENT TYPE	Brass, 8 Day, T&S, hour strike on cathedral gong, recoil escapement, count wheel Strike, which is located on the second strike gear. The movement plates are pinned together. This is the 3rd production (of four) movement design used by the Atkins Clock Co. in the London cases. This movement was first made c. 1861.
CASE SIZE & CONSTRUCTION	Base = 12 3/4", Height = 16 3/4", Depth = 5 1/8" Rosewood veneer covers the entire case, with the exception of the black half columns.
LABEL INFORMATION	Original label in good condition. "Thirty and Eight Day / Clocks & Time-pieces / Made and Sold by the / ATKINS CLOCK CO. / Bristol, CT." The label printer is "Cobern & ?????, Printers
DIAL INFORMATION	The clock has a white zinc dial with black roman letters. The dial is 6 7/8" x 6 7/8" and has a 5" chapter ring. The dial glass is original and measures 5 1/2" x 5 1/4" and is held in place with wood strips.
MISC. FEATURES	The dial glass has a reverse gold foil decoration surround which is backed with asphaltum. The lower glass tablet is 5 1/2" x 3" and has reverse gold foil decoration a gold foil scene of a dog chasing birds on the bottom. The glass is held in place with wood strips. The tablet is reverse backed with asphaltum. The lower door, which accesses the pendulum bob, has a wood panel.
ACQUIRED FROM	Mart table at the 2006 NAWCC Lone Star Regional at the Mesquite Convention Center, Mesquite, TX.
CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED	The clock is in running condition. The dial has some paint loss and flaking. The case is in overall good condition with no missing veneer, but the finish needs to be cleaned and the case needs polished. Both door knobs are missing and have taper pins inserted into the knob posts.
RESTORATION	March 2006 - Cleaned movement and case and set clock to running.
HISTORICAL DATA Atkins Clock shop in Bristol, Conn. c. 1855	The Atkins Clock Co. was founded by Irenus Atkins (1792-1882). The company was in business for 20 years (1859-1879). In December of 1879, the company filed for Bankruptcy, and was taken over by the Barnes Clock Co. Irenus's eyesight was failing at this point of his career, which may have also led to he retirement from the industry. Irenus Atkins had many partnerships in his clock making career, including Atkins & Downs" , R & I Atkins, Atkins & Porter, and Atkins & Whiting. The London model listed for $7.50 in an 1876 Atkins catalog. The London model shelf clock was the most successful clock produced by the Atkins Clock Co. The production runs for this model were not large, but they were continuous up until 1876. After this date, the clock was no longer listed in any historic documents that are currently available. It is unknown why the model just seemed to disappear after that date.
REFERENCES	1. "NAWCC Bulletin 228", page 65, "Brief Genealogy of the Atkins Clock Co." 2. "NAWCC Bulletin 225, page 476, "The Atkins Clock Co. - The End of an Era" 3. "NAWCC Bulletin 270, page 53, "Atkins Clock Co., Bristol, CT." 4. "Illustrated Catlaogue of Clocks Manufactured by the Atkins Clock Company, Bristol, Conn. - 1873" by Chris Bailey 5. "The Clocks of Irenus Atkins" by Phil Gregory & Robert King
NOTES	This clock was destined to come home with us, as it appealed to both the "clock" and "dog" enthusiasts in both of us. As soon as KL saw the tablet depicting the dog, I knew we would be adding this one to our collection. Of course, it didn't hurt that I have been wanting to acquire one of the London models for quite some time, and this one was perfect for both of us.