186-C-1206

CLOCK STYLE	NY Style Shelf Clock
CLOCK NAME	N/A
MANUFACTURE	A. Munger & Co, Auburn, NY. Picture to the left is Asa Munger Asa Munger (1777-1851) Thaddeus Benedict (????-????) Clarke Beers Hotchkiss (????-????)
CASE MODEL #	N/A
MOVEMENT TYPE	Brass, 8-day T&S, the movement in this clock is not numbered. Hour strike is a rack and snail arrangement, typical in Munger clocks. The weights to drive the time and strike trains are 5 1/2" in length and weigh 6 lbs each.
CASE DIMENSIONS & CONSTRUCTION	Base=18 1/4" , Height=40", Depth=5 1/2" Case appears to have Walnut and Mahogany veneers, carved half columns (18 1/4"), carved splat. and carved front paw feet. Veneer used on the sides of the case and behind carved half columns appears to be Walnut and is a different color than the rest of the case which appears to be Mahogany. All veneer appears to be original to the case.
LABEL INFORMATION	Good label covered with protective film. "A. Mungers / Patent Eight Day Brass Clocks / Made, Warranted & Sold / Wholesale & Retail By / Asa Munger & Co. / Auburn, NY"
DIAL INFORMATION	Dial is hand painted over iron plate, white background with black Roman letters. 7" chapter ring, with markings for the minutes in Arabic letters, and a seconds bit in the shape of a hand. The Dial is inscribed "Warranted by Asa Munger & Co., Auburn, NY." in fancy script. The Terry type hands are not original to clock and suitable replacements will need to be found. The dial plate is pinned to the front plate of the movement. Original Reverse painted stencil dial glass done in gold bronzing powder and is 10 1/2" x 10 1/2". The dial glass is held in place with the original putty.
MISC FEATURES	Flying eagle pendulum, massive 6 lb time and strike weights. Strikes the hour on a cast bell. Glass door knobs, unknown if they are original, however I have seen these on other examples of A. Munger & Co. clocks. Original (4) pewter pulleys stamped "Patent Auburn, NY" , and part of the original wallpaper still remains on backboard. Both tablets are replacement reverse painted transfers done by Lee Davis. The top tablet is nicely done and has a gold leaf border with a scene of frolicking women. The black background and toned down colors really fits nicely into this case, although probably not the type that was originally in the clock. The artist believes he created this reverse painted transfer from an old steel engraving. The upper tablet is 8 1/2" x 10 1/2" and is held in place with putty. The lower tablet has a building scene that I have seen in other clocks, but doesn't seem appropriate for this clock. The lower tablet is 6 1/2" x 10 1/2" and is also held in place with putty. Subsequent research indicates that the bottom tablet is a duplicate of the original tablet that was in this clock. The original tablet was broken and the replacement was made from the original pattern. I'm still not sure I like this tablet in this particular case because of it's bright colors, so I may replace it with a period looking glass. The dial glass is a reverse painted stencil done with bronzing powders and a black background. It appears to be original to the clock.
ACQUIRED FROM	Online auction, seller from Ohio.
CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED	Case in good condition although it appears to have had a newer coat of shellac applied at some point. Movement appears to be very clean, but will be dismantled, cleaned, and checked for wear.
RESTORATION	Items that will be addressed: 1) Lower reverse painted stencil will be replaced with a more appropriate tablet for the clock, 2) Terry style hour and minute hands will be replaced with appropriate style hands.
HISTORICAL DATA Auburn State Prison facility c. 1830.	Asa Munger was a maker of high grade 8 day brass movement clocks. His case styles and movement design differed from those of his Connecticut counterparts. He started his contract with the State of New York in March of 1833, using prison labor at the Auburn State Prison, to construct his clocks. He partnered with Thaddeus Benedict in May of 1833 and this partnership lasted through November 1833. Munger decided to leave and turned over the business to Hotchkiss & Benedict, who continued to manufacture Munger's Patent clocks until 1837. It is reported that Munger nor Benedict were allowed to talk to the prisoners directly, but had to relay instructions via a shop foreman. The made approximately 3 clocks per day with prison labor, and they sold wholesale for $18.00. This was quite a bit more money than the Connecticut makers were charging for the bronze looking glass clocks (around $5.00), but his clocks were very high quality. Munger and Benedict produced clocks between March 1833 until November 1833 according to New York State records. Additional research indicates that this clock was manufactured between March 1833 and May 1833. After this date, Hotchkiss was brought into the partnership and the name was changed to A. Munger & Co.. A new contract with the prison system was signed at this time.
REFERENCES	1. NAWCC Bulletin #141, August 1969 "Asa Munger and His Shelf Clock Production at Auburn State Prison, by Ken Roberts" 2. NAWCC Bulletin #275, December 1991 "Asa Munger Clocks: Unorthodox Approaches, Auburn Prison Production, and Hotchkiss / Benedict Partnerships", by Jack Clemes 3. An Empire In Time - Clocks and Clock Makers of Upstate New York, 2003, G. Russell Oechale & Hellen Boyce & Collaborators 4. NAWCC Bulletin #279, August 1992 "More on Asa Munger Prison Labor", James Mehrer.
NOTES	N/A