Eli Terry & Sons Plymouth, Connecticut. The Box Clock. DDD-29.

This is an Eli Terry & Sons box clock. This model was in limited production due to the popularity of the Pillar & Scroll case model. Its form should appeal to collectors of the unusual and to people who have very simple/utilitarian tastes. The form lacks the embellishment of unnecessary woodwork. This model is as at home on a shelf or mantel as it would be displayed hanging on a wall.

The mahogany-veneered case measures 23 inches tall and 14 inches wide. The woodwork retains an older surface finish that enhances the natural parallel grain patterns exhibited in the wood. The front of the case opens as a door. The lower section is paint-decorated from the back and is in excellent original condition. This popular scene includes a building with a pagoda roof and a memorial under a willow tree.  The wooden dial is clean and well-preserved; it is certainly Eli Terry-style, with the vase and flowers below the center post.  Roman-style hour numerals format the time ring.

The five-wheel wooden 30-hour movement is clean. It is weight-driven by two weights of approximately 3 lbs. each. The weight cords run to the top of the case over wooden pullies that retain their original dust caps. It is a two-train design. Two cast iron weights drive the mechanism. It will strike each hour on the hour on a cast iron bell mounted below the works. The striking system is a count-wheel design. 

Pasted on the backboard is the clockmaker’s label, which is in fair condition. It includes the clock’s setup and operation directions. The label also states, “PATENT CLOCKS. / INVENTED BY /  ELI TERRY, / MADE AND SOLD AT PLYMOUTH, CONNECTICUT, / BY / ELI TERRY & SONS...”

This fine example was made circa 1830.

Inventory number DDD-29.