Seth Thomas Gothic Beehive Mantle Clock

Seth Thomas Beehive Mantle clock circa 1928

This is a Seth Thomas Gothic beehive mantle clock. The face has Henry Birks & Sons inscribed on it and obviously the company contracted the clock out to Seth Thomas at that time. The movement is an 89AL which was used in a variety of clock between 1922 and 1928 so I would put this clock at around the 1928 period. There is a little plaque inside the back access door giving the reseller location which in this case is Amherst, Nova Scotia.

I has been running all day now and I am just waiting to see whether it gains or loses time. I will know in about 24 hours. The beat is good but the clock chimes the hours on the half hour which is obviously not supposed to happen. It means a minute hand pin adjustment once I know that the clock can run steadily.

As is typical of these old clocks there was a lot of dirt and grime on the finish. Rather than take the dramatic step of refinishing the clock it is far easier to take a good cleaner, in my case Murphy's oil and take the grime and grease buildup off the finish. This will usually expose the finish underneath. In this case the finish looked pretty good. Aside from a couple of minor nicks here and there the clock is in very good condition. These nicks can be easily hidden with a drop or two of stain.The movement looks particularly clean.

In a day or two I will give and update.