Tall Case Clocks

Tall case clocks are classic timepieces. Antique tall case clocks first started to pop up in the middle of the 17th century. The tall case clock has a narrow body and a larger wider head. Grandfather clocks are tall case clocks. These clocks are highly sought after
EBay offers plenty of elegant vintage tall case clocks. Because of the popularity and the size of Tall Case Clocks they often sell for well into the thousand of dollars. But because vintage ones are so hard to find, its really a small price to pay for this kind of elegance.

The glory days of the classic tall case clock was from about 1660 to 1700 during the Baroque period in England. These stately timepieces were first designed to adorn the homes and palaces of the royal monarchy. Their large proportions were intended to blend in well with the larger-than-life scale of these royal dwellings.

The first tall cases to be owned in the American colonies were exclusively exported from Britain. It was not long though before a uniquely American tradition of tall case clock making emerged. The centers for this craftsmanship arose mainly in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The display of a long case clock in a home was a symbol of great wealth and community status of the homeowner. The mystique of luxury and privilege represented by a tall case clock is much of what gives it its mystique to collectors even today.

The tall case clock can be distinguished by its slender pendulum cabinet and portico shaped bonnet which serves to shield and protect the clock`s inner workings. Original clock and cabinetmakers helped spur a public taste for ever more attractively-crafted tall case clocks around the globe. The initial purpose of the hood was to ward off dust and dirt away from the clock movement. The addition of the pendulum case was a later development.

The movements of tall case clocks were usually made of brass, and only needed winding every 8 days. Until 1845 American and English clocks shared the trait of only striking on the hour. By 1850 though, American began to be made with the capacity to strike on the half hour as well.

From the beginning of the 17th century until the mid-1700`s, clock dials were typically 10 inches square. The dial was usually constructed from brass adorned with a silvered chapter ring. By the middle 18th century, arched clock dials were coming into fashion and, clock makers began to introduce the famous moon phase feature which would be incorporated into the lunette alongside the clock maker`s name. When painted dials with Arabic numerals emerged in 1780, they would come to replace the 100 year old custom of brass dials.