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Recently I have had more and more requests on how to do a self-appraisal of a grandfather clock. To remove some of the mystique, I have included in this article some of the questions that an appraiser will cover. This will not provide you an accurate price but should help with a ball park figure.
Recently I have had more and more requests on how to do a self-appraisal of a grandfather clock. To remove some of the mystique, I have included in this article some of the questions that an appraiser will cover. This will not provide you an accurate price but should help with a ball park figure.
What is the general condition of the grandfather clock?
Before we get started it is best to be in the right frame of mind. You will need to detach yourself from the old friend or family heirloom. The more detached you are the more unbiased and fair your will be. You must look at value from the buyer?s point of view. If this is not possible than get a friend or coworker to do the evaluation. Assuming you can do it yourself, or have found someone, let?s start with the overall state of the grandfather clock.
Below are twenty questions that are rated from zero to five, with five being fresh from the factory. Be fair and honest; don?t overrate your clock, and don?t be hyper-critical either. Like we are told when answering most questions, go with you first answer. Don?t dwell, change, or rethink you answer. Get a pad of paper, and write the numbers 1-20 down the left side or you can download a more detailed questionnaire from my website, called ?Eval.pdf?.
Grandfather clock evaluation questions.
1. If the clock is running give yourself a five, otherwise a zero.
2. Is the grandfather clock keeping accurate time?
3. Do the bells or chimes function correctly?
4. Does the grandfather clock have an operational lunar display?
5. Rate the look of the weights (bright and clean) from zero to five.
6. Does the clock face look good and well cared for?
7. Does the pendulum look good (without stains or damage) and well maintained?
8. Does the pendulum swing smoothly and without bumps?
9. Rate the grandfather clock hands (original, straight and bright) from zero to five.
10. Are the correct hands being used for the second, minute and hour (5 ? yes otherwise 0)?
11. Is this the original gear train and has it been rebuilt in the last year?
12. Has the grandfather clock been oiled every year you have owned it (0-never, 1-once, 2-twice, 3-every other year, 4-every year, 5-every six months)
13. Is all the glass present and undamaged (discoloration and bubbles are ok)?
14. Is the glass the proper age for the clock (give yourself a one otherwise a zero)?
15. Are all parts present (keys, exterior parts (wood or metal))?
16. Looking at the grandfather clock case. How would you rate it? (5=perfect, 0=bad)
17. Rate the case damage (many dents=0, some bad dents=1, some dents=3, minor dings, none=5)?
18. Do all the doors fit tightly and close all the way? (1 to 5, with 5 like the factory)?
19. What is the condition of the cabinet finish (1=damaged to 5=perfect)?
20. Is there a color change from one side to the other of the cabinet (0=major color change and 5=for little or none)?
Let?s total it up.
Now add up all the numbers you recorded and get a total. If the total is near 100 you are saying you have a near pristine grandfather clock. If you have a total of twenty or less I would have to assume the grandfather clock is broken in pieces and in a box ? otherwise you are grading it way to low. A normal value of a running grandfather clock with modest wear and tear would be somewhere around eighty, even a clock that is running with cabinet damage would still are around sixty of better. A clock that is over 100 years old will most likely have some damage (this sometimes adds character) such as dings and may have been repaired more than once.
OK - now we have a gauge, although not complete. Next you will need to know the time period the clock was built. This may require some research, but I will give you some resources a little later on. We will now need to find out what your clock last sold for or one that is very close in style, movement used and the time it was originally produced.
What did the grandfather clock last sell for?
This is where your personal evaluation comes in. When looking up the last selling price on a website like Antique Clock Price Guide (dot) com you must find out its condition at the time of sale. If the condition was fine (excellent) and yours is the same, then this is close to the value you should be asking. If your grandfather clock is finer then ask yourself how much better is your clock than the one sold. If your grandfather clock is not as nice don?t fret, just be honest and knock 10-30% off.
Given you are not a full time appraiser I would suggest you reduce the price by 10% percent unless of course the grandfather clock has a very colorful history, is perfect or rather rare and then I would increase the price by 20-30% percent over what you have seen.
Putting the price tag on.
To be fair though, one of the major areas of concern is how well the grandfather clock was maintained. Is the clock movement in a well-maintained state or is it in need of major repairs? The answer to this question and the overall look of the grandfather clock will set the value in the buyer?s mind. If they do have to do repairs this only drops the price, but not the (after-repair) value of the clock. Refinishing the cabinet, changing the clock movement for a more expensive unit, adding adornments that were not on the original clock, unnecessarily replacing clock faces or hands will all decrease the value of the clock. So only fix or repair what is needed and never try to improve the value of the clock.
Some resources to help you:
A more detailed Evaluation guide in PDF format at my website called Eval.pdf.
For last sold price check out: AntiqueClockPriceGuide.com
Recently I have had more and more requests on how to do a self-appraisal of a grandfather clock. To remove some of the mystique, I have included in this article some of the questions that an appraiser will cover. This will not provide you an accurate price but should help with a ball park figure.
What is the general condition of the grandfather clock?
Before we get started it is best to be in the right frame of mind. You will need to detach yourself from the old friend or family heirloom. The more detached you are the more unbiased and fair your will be. You must look at value from the buyer?s point of view. If this is not possible than get a friend or coworker to do the evaluation. Assuming you can do it yourself, or have found someone, let?s start with the overall state of the grandfather clock.
Below are twenty questions that are rated from zero to five, with five being fresh from the factory. Be fair and honest; don?t overrate your clock, and don?t be hyper-critical either. Like we are told when answering most questions, go with you first answer. Don?t dwell, change, or rethink you answer. Get a pad of paper, and write the numbers 1-20 down the left side or you can download a more detailed questionnaire from my website, called ?Eval.pdf?.
Grandfather clock evaluation questions.
1. If the clock is running give yourself a five, otherwise a zero.
2. Is the grandfather clock keeping accurate time?
3. Do the bells or chimes function correctly?
4. Does the grandfather clock have an operational lunar display?
5. Rate the look of the weights (bright and clean) from zero to five.
6. Does the clock face look good and well cared for?
7. Does the pendulum look good (without stains or damage) and well maintained?
8. Does the pendulum swing smoothly and without bumps?
9. Rate the grandfather clock hands (original, straight and bright) from zero to five.
10. Are the correct hands being used for the second, minute and hour (5 ? yes otherwise 0)?
11. Is this the original gear train and has it been rebuilt in the last year?
12. Has the grandfather clock been oiled every year you have owned it (0-never, 1-once, 2-twice, 3-every other year, 4-every year, 5-every six months)
13. Is all the glass present and undamaged (discoloration and bubbles are ok)?
14. Is the glass the proper age for the clock (give yourself a one otherwise a zero)?
15. Are all parts present (keys, exterior parts (wood or metal))?
16. Looking at the grandfather clock case. How would you rate it? (5=perfect, 0=bad)
17. Rate the case damage (many dents=0, some bad dents=1, some dents=3, minor dings, none=5)?
18. Do all the doors fit tightly and close all the way? (1 to 5, with 5 like the factory)?
19. What is the condition of the cabinet finish (1=damaged to 5=perfect)?
20. Is there a color change from one side to the other of the cabinet (0=major color change and 5=for little or none)?
Let?s total it up.
Now add up all the numbers you recorded and get a total. If the total is near 100 you are saying you have a near pristine grandfather clock. If you have a total of twenty or less I would have to assume the grandfather clock is broken in pieces and in a box ? otherwise you are grading it way to low. A normal value of a running grandfather clock with modest wear and tear would be somewhere around eighty, even a clock that is running with cabinet damage would still are around sixty of better. A clock that is over 100 years old will most likely have some damage (this sometimes adds character) such as dings and may have been repaired more than once.
OK - now we have a gauge, although not complete. Next you will need to know the time period the clock was built. This may require some research, but I will give you some resources a little later on. We will now need to find out what your clock last sold for or one that is very close in style, movement used and the time it was originally produced.
What did the grandfather clock last sell for?
This is where your personal evaluation comes in. When looking up the last selling price on a website like Antique Clock Price Guide (dot) com you must find out its condition at the time of sale. If the condition was fine (excellent) and yours is the same, then this is close to the value you should be asking. If your grandfather clock is finer then ask yourself how much better is your clock than the one sold. If your grandfather clock is not as nice don?t fret, just be honest and knock 10-30% off.
Given you are not a full time appraiser I would suggest you reduce the price by 10% percent unless of course the grandfather clock has a very colorful history, is perfect or rather rare and then I would increase the price by 20-30% percent over what you have seen.
Putting the price tag on.
To be fair though, one of the major areas of concern is how well the grandfather clock was maintained. Is the clock movement in a well-maintained state or is it in need of major repairs? The answer to this question and the overall look of the grandfather clock will set the value in the buyer?s mind. If they do have to do repairs this only drops the price, but not the (after-repair) value of the clock. Refinishing the cabinet, changing the clock movement for a more expensive unit, adding adornments that were not on the original clock, unnecessarily replacing clock faces or hands will all decrease the value of the clock. So only fix or repair what is needed and never try to improve the value of the clock.
Some resources to help you:
A more detailed Evaluation guide in PDF format at my website called Eval.pdf.
For last sold price check out: AntiqueClockPriceGuide.com