A to Z April Challenge: A is for Ansonia Clock

When my sister and I cleaned out our parents’ home, we had to make many decisions about what to do with all the stuff. Which things are truly “valuable” and which have only sentiment in their favor? Should we sell it, keep it, or throw it away? To help ensure a future for our family’s heirlooms, I plan to leave a booklet for my daughters telling the stories of what they will inherit one day. (Not TOO soon, I hope!) With this challenge I begin my book of Heirlooms.

is for Ansonia mantel clock. Mantel clocks were so named because they could fit on a mantel or shelf, which is exactly where it was displayed in the home of my grandaunt Violetta Davis Ryan.

The clock originally belonged to her sister Velma Davis Woodring. Maybe it was a wedding gift, I don’t know, but when she died, it went to Violetta and then to my mother.

 

Aunt Violetta and my daughter Jordan 1981
The Ansonia clock is on the mantel, right where it belongs.

When dividing our parents' things, my sister decided I should have this clock because the colors go with my decor. The clock came to me in pieces. Well, just 2 pieces. The face cover had come off but surely it can be repaired. I have never heard the clock chime or even tick for that matter. Was it always in need of repair? I really should do right by this lovely porcelain clock and get it restored. It might be worth something.

I do not have the knowledge to determine the value of my clock. Price is driven by rarity, markings, condition, emotion, and even ignorance. On eBay, there is a porcelain Ansonia for $61 and another for $695. Surprisingly, one with only the case, no clock, is offered at $150. One Ansonia quite similar to mine has 29 bids and is already at $175. On Etsy, most porcelain Ansonias are running around $235, but there is one for $1,285 and another recently reduced to $945.

Ansonia and Seth Thomas clocks

The curvy feminine lines of this Ansonia clock are in sharp contrast to the sleek and simple lines of my Seth Thomas mantel clock which came to me from my grandaunt Helen Killeen Parker. The style is referred to as a “camelback” or “tambour” clock. On eBay they are being sold between $30 and $450, most under $200. But who knows what they are really worth?

Now, like my Ansonia clock, the Seth Thomas just sits in a guest bedroom watching time pass by.

Shame on me.

Wendy

© 2018, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.