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Bill Sohne
··Bill @ ΩFHello everyone.....
This is a story about a clock I bought years ago..... My first USLH clock.... I actually had one in my hand back in 1995 but had no clue what it was but the movement was totally rusted and I just handed it back to the seller ... I later found out more about it but it was already gone when I went back to that seler.
Fast forward about 11 years ... I came across another clock...But the case and movement numbers did not match. But both were US lighthouse numbers... in other words the case was sold to the USLH Estb / Service ... and the movement was also in 4 1/2 marine clock that was sold to the USLH Estb / Service. According to the listing of USLHE clock serial numbers in Andy Demeter's authoritative book " Chelsea Clock Company, The First hundred Years" both of the serial numbers were sold to the USLHE. Serial number 33xxx on the case dates the clock to 10/24/1908. The movement has serial number 8xxx dating it to 4/25/1903. According to the listing of USLHE clock serial numbers in Andy Demeter's authoritative book " Chelsea Clock Company, The First hundred Years" both of the serial numbers were sold to the USLHE. I was told that It was common for the USLHE to install a replacement movement when their clocks arrived at their shop for repair. It was the fastest way to get their clocks back into service.
So at some point the two complete clocks 8xxx and 33xxx were at a US Lighthouse Depo for service and the movements and dial was swapped between the two cases.
The clock I purchased years ago with the 33,xxx case and the 8xxx movement has been completely restored. The case has been renickeled. The 4 1/2" dial has been resilvered. The movement has been serviced. I was not happy with the restored dial and kept an eye out for another dial which I found a few years later and that is where I left this clock.....
Well last fall I took my son to Comic-con. Later in the afternoon... he was off to getting autographs and the such. I went to Sci-Fi Pannel lecture hall and the topic was Battlestar Galactica Panel with Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos. I was sitting in the back the lights were dim and the room was cool and quite..... As the panel started I also started to scan ebay for stuff..... I came across a Chelsea clock , was a US Lighthouse Est.. only pics of the front back and side of the case... no movement shots.. and the case #. I wish I was home so I could check the number against the list in Andy's book... I then looked at what the bid was... and it was a Buy It Now and not an open auction. I took a chance and bought it on the spot and paid during the panel discussion... I then put my phone back in my pocket and enjoyed the rest of the lecture and Q&A.
I got home later that night after taking my son out for dinner and we grabbed a ferry back to Brooklyn. After we got home and reported the days events to my wife ( sans the clock purchase). I went to my office to take a better look at the clock that I just bought..
You know its always funny how you do your "research" AFTER you commit to a purchase... So, pulling up the completed auction and looking at the clock , there was no mention of movement serial number and or matching to the case. I then took closer looks at the photos... look at back of the case again... and I can see the case s/n 8626 . I thought for a moment that the number sounded familiar. I search my records and low and behold... I had a hit. According to my records , That movement is in my mismatched lighthouse clock that I bought some 6 or 7 years ago. I also got a email from another collector who saw the auction and asked me if I got it and asked if I know if it had the matching movement . I replied , "no it definitely did not have the matching movement... " . He then asked me " how did I know.... " , I sent a pic of the movement in my clock... He then replied... " did the seller send that to you ?" I said " No , I have the movement in my hands.. and the auction ended 24 hours ago... I said , there is a movement in the clock that I bought off of ebay.. BUT I am 100% sure the number in the clock does not match the case it is currently in. He now understood that the clock I bought is also a mismatch clock . But I have the correct matching movement in my home.
Now the waiting game for the package to show up.... fast-forward 7 days... The package arrives in good condition... I open the box up all looks as good as the sellers photos... I went ahead to pull the non matching movement and dial ( also marked USLH Estb. ). The next thing totally floored me... The movement I pulled had s/n 33882 , which was the matching case number of the clock I bought some 6 or 7 years ago. I was just shocked, I cant imagine how long ago these two clocks were mismatched. The switch must have happened many years ago at a US lighthouse depot during a service. The first clock I got was from a east coast seller ( 6-7 years ago) and the clock I just got came from a west coast seller ( a few months ago).
When I first did the research after purchasing , I thought I would wind up with one matching USLH clock, to my surprise I wound up with TWO.
Was just thinking these two clocks were sent in for service to the US Lighthouse depot at some point and the movement and dials were swapped and sent back out for use . I have to figure these movements have been in the wrong cases for 100 years or more till October of 2021. Wow.
The journey is the reward .... have fun with the hobby !
Good Hunting
Bill
This is a story about a clock I bought years ago..... My first USLH clock.... I actually had one in my hand back in 1995 but had no clue what it was but the movement was totally rusted and I just handed it back to the seller ... I later found out more about it but it was already gone when I went back to that seler.
Fast forward about 11 years ... I came across another clock...But the case and movement numbers did not match. But both were US lighthouse numbers... in other words the case was sold to the USLH Estb / Service ... and the movement was also in 4 1/2 marine clock that was sold to the USLH Estb / Service. According to the listing of USLHE clock serial numbers in Andy Demeter's authoritative book " Chelsea Clock Company, The First hundred Years" both of the serial numbers were sold to the USLHE. Serial number 33xxx on the case dates the clock to 10/24/1908. The movement has serial number 8xxx dating it to 4/25/1903. According to the listing of USLHE clock serial numbers in Andy Demeter's authoritative book " Chelsea Clock Company, The First hundred Years" both of the serial numbers were sold to the USLHE. I was told that It was common for the USLHE to install a replacement movement when their clocks arrived at their shop for repair. It was the fastest way to get their clocks back into service.
So at some point the two complete clocks 8xxx and 33xxx were at a US Lighthouse Depo for service and the movements and dial was swapped between the two cases.
The clock I purchased years ago with the 33,xxx case and the 8xxx movement has been completely restored. The case has been renickeled. The 4 1/2" dial has been resilvered. The movement has been serviced. I was not happy with the restored dial and kept an eye out for another dial which I found a few years later and that is where I left this clock.....
Well last fall I took my son to Comic-con. Later in the afternoon... he was off to getting autographs and the such. I went to Sci-Fi Pannel lecture hall and the topic was Battlestar Galactica Panel with Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos. I was sitting in the back the lights were dim and the room was cool and quite..... As the panel started I also started to scan ebay for stuff..... I came across a Chelsea clock , was a US Lighthouse Est.. only pics of the front back and side of the case... no movement shots.. and the case #. I wish I was home so I could check the number against the list in Andy's book... I then looked at what the bid was... and it was a Buy It Now and not an open auction. I took a chance and bought it on the spot and paid during the panel discussion... I then put my phone back in my pocket and enjoyed the rest of the lecture and Q&A.
I got home later that night after taking my son out for dinner and we grabbed a ferry back to Brooklyn. After we got home and reported the days events to my wife ( sans the clock purchase). I went to my office to take a better look at the clock that I just bought..
You know its always funny how you do your "research" AFTER you commit to a purchase... So, pulling up the completed auction and looking at the clock , there was no mention of movement serial number and or matching to the case. I then took closer looks at the photos... look at back of the case again... and I can see the case s/n 8626 . I thought for a moment that the number sounded familiar. I search my records and low and behold... I had a hit. According to my records , That movement is in my mismatched lighthouse clock that I bought some 6 or 7 years ago. I also got a email from another collector who saw the auction and asked me if I got it and asked if I know if it had the matching movement . I replied , "no it definitely did not have the matching movement... " . He then asked me " how did I know.... " , I sent a pic of the movement in my clock... He then replied... " did the seller send that to you ?" I said " No , I have the movement in my hands.. and the auction ended 24 hours ago... I said , there is a movement in the clock that I bought off of ebay.. BUT I am 100% sure the number in the clock does not match the case it is currently in. He now understood that the clock I bought is also a mismatch clock . But I have the correct matching movement in my home.
Now the waiting game for the package to show up.... fast-forward 7 days... The package arrives in good condition... I open the box up all looks as good as the sellers photos... I went ahead to pull the non matching movement and dial ( also marked USLH Estb. ). The next thing totally floored me... The movement I pulled had s/n 33882 , which was the matching case number of the clock I bought some 6 or 7 years ago. I was just shocked, I cant imagine how long ago these two clocks were mismatched. The switch must have happened many years ago at a US lighthouse depot during a service. The first clock I got was from a east coast seller ( 6-7 years ago) and the clock I just got came from a west coast seller ( a few months ago).
When I first did the research after purchasing , I thought I would wind up with one matching USLH clock, to my surprise I wound up with TWO.
Was just thinking these two clocks were sent in for service to the US Lighthouse depot at some point and the movement and dials were swapped and sent back out for use . I have to figure these movements have been in the wrong cases for 100 years or more till October of 2021. Wow.
The journey is the reward .... have fun with the hobby !
Good Hunting
Bill
