Description
M.W. Atkins double-steeple candlestick fusee, 1846-1850. A second example of a double steeple with candlesticks and a double-fusee movement, this one made by Atkins with remote fusees in a wooden mount. It runs 8 days. Atkins previously worked with Henry Porter and used movements leftover from that association; he modified weight-driven 30-hour movements to be fusee-driven and run on 8-day springs, as found here. Atkins movements also have an unusual strike mechanism (NAWCC Bulletin Supplement 18, 1991). The case is 26 inches tall and sits on round feet that look like a later addition (or replacement), with paired candlesticks on each side. The three glasses are period and the Fenn tablets original, with an uncommon lower tablet with a Chinese theme. The metal dial holds the original paint with some touch-up; the hands are proper. The brass 8-day time-and-strike movement is unsigned; it is running and striking. There is a good label behind plastic. Fontaine’s sold a similar example last spring for $750. $500–$750.
Record courtesy of AntiqueAmericanClocks.com