|
|
|
|
|
Home  Articles Antiques Finding The Selling Price Of Your Grandfather Clock.
|
|
Finding The Selling Price Of Your Grandfather Clock. |
|
|
|
|
Written by MichaelFlum
|
|
Sunday, 04 October 2009 |
|
During the past week I have received more and more requests from owners of grandfather clocks on how to do a personal appraisal of their clock. So I have assembled some of the questions that are covered during a normal appraisal.
by MichaelFlum
During the past week I have received more and more requests from owners of grandfather clocks on how to do a personal appraisal of their clock. So I have assembled some of the questions that are covered during a normal appraisal.
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?.
The grandfather clock appraisal questionnaire.
1. Is the grandfather clock functional (running)?
2. Is the grandfather clock keeping accurate time?
3. If the chimes (bells) work give yourself a five, otherwise a zero.
4. If the clock has a moon phase dial and it works give yourself a five, otherwise a zero.
5. Do the weights look clean and properly cared for?
6. Does the face look clean and properly 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. Does the grandfather clock have all its hands (5 ? yes otherwise 0)?
10. Are the correct and original hands (may take some research) installed for the second, minute and hour hand?
11. If the clock movement was rebuilt in the last year give yourself a five otherwise a zero.
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. Has any cabinet glass been replaced?
14. If the glass is the correct age for the clock, give yourself a five otherwise a zero.
15. Start at five and subtract 1 for every missing part.
16. Does the cabinet look good and well maintained (light discoloration is ok)?
17. Rate the cabinet damage (perfect = 5).
18. Do all the sliding doors (glass/wood) and hinged doors work properly?
19. Is the cabinet finish damaged (1=major damage to 5=none)?
20. Rate the color change from one side to the other of the cabinet (0=major color change and 5=for none)?
The Grand Total Is?
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.
Now let?s find the sell price.
With all this information at hand, buy a three day subscription at Antique Clock Price Guide (dot) com where you can look up your grandfather clock. This site has a list of the selling prices of most grandfather clocks, the value (most often based on an appraiser) and the place it was last sold. Now look up your clock and find the selling price and note the condition; pristine, excellent, good, fair, etc. Now looking at your evaluation, you can increase the selling price if your clock is in better condition than the last one sold. You can also decrease the price if the one sold was of a greater value.
I will add that if you feel that you may have buffered the price in your favor a little too much then knock off 10% before listing it.
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
About the Author:
The author: Michael Flum loves clocks, see more of about clocks at pendulum clocks
From the Webmaster:
"Having the opportunity to share my hobbies and interests with so many people around the world gives me great satisfaction. As a bonus, I blog and produce websites about topics that interest me and receive ad revenue from the websites and Blogs."
You can live like this too. Get your domain name and set up a blog on your favorite place or topic. No come-ons. No "Get-Rich-Quick" promises. The results are worth the time and effort needed to build a REAL business.You can start your first or your fiftieth Blog or website to build long- term, ever-growing profits that can take you where you want to go.
For less than $10 dollars a year for a domain name and $3.95 a month for basic blog hosting you can start to earn from your hobby or interest.
To begin, Click here to sign up for a domain name and Blog hosting .
Or, Click here to learn more about starting a blog or website for profit.
|
|
