Antique and Vintage Clocks

Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from you, the reader, concerning your clock, issues you might have had, challenges you face or a clock you would like me to profile and my responses to your questions with advice on your particular clock concern. For those comments and questions that stump even me, I consult within my clock circles for the best possible answer.

GG writes: “Hello there,,,I was wondering if you know much about my mantle clock and maybe it’s value?

I have attached some photos!”

My reply: “Thanks for coming to my blog. That is one of the nicest mantel clock cases I have seen on a Forestville and it appears to be in good shape.

Forestville is a Canadian Company based out of Toronto. They went out of business in 1979. They did not make their own movements instead sourcing them from England, France, the US and Germany though they made their own clock cases.

You may or may not know that Forestville was called the Blackforest Clock company prior to WWII. So, you have a post war clock made in the late 1940s or early 50s. Later on In the 1950s Forestville went from using pendulums in their clocks to balance wheels (no pendulum). Forestville also sourced German movements exclusively after the war. Your movement (the brass works) was likely made by Mauthe or Hermle, both well known and well respected German companies.

You have what is known as a time and strike Bim-Bam clock. It strikes the respective hour and once on the half hour but makes a distinctive “Bim-Bam” sound as a result of one hammer striking one rod while the other two strikes two rods simultaneously.

Unfortunately there are thousands of similar clocks and Forestville clocks are not particularly distinctive but a clock such as this in good running condition might fetch about $100.”

GG writes back to explain that the movement is an Enfield from England which stands to reason if it was made immediately after the Second War.