Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks

Tick-Talk Tuesday is a special time when I respond to readers’ letters and comments about clock issues, challenges, and recommendations for specific clocks. When the comments and questions are especially complex, I consult with fellow clock enthusiasts within my circle to ensure I offer the most precise and helpful answers possible.

GF writes:

I inherited a custom-made Forestville Electric Wall Clock from my father. He owned a restaurant business on Manitoulin Island for 55 years. (Editors note: Manitoulin Island is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Canadian province of Ontario). When he decided to sell the restaurant he gave me this Clock that had been in the restaurant for 30+ years. He knew I had always loved that clock and one day hoped it would be mine. 

How he attained it was given to him by a friend who closed a men’s clothing store in the same town. After the closure of that store, my father proudly hung it in the dining lounge of the restaurant for many years until the closure. 

I am now in my 60s and have a member of the family who gave it to my father interested in buying it from me. I don’t know what price to tell him. It still lights up and movements work very smoothly and keeps good time. The cord was replaced about 25 years ago and very minimal rust on it. 

I am attaching a few photos of it and would like to know if you would be kind enough to provide a dollar value of what it might be worth. 

My response:

Hi GF and thanks for your email. There was a time when clocks such as yours were plentiful and not worth a great deal but there seems to have been a resurgence of interest lately in electric clocks of this era, especially advertising clocks.

Many of these clocks would be valued in the $300 to $500 range. Your clock appears to be in especially good condition. The maker or more correctly, the distributor of your clock is the Forestville Clock Company of Toronto. Your clock appears to have been made in the 1960s shortly before Forestville ceased production.