ClockInfo.com

The owner of an old clock often asks, “How old is it?” Some clockmaking companies helped us answer this question by putting date codes on their products. (Actually, date coding was done for business reasons, including facilitating the ordering of spare parts.) Seth Thomas is one company that put date codes on many of their clocks.

Some Seth Thomas electric clocks from the late 1940s and early 1950s have a date code stamped into the rear of the case, below the power cord opening. The code is 4 digits, and I believe that the first two digits represent the year, and the last two digits give the month.

Shown below are two examples of the “Baxter” wooden case time only clock. This clock is 8 7/16 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches tall, with a convex glass over the two-tone silver color dial.

The first example illustrated below has the following date codes:

• Movement: 4712 (December 1947)
• Motor: 43 1 47 (may be January 1947)
• Outside case, beneath power cord on metal cover: 4712 (December 1947)

The second example has the following date codes:

• Movement: 3 48 (March 1948)
• Motor: 5001 (January 1950)
• Outside case, beneath power cord on wood: 5002 (February 1950)

I may not be interpreting the date code exactly right. One source said that the code gives year and quarter. This can’t always be right, as the examples above show a “12″, which cannot be a quarter! I recall seeing a “13″ for these digits once, so perhaps the second two digits represent a lunar month! Westclox used lunar months at one time for their bookkeeping, but I’m not sure about Seth Thomas.

Historical Note

On the first example above the metal rear cover is recessed into the wood, whereas on the second it is not.

This nice little wooden case clock is 9-1/2 inches tall and 7-1/2 inches wide with a 3-15/16 inch time track on the dial. It was made about 1930, and has a manual-starting electric motor. The starting lever is on the back of the movement (inside the back door) and is depressed and released to start the motor.

My customer had e-mailed me and said that the starting lever had fallen off, and asked if I could put it back on. She had taken it to several clock repair shops, and they all wanted to take out the original movement and put in a new battery movement. This has been her favorite clock for many years, and she wanted it kept like original.

I agreed to have her send it to me. I unpacked it, and found the lever and mounting screw taped inside the clock. I secured the lever with the screw, plugged in the cord, started the motor, and it ran fine! I can’t understand why a clock shop would not have simply put the lever back on instead of recommending a new movement!

This note concerns a Revere A/C electric mantel clock with 60 RPM Telechron motor (yes, 60 RPM or 1 revolution per second) made in the late 1920’s. The movement is 5-3/8 inches tall and 5 inches wide and is labeled on the back:

1334428
1615664
PATENTS PENDING

REVERE CLOCK CO.
CINCINNATI O.

This movement relies on the second hand to reduce the endshake of the hour wheel. If the second hand is pushed all the way in, the rack tail will rest on the snail when the rack is released. With the second hand off, the hour wheel may move forward, and the rack tail can slide behind the snail, particularly at 1:00 and 2:00. So if you are testing the clock with the second hand off and hear it striking too many times, don’t be alarmed! Put the second hand on and all should be well.