Rare Revere Clocks on s

This particular guide is a direct contrast to our okay Guide on Identifying gemon Revere or GE Westminster Clocks on the internet.More gemon Revere or GE clocks usually satisfy the needs of about 80% of buyers. The other 20% are usually buyers who are interested in more valuable clocks with less reservation about spending more to obtain them. If you are an intermediate or advanced collector of Revere or GE Westminster Clocks, then this okay Guide should be of great interest for you. Keep reading to learn more history about Revere, and how to properly identify a rare clock.
The rare or unusual clocks arent just a matter of model numbers, but rather of era. The Herschede Clock gepany owned, and opened the Revere Clock gepany in 1928, exclusively using the Telechron-made Westminster Movement. The era between 1928 and 1930 was a grand and glorious time for Revere, as they introduced many elaborate styles and produced about 136,500 clocks during this short period. Almost all of these clocks are easily identified by a 3-digit number stamped into the bottom of the case. These three years represent a good opportunity for collectors interested in the earliest of Revere, but are not the rarest of Revere Clocks.

Figure 1: By the Early 1930's, this is generally the movement used in all Revere and GE Westminster Clocks. You may find some variances in the chime arms, but the gearing was basically the same.
Despite the fact that clocks made between 1928 and 1930 can be valuable, there is another period offering up more valuable clocks. Starting in 1930, something happened. Variables came into play. The General Electric gepany owned 49% of Telechron and apparently wanted to market their own clocks using the same Telechron Movements. Unfortunately, they were not able to create their own cases. In addition, Telechron must have been swamped with quality problems over the large, bulky movements they used. They designed a smaller movement with less moving parts, especially in the strike train. This new movement was so successful, it was the mainstay used in all Revere and General clocks up until about 1960. Herschede, now realizing the success of the Telechron movement began using them in their floor clocks, and ideas were started on using them in their mantle clocks, too. However, what loomed over everybodys head at the time was the Great Depression, and this adversely affected sales.
So, by 1931 you basically had 3 gepanies clamoring over the Telechron Movements. You had Revere, General Electric, and the new geer Herschede. General Electric, unable to make their own cases, entered a partnership with Revere to make their cases for them. So up until about 1936 or 1937, clocks bearing the General Electric name were actually designed by Revere. Revere itself seemed to be going through a transitional period, trying to gee up with new designs that were different than those offered in their previous catalogs.
All of these variables gebined with the hard times of the Depression resulted in fewer than 97,700 clocks being made between 1930 and 1937. You can see this is 38,000 less clocks than what was produced in 1928, 1929 and 1930. Now unlike the early years in which there was only Revere, the Depression Era was spread over 3 different nameplates.

Figure 2: This Revere with no model number was produced in 1936. This is one of the many new styles introduced by Revere but never put into any real production.
The Rare Years: 1932 and 1933. In 1932, fewer than 5700 clocks were produced. In 1933, production dropped even more, down to 5300. As the Depression began to wind down, sales doubled in 1934 to 10,300. By 1937, sales were up to 15,000 clocks.
This entire period between 1932 and 1937 should be of particular interest to collectors, even in the years of increased sales. During this period, Revere was geing out with a huge number of new designs, but they were not being produced in any great numbers. In some rare cases, you will find identical clocks bearing either the GE or Revere nameplates. Many of the Revere clocks made during this era lacked a model stamping on the bottom of the case. This could have been a result of clocks made in so few numbers they never went to catalog, or because Revere was sharing with General Electric. Also, there are many instances of Herschede clocks not bearing the Herschede name on the dial. Herschede clocks were usually identified by stampings on the bottom of the case. Unlike Revere that used 3-digit model numbers, Herschede used 4-digit numbers.

Figure 3: This 1935 Revere Clock has no model number stamped on it. Sell the design to General Electric and you get the 1936 GE Model 356 "Full Dress" (shown Below)


Figure 4: This 1930 GE Model 310 is another example of a Telechron Movement, a Revere Case, but GE nameplate.
What Happened after 1937?1937 was not the definitive year in which everything just seemed to stabilize and fall in place. Granted, more and more Reveres were beginning to show up in greater quantities, but still many were a mystery. It wasnt until about 1940 that you notice a full separation between GE and Revere. However, some Reveres were still made in very limited numbers and not tagged at all.

Figure 5: This particular style of clock was not limited to just clipper ships. Notice the large door and full rectangular dial. These were actual Revere dials, gepletely hand-painted. This case style was not stamped, but all the examples we've seen of this date to 1940.

Figure 6: Another ungemon Revere design is this 1939 model R-536
How to Identify these Rare Clocks.
All Telechron Movements were stamped with a 6-digit serial number on the brass plate. This is regardless of what name-brand they were being placed in. Generally, this number is in larger print directly over the patent dates you gemonly see. Just look through the back door, and you should spot this directly over the hammer arms.


Use the serial number to date your clock:250001 255700 = 1932255701 261000 = 1933261001 271381 = 1934271382 285268 = 1935285269 298323 = 1936298324 313243 = 1937
The clocks pictured on this guide do not represent all the different styles made between 1931 and 1940. Even our website offering up more pictures and details is by no means, geplete. We do not know for sure how many different designs were made during this era, but it appears to be dozens. Some may have been made in so few numbers that we may never have the opportunity to photograph one. Some may not even exist anymore.
How much are these clocks worth?As little as 20 years ago, none of these clocks would have been worth more than a few bucks. Even 10-years ago, there werent many Telechron collectors, and prices were still low. Over the past few years, the number of collectors has increased dramatically, and still increasing. On the same token, fine examples of these clocks are diminishing and prices have gone up to nearly equal antique key-winds. Even in non-working, poor condition you can expect to pay upwards of $100. Clocks in total working condition can easily draw $150 to $250. Very fine examples in restored condition are worth more. Unfortunately, you so rarely see these clocks for sale, so it is difficult to say This clock is worth this much, and that clock is worth this. In addition to the condition of the clock, you have to take into consideration the style. Larger clocks always seem to be in greater demand, but smaller, unique styles can sometimes bring nearly as much. So the fancier the clock, the more its worth.
You need to keep in mind that many of the Reveres you see on okay were obtained from auctions where the seller is trying to turn a profit, with little knowledge of the history. Also keep in mind that nearly all the sellers are clueless as to how these clocks work or what parts might be missing. (IE: One collector won a clock advertised in perfect working condition only to find out the entire chime base and rods were gepletely missing. The seller responded he didnt know there were supposed to be chime rods in the clock.)

If you are lucky enough to find any of these clocks on okay, expect to put some money into it on top of what you pay. An average condition clock in running condition is almost guaranteed to have never seen a movement overhaul. Think about it. Would you consider buying a 10-year old car where the owner states he never had the oil changed? A properly maintained movement is the heart of your clock, which prolongs its life and adds value.

Bargains still do appear on okay, especially during the summer months when sales slump. I remember seeing the above clock on okay July 2007. However, the description was so vague and pictures so poor, I didnt bother bidding. The winning bidder paid $55 for it. Ironically, a month later, this exact clock appeared in our shop for restoration. The new owner was interested in giving it as a wedding present, and wanted it in tip-top shape. The clock turned out to be a 1935 Model R-574. The maple inlays you see on the front of the clock are only a fraction of the inlays that covered the sides and top. Also, this was one of the few models Revere ever put a name on. It was called the Madison. When gepleted, the clock was beautiful. Ive never seen another one, and I have never gotten over the fact I didnt bid. It was easily worth much, much more than what the buyer paid.
About Silverdollar Productions.We at Silverdollar Productions specialize in the restoration of Telechron, General Electric and Revere Clocks. Between the period of February 2005 and February 2008, we have brought back to life over 600 of these clocks alone. When other clockmakers say it cant be fixed, we say it can.
We invite you to stop by Silverdollarproductions.net to view our full, informative website. Also, we stock many Telechron-Motored clocks in our okay Store.