How To Appraise Your Grandfather Clock.

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.

Can you do an honest self evaluation of a grandfather clock?

One of the reasons for using an appraiser is they are paid to be unbiased, honest and fair. This is not saying you can?t be, but it is sometimes hard to part with an old friend and there is likely to be sentiment attached. If you cannot be detached and look at it like a potential buyer then you must get an independent appraisal. Having said that, let?s start by looking at the overall condition of the grandfather clock in question.

Each of the following checks will be a zero through five with five being perfect ? just like it came from the grandfather clock factory. But be honest; remember you are thinking like the buyer. But don?t be over-critical either and downgrade a great clock. Just be fair and honest. It is best to go with the first thought you have in mind and don?t dwell on a question. So with that in mind let?s get started. On a blank piece of notebook paper on the left hand side write the numbers 1 ? 20 or you can download for a more detailed pdf at the link below.

Grandfather clock evaluation questions.

1. Is the grandfather clock functional (running)?

2. Is the grandfather clock keeping accurate time?

3. Do the bells or chimes function correctly?

4. Does the grandfather clock have an operational lunar display?

5. Rate the look of the weights (bright and clean) from zero to five.

6. Does the clock face look good and well cared for?

7. Does the pendulum look good (without stains or damage) and well maintained?

8. Rate the pendulum swing (is it smooth or bumpy) from zero to five.

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. Has the grandfather clock been rebuilt every 10 years? (0-no to five if rebuilt in the last year)

12. Is the grandfather clock re-oiled every year? If so give yourself a five otherwise a zero.

13. If the glass is present and undamaged (discoloration and bubbles are ok) give yourself a five otherwise a zero.

14. Is this the original glass (if older than 100 years it should have a discoloration and possible bubbles)?

15. If all accessories and required parts are present, give yourself a five. Starting with a 5, subtract one for every part missing, with a lowest possible score of zero.

16. Rate the condition of the grandfather clock case.

17. Rate the case damage (many dents=0, some bad dents=1, some dents=3, minor dings, none=5)?

18. Do all the doors close tightly (1=no to 5= like the factory)?

19. Does the cabinet have the original finish and is it in good condition?

20. Is there a color change from one side to the other of the cabinet (0=major color change and 5=for little or none)?

Let?s total it up.

Add up the numbers you have collected and total it. The total you get is will only be used by you to help you reach a value for the grandfather clock; pristine, excellent, good, fair, etc. If the grandfather clock is older than 100 years it is likely to have some wear, dings, and repairs. All of this is OK and can add to the depth and character of the grandfather clock. The character of the clock is important and unless you are selling this to a museum, it does not need to be anywhere near pristine.

Now that we have classified the condition of the grandfather clock you will want to find out what the selling price should be, right? This is where you will need to have as much data as possible about the grandfather clock in question. Manufacturer (shop), date built, repairs, and any historical documentation would be great. When I say historical documentation I mean, who originally bought it, where did they buy it, was it shipped from overseas, who were all the owners (names and dates are great) and anything you can dig up about the grandfather clock and its particular history.

Here is how to look up the sell price.

This is where your personal evaluation comes in. When looking up the last selling price on a website like Antique Clock Price Guide (dot) com you must find out its condition at the time of sale. If the condition was fine (excellent) and yours is the same, then this is close to the value you should be asking. If your grandfather clock is finer then ask yourself how much better is your clock than the one sold. If your grandfather clock is not as nice don?t fret, just be honest and knock 10-30% off.

Given you are not a full time appraiser I would suggest you reduce the price by 10% percent unless of course the grandfather clock has a very colorful history, is perfect or rather rare and then I would increase the price by 20-30% percent over what you have seen.

Some final thoughts.

It is important to note that if the grandfather clock was maintained regularly this will add considerately to its value. The history of the clock will also add color and value to an otherwise ordinary clock. Always remember that a grandfather clock over 100+ years old also increases its value, even if the clock has not been well maintained, it still has value and will reflect in its selling price.

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

Michael Flum has more than one interesting article- checkout his antique grandfather clocks