Collecting Antique Mantle Clocks

Collecting Antique Mantle Clocks – Do Your Homework First by Gust Lenglet

Mantle clocks are a beautiful and sophisticated addition to any home or collection. For anyone who wants to get into collecting mantle clocks, this can be a rewarding and satisfying past time. However, it can also be an expensive prospect depending on the type of mantle clock you want to collect. There are affordable mantle clocks available in just about every style. However, many of them are replicas, novelty or modern clocks and not true antiques. If you are looking to collect antique mantle clocks, you will need to do a lot of research first, know what type of clock you want to collect, and set your budget.

There are various types of antique mantle clocks available including cuckoo clocks, alarm clocks and grandfather clocks. Narrowing your taste will help you in determining if a particular mantle clock will be suitable for your collection. You want each piece in the collection to enhance one another as well as stand on its own, however, you do not want to look at a piece within a group and wonder why it is there. You may find a rare Mickey Mouse antique mantle clock at an auction but will it really fit in with your cuckoo clock collection? When determining the purchase of a new acquisition, know your collection and your goals before deciding on whether or not a piece will fit.

There are many who think collecting antique mantle clocks will be a fun and even profitable experience. It does have the potential to be but there are some pitfalls you will want to avoid. First, because of the popularity of this type of collection, there have been many replicas of popular pieces made. Some of them are so close to the original that it is hard to discern, especially for the amateur. Do your homework before making a purchase, and check online descriptions and books for key elements to the real thing before spending a lot of money on a piece. Or worse yet, you may be thinking you have a true bargain when in actuality you have a very expensive knock off. If at all possible, get an independent appraisal of the antique mantle clock before purchasing.

It is rare that you will find a one of a kind antique mantle clock at an online auction or a garage sale that is not available anywhere else. It is possible, certainly, but for most pieces, there are other available locations to find it. If you have your heart set on a particular piece for your collection, do some research and shop around first. You may find the exact same piece, in better condition, at a lower price elsewhere. But you will not know until you check. So, enjoy collecting antique mantle clocks. But, be aware of the mistakes and issues that might come up when starting out and do some due diligence before jumping into a purchase, especially an expensive one. There is an old Latin phrase “caveat emptor”, which means let the buyer beware, and this is so true when purchasing collectibles.



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