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Old Carriage Clock Found 1851-1929 - Jacksonville, Florida
RelicPortal
Posts: 6
Wow, I never thought I would just stumble across a great find like this!
I'm out driving around looking for a spot to metal detect, a few blocks north of downtown Jacksonville and Bamm!! 6 or 7 piles of sand dirt in the small park next to the main one.
So, I parked and entered the gate without my detector to check it out. I saw a gentleman walking towards me looking at something in his hands. I approached him and said"did you find that in the dirt piles?" he said "we found bags full". This little bottle had an almost perfectly intact copper top with no scribing and looked like a medicine bottle. So, I approached the pile of dirt I was closest to and found some broken pieces of bottles, then the gentleman found another bottle, then another, all medicine type. These bottles were very late 19th century, early 20th!!. I found a broken top of a large bottle, like nothing I ever seen before and amethyst glass looking. I thought to myself, I'm in some kind of dump. My parents are bottle collectors (I only know a tiny bit about bottles), but I've seen many ranges. Still digging through the dirt I found a large Jug handle, fully intact. The handle has a distinct pattern. "Another one" the gentleman said. A small non-scribed one it was, it had a distorted top, typical blown glass. Right at that moment, I looked down a saw a shiny box thingy in the dirt. I knew immediately it was a clock, the sides were glass and it has a small door in the front, lots of cogs and the distinct shape of a mantle clock. Right, then I go straight to the car and put the clock on the floor, picked up the metal detector and ran back to the dirt.
Out of no where this guy comes up to me and says "you can't be here", we're digging holes to plant trees and it's not safe around here. He was a city worker, but so was the gentleman that found all the bottles. This guy had a serious attitude without me saying word. So, I leave like a good boy. I was upset and looking for answers, so I go straight to the "Dept of parks and recreation" down the road to get a permit or permission to hunt the PUBLIC park, I immediately was denied. So, I requested information, list of public park rules, statues, ordancies and they couldn't produce anything. I was also told, that I can't metal detect in any public park in Jacksonville, Florida to dig small 4" plugs, so I'm attempting to get permission or rules from the Mayors office as we speak about metal detecting in Jacksonville, Florida.
So, about the Clock!!!!
I have done a little research with the trade mark I found on the clock face. Yes, It was still readable after I washed away all the dirt after 70-80 years of being in the ground. It's an Ansonia Carriage Clock from Connecticut build between 1851-1929. It's missing the top ornament or handle and most of the glass or crystal is broken. What's amazing is the entire cog assembly is intact, because of it's brass and copper materials. The clock face enamel is about 50% intact and could read some of the numbers and print. One of the clock hands is broken off. So, I decided to clean it a little more and reveled the trade mark and more numbers, what a beautiful find!!!
Under the assumption that hunting in public areas is not a crime, I am happy to have it. Pictures of clock
More about Carriage clock here: Antique Carriage Clocks
RelicPortal
Relic Portal Forum
I'm out driving around looking for a spot to metal detect, a few blocks north of downtown Jacksonville and Bamm!! 6 or 7 piles of sand dirt in the small park next to the main one.
So, I parked and entered the gate without my detector to check it out. I saw a gentleman walking towards me looking at something in his hands. I approached him and said"did you find that in the dirt piles?" he said "we found bags full". This little bottle had an almost perfectly intact copper top with no scribing and looked like a medicine bottle. So, I approached the pile of dirt I was closest to and found some broken pieces of bottles, then the gentleman found another bottle, then another, all medicine type. These bottles were very late 19th century, early 20th!!. I found a broken top of a large bottle, like nothing I ever seen before and amethyst glass looking. I thought to myself, I'm in some kind of dump. My parents are bottle collectors (I only know a tiny bit about bottles), but I've seen many ranges. Still digging through the dirt I found a large Jug handle, fully intact. The handle has a distinct pattern. "Another one" the gentleman said. A small non-scribed one it was, it had a distorted top, typical blown glass. Right at that moment, I looked down a saw a shiny box thingy in the dirt. I knew immediately it was a clock, the sides were glass and it has a small door in the front, lots of cogs and the distinct shape of a mantle clock. Right, then I go straight to the car and put the clock on the floor, picked up the metal detector and ran back to the dirt.
Out of no where this guy comes up to me and says "you can't be here", we're digging holes to plant trees and it's not safe around here. He was a city worker, but so was the gentleman that found all the bottles. This guy had a serious attitude without me saying word. So, I leave like a good boy. I was upset and looking for answers, so I go straight to the "Dept of parks and recreation" down the road to get a permit or permission to hunt the PUBLIC park, I immediately was denied. So, I requested information, list of public park rules, statues, ordancies and they couldn't produce anything. I was also told, that I can't metal detect in any public park in Jacksonville, Florida to dig small 4" plugs, so I'm attempting to get permission or rules from the Mayors office as we speak about metal detecting in Jacksonville, Florida.
So, about the Clock!!!!
I have done a little research with the trade mark I found on the clock face. Yes, It was still readable after I washed away all the dirt after 70-80 years of being in the ground. It's an Ansonia Carriage Clock from Connecticut build between 1851-1929. It's missing the top ornament or handle and most of the glass or crystal is broken. What's amazing is the entire cog assembly is intact, because of it's brass and copper materials. The clock face enamel is about 50% intact and could read some of the numbers and print. One of the clock hands is broken off. So, I decided to clean it a little more and reveled the trade mark and more numbers, what a beautiful find!!!
Under the assumption that hunting in public areas is not a crime, I am happy to have it. Pictures of clock
More about Carriage clock here: Antique Carriage Clocks
RelicPortal
Relic Portal Forum
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Comments
Well suppose you offered to randomly plant flower bulbs? Everywhere you get a good signal, dig it up and plant a bulb.
<< <i>nice find i wish we could see the actual photo and not pictures of brand new ones >>
View pictures at: Carriage Clock untouched and after cleaning
RelicPortal
You can put the photo on photobucket. com and then give us the URL.
Unless you just want us to go to your web site?
Jerry