What an interesting phone call we received today from a customer looking to have her circa 1800 grandfather clock repaired. Toward the end of our discussion, this woman mentioned that this longcase clock with a rich history was actually a Marriage Grandfather Clock.
Now we have heard of and seen many of our customers give grandfather clocks as the perfect marriage present or ultimate wedding gift, and we even have customers who register with us as their bridal registry for grandfather clocks, but we had never heard of a marriage grandfather clock per se.
As an aside, interestingly, when one refers to a grandfather clock marriage, or a clock marriage in general, that means simply that the clock movement and case are not original to each other. An antique grandfather clock or mantel clocks or wall clock that is a marriage by this definition is considered much less valuable than if the clock were all original, including clock case and clock movement.
So what was this marriage grandfather clock? Back around 1800, when this antique grandfather clock was made, half of the numerals instead have the name of the grooms family, and the other half of the numbers have the name of the brides family, or what at that time almost certainly soon became her maiden name. In addition, the clock had a Swedish Flag, and a rocking ship, which, as the history goes, represent the heritage of one of the couple to be having taken a voyage from Scandinavia to Great Britain.
Is this something perhaps we should offer as a custom grandfather clock? Let us know if you are interested. There could be many variations, including pictures of family members at different hours, even wedding photos on the dial of the grandfather clock. Let us know your thoughts!