What is the difference between longcase and grandfather?

Nothing. They are two names for the same object, one from the trade and one from everyday speech. Dealers routinely put both in a title, along with 'long case' as two words. A quarter of listings on Sellingantiques carry 'case' and 'grandfather' together, and many carry all three variants at once.

Which timbers turn up most often?

Mahogany leads, in nearly a third of titles, with oak in under a fifth and walnut in a smaller group again. Marquetry, lacquered and inlaid cases appear in modest numbers, and they cluster at the top of the range along with the seventeenth-century walnut and ebony work.

How old are these clocks usually?

An eighteenth-century attribution is the default claim. Georgian and 18th Century dominate the dealer date field, with 19th Century behind them. Only a portion of listings carry a clean year, and those run from 1700 to 1960. Where a title says just 'Georgian' or '18th Cent', that is the dealer's period judgement rather than a documented year.

Are moon dials common on these clocks?

The moon dial is the most-named dial feature in the category, appearing in around 45 titles. Its variants are much scarcer. Penny moons, ball moonphases and four-hand dials each turn up once or twice across the whole archive.

Do Scottish longcase clocks appear on Sellingantiques?

Scotland is the only regional origin named often enough to count, at 28 titles. Sampled examples name Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Leith, Kirkcaldy, Montrose, Annan, Wishaw and Newburgh, and include drumhead and pillar forms. Ireland, Wales, Holland, Sweden, France and America each show up once or twice.

What are grandmother clocks?

Short longcases, roughly five to six feet rather than full height. Granddaughter and 'small scale' are used for the same idea. Sampled heights are given as 65.5 and 70 inches. Together with miniature cases they make up a small part of the category, and both the smallest cases and the nine-foot ones sit above ordinary height in the range.

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Antique Longcase Clocks

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A floor-standing clock in a tall wooden case of hood, trunk and base, built to house long weights and a swinging pendulum and keep them out of harm's way.