What is a grandmother clock?

A small longcase clock, standing well under full height. Thirty-four titles use the word, often alongside "miniature grandfather" for the same idea. They're a minority of the category, under one in ten, but they occupy the top of the range. The musical and tubular-bell versions, nine-tube and eight-bell, sit highest of all.

Why do so many titles describe the top of the case?

Because case shape carries more weight in these listings than any maker's name. "Top" appears in 54 titles on Sellingantiques. Lancet, arch, pad, swept, chamfer, caddy, bombé, keyhole, petal, scalloped, teardrop, club and Napoleon-hat all turn up. It's the working shorthand for telling one inlaid mahogany case from the next.

Are Edwardian clocks all English?

No. Country of origin does appear in titles, with France in 24 and England in 22, and German and Swiss work shows up too. A common pattern is an English case housing a bought-in Continental movement. Some titles say as much outright, one giving "England and France, 1900 to 1910".

What does fusee mean on a wall clock?

A tapering drum with a chain or line wound round it, arranged to even out the pull of the mainspring as it unwinds. Thirty-eight titles name it, and almost all of them are wall or bracket clocks. It goes hand in hand with the round dial and drop-dial clocks that came from schools, stations, post offices and factories.

How common are carriage clocks in this group?

About one in ten. Carriage appears in 84 titles, split between brass and silver cases, with France and French frequently attached. Miniature examples recur among the higher-priced ones. Hallmarked silver carriage clocks sit in the upper half of the range.

Does Edwardian here mean strictly 1901 to 1910?

Not reliably. It's a style-and-decade label dealers apply, and 248 titles simply say "Edwardian" with no year at all. Where clean years are given they cluster on 1900 and 1910, but the dated field as a whole stretches from 1800 to 1960. Titles reading "Late 19th/Edwardian" show the join.

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Edwardian Clocks

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Spring-driven shelf clocks, portable carriage clocks and weight-driven wall dials, dated by dealers to the Edwardian decade and made for the chimneypiece, the travelling bag, the schoolroom and the station platform.