What's It Worth? The Different Types of Antique Clock Values

IMPORTANT: How much your clock is "worth" depends on what type of information you are looking for and how you will use that information.

For instance, for insurance purposes, a clock might be "worth" what you would have to pay if you had to replace it by buying a similar clock from a dealer who specializes in antique clocks - in other words, the "retail price". Buying from a reputable dealer often means that the clock has been examined, cleaned, adjusted, repaired or otherwise attended to in some way that insures you will be buying a clock in good working order. A knowledgeable dealer can tell you about the history, care and maintenance of your clock, and may offer warranties or guarantees of authenticity, trade-in allowances, and other buying incentives that justify charging a higher "retail" selling price.

However, if you wanted to sell the clock by auctioning it on eBay, advertising it through classified ads, or selling to a dealer, a clock might be "worth" only 50% of the retail dealer’s price. That's because most people expect to get a bargain when they buy from individuals or at an auction, where most often clocks are sold "as is" with no guarantees.

Sometimes an auction value can actually be higher than a retail store value because of

rarity, emotional factors, or just plain uninformed decisions on the part of the buyer.

There are many other types of values as well — values for different purposes such as dividing clocks amongst heirs to an estate, values for clocks donated to charity (for IRS tax deduction), values in a forced sale (such as bankruptcy), etc.