Sell to Us · Antique Clocks

Sell an antique clock before someone moves it the wrong way.

Free visit · cash offers · no obligation

A tall case clock is the one antique that punishes casual handling. The weights and pendulum must come out first, the hood lifts off separately, and the movement should never travel attached to the case. We have seen more value lost in a single careless move than in a century of ticking. So when we buy clocks, we bring the blankets and do the transport ourselves. Your part is simply to leave it exactly where it stands.

We buy wall clocks, mantel clocks, tall case clocks, barometers, and scientific instruments, running or not. A clock that stopped in 1974 does not worry us; original condition matters far more than a working movement. Untouched mechanisms, original finishes, painted dials that were never restored, these are what collectors pay for. If a well-meaning repairman replaced the movement decades ago, we still want to see the clock, but the honest news comes first.


Clocks and instruments we buy

Tall case and grandfather clocks

English, American, and Continental cases, especially with original painted or brass dials

Mantel and shelf clocks

French marble and bronze, American gingerbread, carriage clocks, and good German work

Wall and regulator clocks

Vienna regulators, schoolhouse clocks, banjo clocks, and railroad regulators, running or not

Barometers and instruments

Stick and wheel barometers, ship's chronometers, and early scientific instruments

Untouched movements and original finish

Unrestored condition often outbids a shiny refinish, so leave it as it is

How a house call for a clock works

Clocks came west with everything else. The tall case clock in a Tustin ranch house usually crossed the country twice, once by railcar and once by moving van in the 1950s, and it carries the story in its case. When we visit a home anywhere from Long Beach to San Diego, we photograph the movement, check whether the seat board and dial are original to the case, and make our offer on the spot. If you accept, we do the disassembly ourselves: weights out, pendulum secured, hood off, case wrapped. Nothing rides in your trunk, and nothing gets handed to a general mover who has never touched one. The visit and the transport cost you nothing.

Inside Old 44 Vintage: racks of vintage t-shirts and denim under the shop's signage wall
The shop floor at Old 44 Vintage, San Juan Capistrano.

Our Word

One phone call is the whole process. A real person answers, we come to you, and you decide with a cash offer in hand.


How it works

01

Call or text photos.

A real conversation about what you have, no pressure to sell.

02

We come to you.

We look at everything, at your pace. We know what we're seeing.

03

Cash offer, same visit.

A fair price on the spot, or a full estate sale run for you.


Common questions

The clock hasn't run in decades. Do you still want it?

Yes. A stopped clock with its original movement and finish is worth more to us than a running clock that was heavily restored. Collectors can service a good movement; they cannot undo a replaced one. Don't wind it, don't oil it, just show it to us as it is.

Can I bring a tall case clock to your warehouse?

Please don't try. Tall case clocks travel badly in private cars, and one cracked case or bent pendulum costs real money. We make free house calls across Southern California and handle the disassembly and transport ourselves. Leave it standing where it is and we will come to it.

How do you decide what an old clock is worth?

Maker, originality, and case condition, in roughly that order. A signed dial or labeled movement narrows the maker; original finish and an untouched mechanism do the rest. We explain the resale market we sell into in front of you, and we state ranges honestly, since clocks vary enormously.

How can I tell whether the movement and dial are original to the case?

Look at the seat board, the plank the movement rests on inside the case. One set of old matching screw holes and settled marks suggests the movement has always lived there, while several sets of holes, fresh timber, or packing shims usually mean a marriage of parts. The dial feet should sit in holes that match its age, and the hood should close without persuasion. A married clock still sells, it is simply worth less, so do not try to improve the fit before it is looked at.

We have an old barometer with mercury in it. How should we handle it?

Never invert it, never carry it flat, and never move it quickly. The correct method is to tilt it slowly with the cistern end down until the mercury rises to fill the closed top of the tube, then carry it at that angle. If the tube is already broken, leave the mercury undisturbed, keep children and pets out of the room, and tell us before the visit so we arrive prepared. Easiest of all is to leave it hanging where it is and let us take it down.

One call. We’ll take itfrom there.

(949) 449-1255

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Mon-Sat 6 am-8 pm · Sun 8 am-5 pm

A real person answers seven days a week, weekends included. Photos sent today are usually answered the same day.

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