Struggling to get out of bed these dark mornings? Then maybe you need a cuckoo clock!
We have around 16 examples going under the hammer on January 17, day three of our Derbyshire Antiques and Collectors Auction.
And clocks expert Mike Wetton says it’s well worth taking a look at the large collection from the Black Forest, Germany. Estimates range from as little as £20-£30 to several hundred.
One example, lot 2018, is a modern Black Forest-style clock with cuckoo and Austrian dancers on chimes. The case features carvings of birds, a squirrel and hunting horn, estimate £80-£150. Then there’s bargain lot 2059, a 20th century cuckoo clock with weights, £20-£30.
Sadly, it’s not known who invented the cuckoo clock but it’s thought much of its development occurred in the Black Forest area of southwestern Germany. The clock is a cultural icon of Germany.
Its pendulum mechanism strikes the hours with a sound like a cuckoo call and an automated cuckoo pops out of the front of the clock with each note. Some birds move their wings and open and close their beaks while others simply lean forwards. The mechanism to produce the cuckoo call has been in use since the middle of the 1700s.
Cuckoo clocks were exported around the world from the mid-1850s and became a favourite souvenir of travellers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Browse the cuckoo clocks in January’s Derbyshire Antiques and Collectors Auction catalogue at www.hansonslive.co.uk. To arrange a free clock valuation, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
