Rocking / Moving Eye Mammy Clock (1970?)
I have come to realize that my favorite pieces are the ones I have repaired. The act of restoring something to a working condition creates a bond that goes beyond the simple act of purchasing it. This rocking (moving) eye clock is a prime example of how investing time and care makes an object dearer.
I found this rocking eye “Mammy” clock in a junk shop in San Antonio, Texas. The clock hands were broken in two and taped to the front. The eyes did not move and there was no key to wind it. What attracted me was the weight of the clock. I could see under the paint that it was not cast iron, but some sort of bronze. The shop keeper did not know if the clocked worked so I picked it up cheap.
Doing a little research, I discovered that there were a series of clocks made in the mid 1800 that featured moving or blinking eyes. This makes sense. If you have a pendulum there are only so many things you can attach to it. It is a fascinating subject and I encourage you to lookup Bradley & Hubbard if you want to see some amazing moving or blinking eye clocks.
Long story short, I have found very little on this piece. As you can see from the pictures is clearly is not from the 1800s. The best account I found is it is a reproduction piece created in the 1970s from either China or Japan. That certainly makes sense given the thin tin used to hold the eye pins. It looks like every Japanese tin toy I took apart as a kid.
Ok, description:
- 12” tall
- Bronze – NOT cast iron. Cast iron is, well.. iron… that is cast. Cast iron is magnetic and heavy. This piece is bronze colored and not magnetic.
- 5 pounds! – That’s right. 5 freakn pounds. Take off 1 pound for the clock and light wood base and you have about 4 pounds of thick metal!
What did I fix?
- Soldered the broken hands back together and painted them.
- Made a new rocker arm and soldered it onto the clock for the eye movement.
- Had to find replacement wire for the eye movement. That was no small challenge. Needs a little give but has to be rigid.
- Spent more hours than I care to remember trying to get the eyes moving without stopping the clock.
- Spent a YEAR, yes a year, looking in junk shops for a key that would fit. It’s tiny and all attempts to make a key ended with a burn or failed after a few uses. Finally found one for $8. Big rip off, but I couldn’t afford any more medical bills to make another.
- It is missing the glass front and I just can’t find a replacement. It’s an odd size, but I am on the lookout.
Eye problems. If you look closely at the eye mechanism you will see that adjustments are made by bending the metal. This super thin tin bends easily. Just about every adjustment ends up with a cross-eyed mammy or one eye looks further afield than the other. I finally got it perfect and the clock keeps pretty good time.
So what is the best part of this clock?
The kids absolutely hate it. If I really get mad at them I will wind it up and stick it on top of the television. Really a win, win for me.
So everyone asks what is it worth? I am now of the opinion that monetary value is a way of keeping score. There really are not many out there. I see estimates of $100 to $150 with starting bids of $40. But those have the glass front. Bronze scrap goes for $1.50 per pound. That is upward of $6.00 🙂
What did I put into it? If I was paid $10 an hour, I would have about $10,000 in time sunk into it. Dang eye movement. Dang high medical deductible.
What would I sell it for? This piece is integral to my home defense plan. If anyone breaks in I am going to throw it at them. Cheaper than a gun and probably more deadly. If the impact didn’t kill them, the lead paint might (in a few years).
