A very nice ‘Mahogany and Metal Base’ ship’s striking clock that was retailed by Bliss and made by Chelsea. The bronze case has a glazed hinged front door, a small enameled replica of the Memphis Yacht Club’s flag and the engraved inscription, ‘A Token of Friendship From the Boys of the Club, June 11, 1910’ along the lower front edge and is screwed to a mahogany stand that still retains the original label on the bottom that reads ‘Base or Support For Clock Patent April 18,1905.’

The silvered, engraved dial has Roman numerals for the hours, typical steel-cut hands and the fast slow lever above the retailer’s inscription, ‘John Bliss & Co., New York’. Interestingly the dial is not brass like the later examples, but a lead core veneered with a thin layer of copper in keeping with the methods and materials of the earlier clocks.

The eight-day time and ship’s striking movement has a balance wheel escapement and is stamped with both the appropriate patent dates and the serial number, ‘59,328’.

According to the Chelsea records the serial number, ‘59328’ dates the movement to 1910.

John Bliss was joined by his son in 1855 and established the firm ‘John Bliss & Son’ in New York. He died in 1857 and the name of the company was changed to ‘John Bliss & Co’ which endured for over a century.