Is NOW the time to buy shockingly cheap Antique Longcase (Grandfather) Clocks?

I was saying to David, because he's doing some videos here. Hello, we're going to talk about long case clocks. Are we just talking about Bournemouth? Oh well I prefer long case clocks myself, anyway not to worry. And you're not a weirdo. I'm not weird and neither is this man David, good to see you. Pleased to see you again. That bunch next door aren't very impressed with the fact that we're going to talk about long case clocks. They've got no style. Exactly, exactly. They just do not know something that is brilliant. Exactly that. So you've got one you're going to show us. But first of all, before we do that, who is this? This is Dexter. Dexter, you are gorgeous. He takes the money. Oh Dexter, I love you, I do. He's wonderful. And almost as wonderful is this long case clock. Yes, David, tell us all about it. Right, it's a 30 hour clock, about 1740. 1740, so for the viewers at home, just try and let that sink in. 1740. It's a long time ago, isn't it? It's a very long, George II. Yes. This is before, because we get a lot of American viewers, before the American War of Independence. Really? In 1740, yeah, when this thing was made in 1740, America was part of the British Empire. Right. I think we should have it back, don't you? I think yes. No, no. Come on ladies, don't you want America back as a colony? I'm French, I don't get it. Oh. Too complicated. All right then, okay, we won't get into that then. Tell us about it. 1740, it's a single hand. Single hand, and you say 30 hours? 30 hours, yes. Meaning? The duration it would run. So you wind it every day? Yeah, basically. It's never 30 hours, it could be 32 hours, or it could be 26 hours. Fine. But the terminology is 30 hour. So you wind it every 24 hours then? Basically, yes. Every morning or every evening or whatever? Every morning, that's the best thing, because it's best to keep them running. Rather than letting them stand. Can we have a look inside? You can indeed. The case has never been touched. You get a lot of cases that, you know, they don't like the whole thing. So they put a new backboard on it. Yeah. But that's original and that's what's important. Isn't that wonderful? That long drop pendulum. And here's the chain, so this is how you wind it? Yeah, I'll wind it up. Do you want to? That would be nice, wouldn't it? So tell us what you're doing. Basically, that's the chain that winds it up. Yeah. So you pull on the far chain. Yeah. And that will slowly raise the weight. Yeah, and here comes the weight. And that's literally a lead weight. It is indeed, very heavy. Very heavy, yeah. So you do that every day? Every day. Get it going again. It's best to keep them, you know, sort of moving and in time. Because to alter the time, if you say it stops at two o'clock in the afternoon and you want to set it for eight o'clock, you have to actually take it round to the next hour. Yes. And let it strike. Of course. So it makes sense to keep them running. And people would though, wouldn't they? Because they would be a really important part of family life. Exactly. The long case clock in the hallway must always be kept running. Because for many people, it would be the only timepiece they would have. Very true. Unless they went for a walk and they saw the church spire with the clock. Yeah. So case is made from oak. That's true. Yeah. And the movement is a birdcage movement. Tell us more. Basically, on most eight-day clocks, the sort of pillars go across the actual movement. So you've got a sort of like a square. Yeah. And you've got your clock face there and the pillars go through that hold it all together. On a birdcage, it's the opposite. I can take the hood off if you like. Go on, let's do it. Yeah. I mean, it's getting very technical, but interesting. So this is the hood coming off. It'll just come off very easily. Wow. Look at that. Okay, let's go. Let's just have a look at that. Yeah. It's like a birdcage. It is like a birdcage. Isn't that just a thing of beauty? I mean, it really is. It's called a single hand. Yeah. So that is your marker for your hours. Yeah. And that's your marker for the minutes. Right. Single hand. Got you. Yes. Takes some getting used to. It does, doesn't it? I must admit, it took me a while. Yes, it does, David. Look at that working. It's even got the original cobwebs. Oh, you've got to have cobwebs. And if only this was Smell-O-Vision, viewers. Because honestly, oh, you can smell the age and it's beautiful. It is beautiful. Absolutely. It's nice and plain. Yeah. On some clocks, you can get very, very fancy. Krukhan. Where's Krukhan? Somerset. Somerset, it is, isn't it? John Thomas of Somerset. The beauty of clocks is you can go into the history of them. Yes, yes. You can associate clocks with where you live. That's right. And people do, don't they? They like to buy a clock from their local town. They do. I had a beautiful clock, eight-day automata, which meant they had moving parts up at the top. You've probably seen them in a ship or something. This one had a couple in a room and the husband was going like that and she would go like that. And they were having an argument, basically. And that was a Horncastle clock and it went back to the hotel in Horncastle. Isn't that wonderful? That was fantastic, absolutely. Oh, it's a real passion of yours, this. Now, I really think you need to shock the viewers all around the world because they'll be watching this video, looking at this clock that was made in 1740, with lovely Dexter there, thinking this is worth an absolute fortune. Once upon a time, yes. But because of the trend, people don't want the real dark furniture anymore. But that is a small percentage. People still want something that is part of the history. And they always say, well, where am I going to put it? And I say, the best place is put it in a corner. So if you're sitting on your sofa, you can see it. If you're sitting at the side of it, you can see it. You can see it from all three corners. And it's not going to take up any room. That's the beauty of it. People always think they do, but they don't. No, they don't. I had, at one point, 10 in our home. I'm sure you did. And it had to stop when I wanted to put one in the bathroom. Yeah, well, if you're in the bath, you need to know what time it is. But come on, let's get back to the money. Because I think only a very small percentage of the viewers right now will understand how much this clock is worth. This is going to be a shocker to you at home. Hold on to your seats. Made in 1740. David, how much is that long case clock worth? That clock, at the moment, is worth £645. And that's what I would hope to sell it for. But that is a fraction of the price it would have been. But doesn't it just go to show that these things are so cheap right now? And I think everybody should have at least one in their home. And at this level, at 600 or 800 quid a go, by goodness me, just get buying them. Would you agree? I would agree. This is the time to buy them. Now, before we go, can you expertly refit the hood on the clock? The clock actually comes in four pieces. You've got your movement, you've got your hood, you've got your weight, and you've got your case. It's quite simple, isn't it? Yeah, just to set it up on the level surface. Now, not all floors are level. As you can see, this floor slopes down towards the window, hence the packing. Of course, you've just got to jack them up, haven't you? Yeah, you've just got to tweak the pendulum. Okay, stand by. I'm just going to get a nice long shot of this, David. I'm going to say thank you very much to you. Very informative. Great to meet you. And pleased to be back. Please, Vincent and Leslie are here in Harrogate. And they're doing a cracking job across the country. They're bringing life into it. Oh, they really are. That's what we need. We need people that can see something that they want to buy. That's what we need, David, and you've got plenty of it. And so does that clock. Final look from a distance. Isn't that just delicious?