Pocket Watches and The One Arm Repairman

THE ONE ARMED REPAIRMAN

In the very early 1980’s, I received my first outside sales job and was in need of some new suits. I was recommended to Gwynn’s in Birmingham, MI; for some nice coats and slacks. One day I was waiting for some tailoring to be done and ventured onto Old S. Woodward Ave., were I noticed above Gwynn’s there were some small shops selling their goods, however, the most interesting was a Pocket Watch repairmen stuffed into a 15’x15’ space.

It became even more interesting watching the repairmen was missing his right arm and was required to use a variety of grips and vices to repair these small pieces. I was invited in to look at some of the pieces for sale by the repairman’s wife; at was amazed at the quality of these Pocket Watches (let alone the price) to purchase one. 

The repairman was a quite sort, but his wife spoke with the most wonderful Austrian accent and was a pleasure to listen to. This was my interdiction to the world of Pocket Watches, un-renounced to me did I know I met one of the World’s sought after repairmen. I stayed for about an hour that first day, and left amazed at the little time pieces.

THE REPAIRMAN’S HISTORY

After several more visits, I finally had to ask the question of the arm! The repairman put down his tool, lift his magnifying glasses and looked at me. It seems that he lived in Krakow, Poland in 1939 when the Nazi’s invaded; were he owned a sewing machine factory. 

In December of 1939, the Nazi’s burst into his factory and demanded to see the owner; and he stepped forward were the Nazi’s announced today was his last day as they were taking the factory for parts manufacture (ammunition) for the war. To guarantee the message was received, after finding the repairman was a Jew, they cut off his arm, so he would not return.

In April of 1940, he escaped into Austria for a short period of time; there he met “the farmer’s daughter,” and together after a short romance, they were married. Together the two trying to escape the war that was growing traveled Europe, Asia and finally found work on a ship heading to America. Arriving in New York in 1943; he found work in a Jewish neighborhood watch repair store; his career began.

After the war, he and his wife wanted to move from New York to somewhere they could establish their own shop and raise a family. In 1950, they moved to Birmingham, Michigan and rent a small space that they never left. The repairman’s reputation grew as the area grew with wealthy auto related families. Many of these executives were immigrants from all over the world and were owners of Pocket Watches passed on from generations.

 These watches were a challenge, as the repair parts were unavailable, the parts needed to be custom made. As his business grew, his reputation grew soon he was receiving watches shipped from around the globe. So, this brief history was my interdiction to the world of Pocket Watches; as well as, history, life lessons and humility.

MY FIRST POCKET WATCH

I started my collection off with a 1916 Elgin, Size 16s, 7 Jewel open Faced piece that the repairman sold me in full working condition for $40.00. Now, the premier watch makers from the United States are Elgin, Hamilton, Hampden, Illinois, South Bend and Waltham; do not get me wrong there are other quality watchmakers in the U.S. and abroad, put my favorites are above.

My first Pocket Watch

Let’s say you read this Blog and think about that your grandfather left that’s been shoved in a drawer years ago; How do you find information about it? Here is a link for you called Pocket Watch Database were you log into, remove or open the back cover of the watch to retrieve the serial number. Type the number and brand into and hit enter, chances are you’ll get your watch on screen with all the facts. Still have that nagging question of value? Simple, go to eBay, type your watch name, size, jewels and year; here you’ll get a pretty good view of the selling range.

Now, here is some free advice, you should be able to tell if it’s a “gold” pocket watch from your research, not sure still; take it to a known jewelry store in your area. Have it tested (should be free), then take it home. I know your saying that grandpa’s dead and you could use the money from a sale, resist the urge. Even grandpa left the watch to you, your justice safe guarding it for the next generation to inherit and protect it, seriously, it’s your family history and that’s worth more than a couple of bucks…

Elgin Interior

HOW TO START COLLECTING

Here in Detroit, you can start at local flea markets (Royal Oak), garage sales, estate sales and even some “fair” jewelry stores. More free advice, stay away from the “Gold” dealers and coin shop establishments; unless you have the good fortune of being near Mack Ave.’ in Grosse Pointe where “Coins and Stamps” is located since 1957. Mike and Jamie are fair and honest and I have purchased over 300 watches from them over the years.

Also, it hurts me to say this; but on eBay, you can really find some great deals, even on Craigslist you’ll run across some sales over time. Like coin collecting, the hunt for Pocket Watches can be fun if you make it. 

Today, I have scaled back on the pocket watch collecting, even selling most of the pieces, I will never sell my first watch; as it is my son’s. My youngest boy who is off to college next fall is a collector himself, even playing around repairing them. He already knows the Pocket Watch dealers near his school, and when he turns 18 will start an eBay account to flip his purchases for a profit and fund his college expenses.

THE BIG QUESTION?

I know you’re asking yourself why I never mentioned the name of the one armed repairman; because for the last several years I have slowly been writing about him and his wife, both now are gone. So, hopefully I'll get published; as they touched my life, they'll touch others.

Have fun collecting !!!!!!

Chris

American Large Cents (1793 - 1957)

American Large Cents (1793 - 1857)

United States Large Cents (1793 to 1857)  a large coin compared to the modern penny, there were several changes began with the first issued examples in 1793; were the first design, known as the 1793 "Chain" Cent, features a low-relief head of Liberty with fine, flowing locks of hair.  The reverse shows a chain of fifteen links, connected in a never-ending loop.

Reaction to the coins was quite negative: Liberty appeared to be in a fright and the chain was seen by many as representing bondage and slavery as opposed to strength and union.

As a result, Liberty's hair was strengthened and the chain was replaced with a wreath.  Known as the 1793 "Wreath" Cent, this design fared little better than its predecessor and was soon replaced.

The "Liberty Cap" design turned out to be a little more enduring.  Minted from 1794 to 1796, this design type is full of interesting varieties, many of them rare.  In 1795, the weight of the Large Cent was reduced and the edge lettering was replaced with a plain edge.  Some of the 1797 Large Cents have a curious "Gripped Edge."

In 1796, the "Draped Bust" design appeared.  This type was minted until 1807.  Rare dates in this type include the elusive 1799 and the popular 1804. The "Classic Head" Large Cent ran from 1808 to 1814.  Although none of the dates are rare, they are hard to find in nice condition.

The "Matron Head" design appeared in 1816 and lasted until 1839.  Scarce dates include 1821 and 1823.  Known as "Middle Dates", this series contains many interesting varieties that are of great interest to a large number of collectors.  Certain rare varieties can be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.

The “varieties” spoken of have volumes of books dedicated to the differences; and as a collector that does a large amount of trading in Large Cents (1793 to 1822) I have acquired coins, determined the varieties and turned them for a lot more than the acquired cost. This is one of the passions in hunting for the rare coins and collecting.

Within the seven basic types, large cents are often collected by date. A complete date set is an easily obtainable goal within moderate budget constraints. Key dates include the 1793, 1799, and 1804. Of course, there are many different die pairings and Guidebook varieties. As a collection advances, various interesting varieties are often added; several different reverses found in 1796, over-dates (often dies were recycled by simply punching a new digit over a previous year's digit in the date) such as 1798/7 or 1807/6, and errors like the 1801 with the fraction on the reverse reading 1/000 instead of 1/100. Large cents are often attributed by Sheldon or Newcomb numbers; there are literally hundreds of these indicating different die pairings used throughout the years of production. Some years featured many different die varieties, some years used only one die pairing for the entire production. More advanced collectors frequently further expand their holdings by collecting large cents by Sheldon and/or Newcomb varieties. 

The most important organization for large cent collectors is the Early American Copper Society, www.eacs.org where members are invited to submit articles for publication and to comment, pro and con, on articles already published. The EAC Convention is held in early spring. Meeting sites are rotated throughout the United States, and another meeting is held in conjunction with the American Numismatic Association Convention in the summer. This is one of the best ways for new members to become familiar with early coppers and to meet others who share similar interests.

As with all collecting, you need to find out what interest's you the most and pursue it with all the vigor you can muster.

Thanks,

CJC

Links:

http://www.coinstudy.com/american-large-cent.html