Owner’s Remarks

 

116  - The thing about this piece is the very, very scarce 14K Ball Presentation case.  These are very rare birds and even though it contains an inscription, it’s rare!

 

121 - This is a 2 star watch, but is probably rarer than that.

 

200 - All 992 Special’s whether or not so signed have an additional “serial number” scratched immediately beneath the factory serial number.  Why this is so is not known.  A lengthy research article appears in the Bulletin.  The dial with “8 Adjustments” written over the seconds bit is the rarest of the 992 Special dials.

 

201  - This is one of the older 992 Specials, with gold flashing & trim.  Look under the serial number for the scratched in serial number.

 

218  - This Mermod-Jaccard 11J Hamilton is very scarce, if not rare.  There are at least 10 times more 7J Hamilton’s than 11J ones. 

 

227  - This is another very rare Hamilton with the Watch Inspector’s name signed on the dial.  Mauch Chunk (PA) no longer exists.  I believe it is called “Jim Thorpe” for the famous athlete.

 

246  - All Chesapeake & Ohio’s are scarce (as opposed to C&O) and to be 100% correct, should have a dial either signed W.L. Fredeking or R.L. Smith, as these guys were the official watch inspector’s for the C&O RR.

 

247 - Hamilton 18S 936 or 937(H/C) signed “Official Standard” are also very scarce.

 

263  - Ditto for 946 & 947 signed “Extra” with the correct dial signed “A.N. Anderson-Extra”. 

 

267  - This listing really should be with the Ball Watches as it is a 23J 18S Hamilton/Ball.  Supposedly only 100 were made.  In 12 years, I have never seen another one.  I’ll bet there aren’t a dozen in existence!

 

270, 271 - All Ball/Hampdens are scarce if not rare. 

 

318, 319-330, 331-333, 335  - All Bunn Special hunting case 16S, whether in 21 or 23 jewels are “special” & scarce with production usually in the low 100’s. 

 

345 - All 16S Illinois DRSJ (stands for Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire) are rare & valuable.  There are several in the Collection, the rarest being #345 & #354, signed “Washington Watch Co. – “Greenwich” – Total Production for #354 is six (6)! These were believed to be the highest-grade watches mfg. by Illinois Watch Co.  

347  - Although not particularly expensive this is a very scarce watch, although not as high grade as Sangamo or Bunn Special.

 

353  - See remarks at top this page re DRSJ.  This is a grade 710.

 

355  - Both the 23J 16S OF & H/C mfg by Illinois & signed “Washington Watch Co. – Lafayette” are relatively scarce & valuable.

 

361 - The 16S O/F 23J signed “Railroad Official” on the mvt & “JMR” on the dial is super scarce with nine (9) the Total Production. 

 

363 - Another scarce 23J OF 16S Illinois, this time a grade 605 with TP 200, with a great bold RN dial (similar to the Ball/Illinois w/RN dial).  Not many of these have been seen.

 

367 -  Another very scarce 23J OF Illinois in Grade 174 (Mod. 5, Getty mvt.)

 

384 - All 17J “Pennsylvania Specials” whether in 16S or 18S should have “HMJ&S” signed on the dial, instead of “Pennsylvania Special” as is signed on the higher jeweled 16S & 18S watches.  HMJ&S stands for “H.M. Jacobson & Sons” who were the jobbers who ordered all the Pennsylvania Specials from Illinois.  These watches are highly collectable.

 

388  -  “Benjamin Franklin” even in 16S, 17J are very scarce. 

 

392 - This near mint Anna L. Silveria in 14K Roy hunting case is the only one I’ve seen in an Illinois watch.  I’ve seen numerous Hamiltons signed this way, but never an Illinois.  This is a very, very scarce watch, especially with a colored near mint dial.

 

395  - There are quite a few “Wilson Brothers” signed watches in this collection, but none rarer than this 16S 23J OF railroad watch with a total production of 80! Three star watch, hah, should be a five star one!

 

407 - A 19J Sangamo Special H/C, Model 8 and with a total production of 50!  I know a dozen guys who would kill for this piece.

 

408  -  “L.W. Suter” as signed on the dial & movement of this watch has no particular significance, except very very few private label Sangamo Specials have ever been seen by anyone.  They are so scarce as to be completely omitted from any watch book, including Bill Meggers’ Illinois Watch Encyclopaedia.  Plus 21J Sangamo Special are much scarcer than 23J.  This also applies to the next two.

 

413  - I can’t begin to tell about how I acquired these two sequentially signed beauties.  I bought the first one about six years ago from a collector/dealer, who did not research it.  I bought the next one on eBay from a guy who usually dealt in antiques & “junque” & didn’t know what he had.  I had realized that, not only had no one had ever seen these privately marked 23J Sangamo Specials, but they were consecutive serial numbers to boot!  This watch is in no watch books that I have ever seen.  They are the model 9, which many think are the most beautiful 16S movement that Illinois, or any other watch company ever made!  N. Gamse was a jobber/jeweler from NYC and there are many examples of his pieces in this sale as well as many mart rooms around the country.  I doubt if over ten (10) were made.  Possibly only these two were made by Illinois for Gamse to consider for his “line”.  They were probably too expensive for his markets. 

 

428, 535, 561 & 574  - Although these are not high value watches, all “Standard Watch Co.” watches are very scarce & collectable to those collectors who want this type of watch.  Meggers’ book says these are very hard to find watches. Some have “Nation” “Triumph” etc as model names.  All Standard Watch Co. dials that I have seen are plain, unmarked dials; with “Standard Watch Co.” on the mvt.  Most mvts are of mid- grade type.  Only for the Illinois “purist”!

 

431, 432, 518, 519, 575  - These are very scarce 18S colored dials.  Illinois Watch Co. used very few of these dials, especially signed “Illinois”.  One would have to spend many, many hours searching for Illinois colored dials.

 

434 & 383 – I have never seen a watch book that said that “A.Lincoln” grade movements were used in Pennsylvania Special watches, but these watches both are of this grade.  Must be scarce!

 

438, 482 & 483  - 26J in Bunn Special grade OF only were the highest-grade 18 size watches Illinois made.  They were made as follows:  Bunn Special 26 RJ with gold flashed wavy damaskeening; Pennsylvania Special 26 RJ with concentric circle gold flashed damaskeening; and Benjamin Franklin a 26 RJ with the checkerboard pattern damaskeening . All are scarce, but the Benjamin Franklin is rare, with probably no more than ten (10) produced.  I’ve seen two others and know of one more.  The owners, privately (and separately) told me that they would ask $14K for them if they were inclined to sell them.  Of the other two that I’ve seen, neither is as nice as mine.  The next rarest would be the “Pennsylvania Special”, although I must confess that I’ve seen 2-3 others and never seen another 26J Bunn Special.  These watches are for advanced collectors.

 

468 - This is a very scarce and collectable watch because of the movement being the “all over gold mvt.” And because of the dial having “twenty-one jewels” signed in red over the seconds bit.  I’ve only seen this watch and one other in the past twelve years.

 

481  - When we speak of rare, this 24J Bunn Special hunting case signed "double roller” comes to mind.  The books say that only fifty (50) were produced & I’ve only seen one other in the past twelve years. 

 

440, 495, 496, 501, 502, 508 & 509  - These watches all are Illinois’ first year of production (1872) and have “Springfield Watch Co.” dials.  A total of about 1,800 dials were made “Springfield Watch Co.”  Think about it, that ain’t very many!   Apparently the company officials were concerned that the trade would get their watches confused with the Hampden watches, which were made in Springfield, Mass., and were often referred to as the “Springfield” watches.  So, in 1873, the company changed it’s name to “The Illinois Springfield Watch Co.”.  In any event these dials are very scarce & sure to become more valuable.  #440 is the most valuable of this lot, inasmuch as it is the 32nd Bunn grade manufactured and has the low serial number of 232!

 

470, 471, 473 - These watches are two star watches because they are all signed “Extra” on the movement and have the 7^th pattern “All over Gold”.  Probable production is less than 400.

 

503 - Much has been written in Meggers’ book about the R.W. Sears Watch Co., which began in Minneapolis, Mn., then after several years moved to Chicago, Ill., where Sears, Roebuck Co. is still headquartered.  I believe that these early Sears watches are extremely collectable.  See also #512, 518,529 & 534. ‘Nuff said.

 

514 - Another C&O Special with the correct W.L. Fredeking dial.  Very scarce & valuable.

 

522 - I’ve never found this watch in any book. & I’ve never seen another one. A model 6 18s 24J Bunn Special signed “D.R.” as a number of 21 jewels were (See lot # 461, 462 & 489.  This has got to be either a very rare piece or a gigantic fake!)

 

526 - “Overstreet’s Railway” signed on the dial makes this a very scarce & collectable piece for any collection.

 

549 - I have several Wilson Bros. “King of the Road” 18S watches, because I just love the DS dials with “Special for Railway Service” written thereon. 

617  - This is the only 18S 21J Rockford Indicator watch I have ever seen in 12 years of collecting.  I’ve had several 16S and seen hundreds in mart rooms & online.  I know the books say that 200 were made, but I just don’t believe them! Where on earth did they go?  How many have you seen?  Hogwash.  This watch may be the “sleeper” in the entire auction. 

 

623 – This great watch has serial number 306, which makes it very scarce & collectable.

 

630 - This piece is signed “The Delaware” and “C.F. Rudolph” on the mvt.  We know that Rudolph was a resident of Delaware and a major shareholder in the B&O Railway.  I was told by someone that I trust that it was Rudolph’s personal watch, and if true would make it pretty valuable.

 

640  -  “Reed & Swinford’s Railway” is scarce & collectable.  I traded a valuable watch for this terrific piece.