I have the opportunity to purchase a Sligh Wyndham grandfather clock. It was made in 1988, Model #0812-1-AB. It's working and has no blemishes, excellent condition. I would like to know original sale price and a current fair market price. Can anyone help with this information?
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AB in the model number may stand for "antique black"; the 1 refers to original cut (clock design was before any alterations). If yours is indeed black and has four chimes with West German works, there is one listed on ebay for US $988. Further research indicates that some Sligh (pronounced "sly") clocks sold originally for around US $3000-$5000 tinyurl.com/
I found a slew of ads from around the country for Sligh clocks (most did not have the model) so I am not able to give you an actual sale price new for your specific model.
I looked at several dozen ads and most retailed for $2,000 to $5,000 and they were almost ALWAYS on sale for up to 40% off of retail. Ad after ad, after ad had them on sale, so people paid much less than "suggested retail price".
Some website (not actual newspaper ads with real prices, but antique dealers and such) claims they started at $8,000, but it did not give a model and I found no evidence from actual newspaper ads of that high a price. Perhaps there were a few models that had that as a suggested retail price--but I found no evidence of that in any newspaper from 1988 (US Sales only).
What they are asking for today in the resale market is all over the place.
It is highly regional so you will need to know what they are worth in your town. Where I am, any grandfather clock (any brand) will sit unsold at an estate sale at prices as low as $200. There is just a glut in my market and that drives the prices down to very sad amounts. Most times they end up unsold and donated or given away for free.
I recommend figuring out a price you want to pay and just negotiate with the seller. This is one place that is truly a buyers market so go low and then negotiate. Be very careful with the whole delivery process and if you are using a service, be sure they have delivered grandfather clocks before and know how to take care of the chimes and glass to ensure a safe delivery.
Here is a nice website with info that may be useful:
www.grandfather-clock-info.com/
Post back how it all goes!
It is usually very difficult to negotiate price with an item like this as the owner usually has no idea of the present day value and may only remember what they - or their parents - paid for it many years ago.
This is a big risk as there are not always movers available who know how to move a grandfather clock safely and very few people know how to set one up after it's delivered. This is a crucial point so if that cannot be negotiated then I would recommend that you not purchase the clock.
This is the reason that people will pay more money to a 'furniture' store than they will pay to an individual. This is also the reason individual online sellers generally list items like this as pick up only and they will not help the buyer move the clock even out of their house.
Grandfather clocks are not selling very quickly online except occasionally one will sell that is listed by a furniture company.
It is very difficult to find the value of the exact clock that you have mentioned because sellers very rarely know a lot about their clocks and even if they do they do not always post it in their description.
It is always better to post a picture if possible as many times we can locate a similar item and obtain at least some information.
If you have not already made your deal you might want to contact this site and ask your question as they can probably answer them. You will have to tell them where you live as this is a big part of the final value of any item that has to be picked up. Supply and demand - that is what the market value is all about.
Here are some listings for Sligh grandfather clocks:
www.ebay.com/
www.ebay.com/
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