Expert: Martin Meyer - 10/12/2009

Question
Dear Mr.Meyer
I have a very old Cuckoo/Quail clock around 1880 inlaid railroad, unfortunately the top crown was broken. Do you know how or where I can find the replacement.
Thanks

Answer
Hi Frankie,

For an antique clock almost 130 years old, I would be amazed if you could find the exact top piece. There are standard top pieces available from clock supply house such as Timesavers (www.timesavers.com), Merritts Antiques (www.merritts.com) and Black Forest Imports (www.blackforestimports.com). I doubt that these would fit or look appropriate on your clock.

Cuckoo clocks that old were pretty much a "cottage industry", with all the carving hand done. There are craftsmen who can hand carve a replacement to match your original, but I don't know of any one in particular. You would have to do some web-searching to find one. Also, depending on the amount of damage, a good restoration specialist can do excellent repair work. Of course, I am assuming that you still have the broken piece; if it is missing any custom replacement would be pure guesswork. I would expect either of these highly-skilled custom jobs to be substantially expensive.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com