Checking out an old clock

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Dear Helaine and Joe:I have a mantel clock that belonged to my great-great-grandmother. She was born in Prussia in 1842 and died in Iowa in 1921. The clock says on the inside of its case, "Thirty Hour Brass Clocks, Patented March 17th, 1868, Manufactured and Sold by Welch, Spring & Co., Forrestville, Conn., USA." What can you tell me about the history and the worth?Thank you,L.W.Dear L.W.:In 1856, Elisa Niles Welch (1809-1887) began making clocks in the old J.C. Brown factory located on East Main Street in Forrestville, Conn., after that company had gone bankrupt. His initial factory was later joined by two others, and, in 1864, the firm was named the E.N. Welch Manufacturing Company.Welch, Spring & Company was a subsidiary of that parent company and it was founded in 1868 by Welch, Solomon Spring and Benjamin Lewis. Each man had his place in the hierarchy of the company -- Welch had the manufacturing facilities, Lewis invented calendar movements and Spring was famous for his rosewood cases.These three men wanted to make a line of superior timepieces, which ran contrary to the clock business model of the time, which emphasized quantity over quality. The new Welch, Spring & Company produced three models in the first year of its existence, and in the next six years made only five regulators and five styles of calendar clocks. The clocks made in the 1870s could be housed in either walnut or rosewood cases, and L.W.'s example appears to be in rosewood.Normally, rosewood is a highly prized wood, but in the case of Welch, Spring & Company, they made far more rosewood examples than they did walnut. As a result, the pieces housed in walnut cases are rarer, and therefore, more valuable. The clock in today's question appears to be rosewood (we are 99 percent sure of this), but photographs can be a little deceptive in this regard so we must hedge just a bit.In any event, this is a circa-1875 clock with an arched top and column sides. It should be around 19 inches tall and 12 inches wide, and have a movement that is time and strike with an alarm. Many of these clocks had patriotic pictures such as flying eagles clutching an American flag on the glass panels -- and these are desirable. But the piece belonging to L.W. is decorated with a rose, which is attractive but not quite as stirring as the eagle-flag design that is so indicative of the era.In the letter, this clock is referred to as a "mantel" clock, which is not really incorrect, but we also see these called "parlor clocks" and "shelf clocks."Welch, Spring & Company went out of business in 1884, but the E.N. Welch Manufacturing Company continued to make clocks until 1902, when it was bought by the Sessions family and the name subsequently changed to the Sessions Clock Company in 1903.The value of this clock depends on its condition and whether or not it is in good working order. We are assuming, because of the information we were given, that it has its original clock papers, which is a plus.For insurance replacement, this very attractive Welch, Spring & Company clock should be valued in the range of $350 to $425 if it is indeed in good working condition.(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, PO Box 27540, Knoxville, TN 37927. E-mail them at treasures(at)knology.net.)