JUNE 2009 FAIR GAME?

June is the season when the champagne corks start to pop, what with Wimbledon and of course the Olympia International Art & Antiques Fair and the Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair. Tavernicus visited both these fairs on the 10th of June in the middle of Olympia and on the opening Press Day of GroHo. Alas, Olympia was very badly affected by the tube strike on the 10th/11th. The metaphorical tumbleweeds were all too evident but Richard Price the Dorset clock dealer who was the only dedicated clock dealer was having a good show. In contrast GroHo has three dedicated top-end clock dealers and Press Day was packed notwithstanding the tube problems. Amazing what free champagne will do as a crowd puller. Business was apparently brisk with ATG concluding that this fair was a "recession buster". Good news.

Alas, no new tavern clocks in evidence and the only TC news for June was the re-offering of the Hancock of Bath white round dial on ebay for £9000. One interesting ebay lot was a so-called Tavern or Norwich clock case of probable 20th century origin and neither fish nor foul really, but, the movement was pure 18thC tavern clock with very nice curved cut plates. Sold for £485 and sniped in the last second, plus £50 delivery. Interesting as it puts a price tag on a genuine movement of £500-600.

Tavernicus is currently confined to barracks with the after effects of a knee operation but is fighting back and weaning himself off the crutches as there is a special lot coming up at auction in July. This will require a herculean effort to get back into his stride. Fair game!!

MAY2009 HOLD YOUR BREATH

It usually takes the arrival of some grey hair before an interest in clocks emerges. So, most of us have seen a recession or two. Not like this one; quite apart from the depth of the nation's problems which may take ten or more years to resolve so far as the debt burden is concerned, we have the concurrent political crisis the like of which we have not seen before.

Against this backdrop is anyone motivated to spend at the upcoming major events at Olympia and Grosvenor House which overlap each other in early June. Both of these events were a success last year notwithstanding the economic storms which were to affect the art market in particular later that autumn and since. This year there are major changes at both fairs with quite a number of dealers pulling out but with new ones taking their places. The nature of the shows is therefore changing with Olympia seemingly going up-market with fewer but larger dealers and Grosvenor House changing its mix of dealers ostensibly to provide wider collector appeal. The main clock dealers will still be at Grosvenor House which is good news as the best in the clock market has held up, at least so far albeit it is hard to tell as there has not been a great clock auction this year in my humble opinion. We need to hold our breath to see what happens at the two premier events of the season. Whilst all this is happening the Elections today and the skullduggery going on the Labour Party will deflect us all. If Brown is brought down by his own people next week then the mood for investment of any kind will suffer and the recent gains on the stock market and now also property will result in drift. The country needs leadership and yet the government is in meltdown thanks to the Telegraph expose (sorry cannot do acute accents). The latter must rank as the most determined savaging of a government in recent times. Historians will no doubt advise me of any parallels.

To the tavern clocks. Ebay provided the two new offerings this month with none in the trade so far as I am aware. A white round dial, signed Swaine of Woodbridge on the dial, was sold in the USA for $3500 and smallish white round dial signed by Hancock of Bath was offered but not sold for £9000 on a buy it now basis. Both clocks appeared repainted one more so than the other. Both had been listed in the Tavernicus archive prior to appearing on the market.

Tavernicus gave a talk to the Wales & Marches Horological Society at the village of Grosmont. Wales is not known for its tavern clocks albeit a few were mentioned to me and the www.tavernicus.co.uk site will be updated with the location of those on public display in Wales