Pocket Watch Collecting
Collectors realize that pocket watches have been around for years and with the invention of the them individuals were able to do things they were not able to do before. Antique silver pocket watches are particularly sought after. Learn more about pocket watch collecting here.
Captains on ships were able to calculate with a great ease the location of their ship more accurately, which increased the likelihood of their safe return as well as their cargo and crew.
The earlier varieties did not have protective face covering or an hour hand, but during the 1700s watchmakers began creating silver and gold cases to store them in for safe keeping while moving about. Those manufactured by Walthams are highly sought after by collectors all over the world, who want to add this high quality collectible to their collection. Waltham pocket watches were actually the first mass produced ones that had interchangeable parts, however small their total production was.
Another type for collectors to focus their collections on would be railroad designed ones. A commission was set into place for all railroad engineers to use pocket watches after a fatal train wreck that occurred on the nineteenth of April of 1891, when the watch that an engineer was wearing stopped for four minutes and then started again. This mechanical error resulted in a train wreck that caused nine individuals to lose their lives in Ohio. The railroad pocket watches themselves had particular standards that included, they had to contain at least fifteen jewels, black Arabic number, the size of sixteen or eighteen, and it must be able to compensate for different temperatures. After 1886, the number of jewels within them steadily increased.
These standards were at times broken and railroad varieties can be found with Roman numbers, which originated in Canada. Railroad pocket watches had to be durable enough to withstand constant abuse it could take from the jarring and swaying of the trains. Railroad management enforced their rules on the pocket watches. In fact, railroad engineers were required to have them regularly inspected and to even submit certificates stating that it was reliable to their supervisors.
Some novice collectors misunderstand what the pocket watch size means. It does not represent the width or the length or its case. In fact, it is the actually standard measurement for the size of the movement, which is between zero and twenty-three. Requirements for the railroad meant that the pocket watch movements had to be a size sixteen or a size eighteen.
Collectors have found the railroad variety with a special appeal for several reasons although their faces are plain. One of those reasons is that the quality of these is very high and they are mass produced like other ones are. Another factor that adds to their appeal is the ever lasting appeal of the historical value and the romance associated with the railroad itself.
Collectors can determine the age of the pocket watches with their collection by finding a reference guide and looking up the serial numbers by the manufacture or collectors can use the Internet to search by manufacture. On American pocket watches the serial number can be located on the movement inside, but earlier English models have special markings that can be researched to determine the age.
Author: Victor Epand
Victor Epand is an expert consultant about rare coins, stamp collections, and rare collectibles. Follow these links to find the best marketplace for: rare coins and stamp collections.
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