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How to Identify Antique Cuckoo Clocks

Cuckoo clocks have been a favorite of collectors for more than 200 years. Made in Germany's Black Forest, the clocks are masterpieces of traditional craftsmanship. Every hour, on the hour, the cuckoo emerges from his carved wooden case, his familiar call announcing the hour. Often, his calls are accompanied by playful melodies and the movements of mechanical figures in a vibrant evocation of village life. Antique cuckoo clocks can be identified by their overall appearance and decorative scheme.

Instructions

- 1
  Examine the overall shape of the cuckoo clock. The most prized antique cuckoo clocks date from the 1850s to the 1880s and take the form of either a case with a clock in the center, or of a small house with a pointed roof.
- 2
  Check for painted decoration on either side of the clock face. Most other varieties feature little painted decoration, but the case-style models always have painted areas on either side of the clock face.
- 3
  Note the square shape of the "building" in the other kind of antique cuckoo clock. This version is known as Bahnhausleform. The little house is meant to look like the small buildings erected along German railroads in the mid-19th century.
- 4
  Look for intricate carvings of ivy, flowers, birds, and forest animals. On the Banhausleform clocks, these carvings re-create the look and feel of the Black Forest.
- 5
  Observe any mechanical figures that emerge from the clock as it plays a musical melody. Tiny craftspeople, soldiers, beer drinkers and singing children are among the figures that recall the rural world of the Black Forest.
- 6
  Look at the materials from which the clock is made. Antique cuckoo clocks are made primarily of linden (also called lime) wood and walnut, both of which grow plentifully in the Black Forest. Clocks must also have mechanical movements with lead weights. The weights are usually shaped like pine cones.

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