German Cuckoo Clock

[Lillian Dunbar]

My parents bought this in 1970. The mechanism has Cuckoo Clock Mfg. Co. Inc. and REGULA with a logo that looks like a pine tree stamped in it. Sadly, It doesn't work. The pendulum swings a few times and stops. The weights are as far as they can go towards the clock. I don't want to fumble around with the innards when I don't really know what I'm doing and make matters worse. The inside looks clean, though and I know the chime,  bellows and bird work. I tested it by moving the minute hand. Interesting the 4 is shown as IIII and not IV. It has a hunting motif with a stag head, rabbit, some kind of bird, hunting horn and guns. The pendulum looks like an oak leaf and the bird looks to be plastic. In it's present condition, what would be a reasonable price to ask if I were to sell it?

[Jeremy Woodoff]

When you try to run it, check to see if it is in beat, meaning the time between ticks and tocks is even. If not, move the case a little in one direction or the other until the tick is even. That may get it going. A clock this old surely needs to be serviced by now. even if it looks clean. It will definitely need oil, but it probably needs to be cleaned as well. If you check sold prices on eBay, you'll see that a clock like yours would possibly get as much as $100-200.

[Lillian Dunbar]

Thanks for the info and estimate. It would probably cost more to have serviced than I could sell it for, if I could even find a shop open now that repaired cuckoos. I looked online and there are a limited number of specialty timepiece stores in my locale. And even those might just sell and not repair. All say "Temporarily Closed" I surmise because of the virus.

I did try moving it to get it so the pendulum would swing evenly, but it just won't work.