Clocks collectible as time passes

Daylight Savings is about to end and it's all a matter of time in today's What's It Worth, as readers ask questions about their small clocks.

One was made by a well-known U.S. firm, the other by a rather obscure company, but depicting an American icon.

Q. I picked up my little clock for not much money at a gun show many years ago. It runs fine and the back is marked that it was made by Jennings in Bridgeport, Conn. What can you tell me about it? How old is it? -- Dick in Pasco

A. Jennings Brothers was founded in Bridgeport in 1891 and made a tremendous number of consumer products in metal. At one time, their catalog listed 3,000 items.

Jennings' business peaked in the 1930s and the company closed in 1951. During the years they were in business, products included clocks such as this one, bookends, candlesticks and decorative small metal sculptures for the home.

They are known in the collector community for fine workmanship, as their products didn't rely so much on mass production as on the handwork of experienced crafts workers, sculptors and artists.

Nearly all of Jennings' items were made in spelter, also called "white metal" or "pot metal." It's a zinc alloy that often was finished to look like bronze and the Jennings products are sometimes mistaken for bronze.

This little clock is in the Art Deco style, stands 71/2 inches high, and most likely was made in the 1930s.

Art Deco, popularized in the 1920s and 1930s, originated as a design style in France. Including hand-crafted and mass produced items -- such as this clock -- Art Deco always meant sleek, elegant and sophisticated. Look at this little clock and you'll see design like New York City's Chrysler Building or the Empire State Building.

In very good, running condition the value is $125.

Q. I have this Babe Ruth Clock and hope it is of some value. The "Bambino" bust has a baseball on either side. On one "60 Home Runs" is inscribed, on the other it reads "714 Life Time Home Runs." The baseballs and bust are metal and the clock is mounted on a wood base. Is it worth much? -- Harriett in Roberts, Wis.

A. Babe Ruth is the most famous baseball player ever. And Babe Ruth collectibles, like this clock, are at the top of the sports memorabilia money pile.

Even though Ruth's New York Yankees won't be there for the start of the 2008 World Series, the legend of the "Sultan of Swat" lives on. All things Ruth are valuable, some prices go to dizzying heights.

This clock -- 10 inches high -- was made by the Abbotwares Co. in Los Angeles in 1948. That was the year the Babe died and the clock was used as the top prize on a punch board game. Some were most likely sold individually as well, but no one's quite sure about that.

Abbotwares also made figural radios and collectors usually find their cowboy and horse figural sets. They're best known for those radios and many different models were made. However this Babe Ruth clock is the company's most sought-after item today. And the most valuable.

The base has styling reminiscent of Art Deco and it is classified as an electric rotary desk display clock. It ticks off hours, minutes and seconds.

While not super rare, these clocks only come up for sale every so often. When they do, buyer interest is high.

We've said before that anything authentically Babe Ruth is valuable. The list is topped by autographed baseballs, which can go for more than $100,000 at auction. A simple, genuine Ruth signature on a scrap of paper (one was valued by What's It Worth last summer) can be worth $4,000 or $5,000. Game-used equipment such as uniforms and bats are upwards of six figures.

Recent auction sales records for this clock show it being hammered down at between $3,500 and $5,000. We'd call that a home run!