A hundred-year-old issue of American Cookery magazine contained an advertisement for kitchen clocks. To get a clock, people could send $1.50 plus sell seven subscriptions to the magazine, or they could just send $5.25 and not sell any subscriptions. I wonder how many people sold subscriptions to get a clock at a reduced price. I can’t imagine being able to sell subscriptions to seven people.
Actually, I don’t think that I’d purchase one for the full price either. I haven’t had a separate kitchen clock for many years. I just use the ones on my stove and microwave, but, of course, they didn’t yet exist in 1926, so if I went back in time, maybe I’d want one.
The clocks contained pendulums, and needed to be wound every eight days. 1926 was before the era of electric and battery-operated clocks.
There are probably a few still stashed away in attics…or antique shops!
I bet you’re right that there’s still a few stashed away.
I think it would be hard to sell all those subscriptions. I have to have a clock in every room, even the garage, and preferably analog.
I might possibly be able to talk one or two friends into buying a subscription (but I’d definitely owe them one), and I can’t imagine being able to sell seven.
I also only use my microwave and oven.
They’re such convenient clocks.
They are!
I have a clock in the kitchen….its a life savior! The microwave is always wrong because of power outages or hitting the wrong button on the panel…. The oven timer is digital and almost impossible to read after 20 years…. I do have timers that are a life savior
After the power returns following a power outage, one of the first things I do is check the time on a battery-powered clock in the living room, and then go to the kitchen and reset the clocks on my microwave and stove.
We have a wall clock in the kitchen. It’s a battery clock so keeps time even when the electricity knocks all those other ones out. This clock died awhile ago. Even though it was no longer on the wall, we looked up there multiple times a day. Finally, one of my son-in-laws bought us a surprise replacement clock that fit right in that spot. Now there’s time when we look that way.
It’s frustrating when familiar objects wear out. Your son-in-law sounds very thoughtful.
Clocks are faves for me. I have had to curb my love of them over the years, lest I have way too many. I too let my stove and microwave do the ticking for me, but I still have a small clock on a shelf just for the love of clocks. I probably would have been one to sell subscriptions or just buy one of the clocks – if I had the money. What a fun post, Sheryl…
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. When one of my sons was a child, he used to have several clocks in his bedroom. He said that the tic-tocking sound put him to sleep.
I can understand that completely. It hasn’t been the ‘sound’ for me (although I do enjoy that too), it’s been more the constant change such as the moving hands I really enjoy. Every time I look – there they are – they have ‘moves’ again…. Haha.
It may just be me, but even though I have digital clocks on the microwave and stove I prefer looking up at my wall clock to see the time. It’s as if it helps me to “see,” or comprehend, the passage of time better. Love the advertising exaggeration: “Every woman who has seen this clock has bought one.” Somehow I doubt that! I wonder if any have turned up on Antiques Roadshow. Haha!
Or maybe they’re turning up at flea markets. 🙂
That’s such an interesting piece of household history, Sheryl. Thanks for sharing it. I doubt that I would have sold subscriptions for one or purchased one outright at all. I probably would have gone to a store instead. I like to see what I’m buying and even avoid online purchases! Cheers.
I’m definitely less likely to buy something that I end up not likely when I go to a store, as compared to buying something online.
Thanks for keeping the romance of the 1920’s clocks alive!
There’s something special about old-fashioned clocks.