Finding My Mora Clock

Do you want a Swedish Grandfather clock? Don’t think Ikea. Mora clocks are very different. Not at all Modern. Swedish clocks are just beautiful. They complement any style, from the formal Gustavian traditional in Wallander’s daughter’s husband’s family home to Louisa Glasson’s cheerful cottage on Doc Martin.

I just received the Mora Clock I ordered from Nordic Style London, nordistyl-0 on eBay and I really could not be happier with it! It is perfect. Exactly what I wanted!

Mora Clocks on eBay >

I have always loved the look of Swedish Longcase Clocks. One showed up at an antique store near me and I talked to my husband about it. It was a nice reproduction with a battery driven clock in it. But it looked just the way I wanted.  We decided on it, but by the time we got back, it was gone.

So I started looking on eBay. Eventually I found one I liked. It looks very like the reproduction.

I did a further search and found the same photo on a store website and on Etsy. This kinda concerned me. Maybe the store was selling on eBay and Etsy as well, but maybe someone stole the photo. And the addresses did not match. They only had 9 feedback ratings on eBay. The same clock was said to be in Highpoint, NC and in London, UK. The descriptions were pretty much identical, but a frauder could certainly copy and paste. The more I dug… The addresses on the various websites did not match. Some were in residential areas, not where a store would be.

I contacted the seller through their store website, through Etsy and through eBay. I asked for more photos and they got back to me with the link to their website to see other clocks. No other photos of this clock. Does this clock really exist? How many times have they sold this clock?

Some things added up. They have merchandise in Highpoint (the address on their Etsy store), but the clock was in London. There really is a store in London. I can find it on Google and even see it using Google Street View.

I confirmed the policies from eBay and PayPal and decided to do it. They pretty much have me protected. I made an offer, they countered, I re-offered… and we agreed on a price which was not much more than the reproduction, which looked good but was actually made of pressboard.

Here is the description of the clock from all sources:

Condition:   Used

Seller Notes:  This clock dates from the 18th century. The paint work is original. The clock is sold with its original mechanism which has its original pendulum and key. The chime has been disarmed and therefore the clock keeps time but does not chime.

Antique Swedish Mora Clock with paint detailing and original face and mechanism. This mechanism of this clock has not been tested. The clock is sold with its original pendulum and 2 cast iron weights

This antique Swedish Mora Clock dates from the 1800’s and has carved detailing and is painted in a cream colour. Aspects of this Mora Clock are highlighted in a soft gold colour. This clocks keeps good time but the chime has been disabled by a previous owner (the barrel has been removed).

This clock has its original works, two cast iron weights and pendulum.

Width: 34 cm / 13.4 inches
Depth: 15cm / 6 inches
Height: 193cm / 76 inches

Ships to US from UK in approx 2-3 weeks

Shipment worldwide (elsewhere to US) (quote upon request)

Disclaimer: This item is an antique and as such shows signs of wear and tear consistent with its age and history. The mechanisms of Mora clocks are generally of a basic and rustic nature. They do not resemble the refined mechanisms of clockmakers of today’s age. As such they cannot be described as reliable timepieces and are often bought for their style, appearance and character. Whilst the mechanism works it is sold on the understanding that given its age and construction it is not made to the same standards of modern day clock movements, may require balancing to even the pendulum swing and servicing/cleaning to ensure its continued working. Before shipping this Mora clocks we ensure that they have been running for at least a week, we pack them carefully prior to shipping but cannot be responsible for any adjustments required to them after shipping that have been caused by their transportation. Any transport damage must be reported to the carrier on the day of delivery.

You can see it is a little contradictory. And 1800s and 18th century are not the same thing.

They accepted my terms on eBay, I paid through PayPal on October 5th and waited. Nothing moved on eBay tracking, but they finally contacted me on October 15th.

We have been packaging the clock for its box.
It gets delivered to ebay center in the UK in the next few days.
I do not know how long from when they receive it to them delivering it to you.
Kind regards

On October 19th I heard:

Courier is collecting the clock today to deliver (I think tomorrow) to ebay distribution center. Will send instructions on clock later.
Richard

On October 22 I got a link to show me my clock is working:

This was the rest of the message:

The crate should be with ebay this week (it has already left us). About the crate – the weights is wrapped in bubble wrap inside the crate. Please be careful when opening the crate – remove top ‘lid’ first. The pendulum is taped inside the clock and the winding key is taped inside the door (it may become detached during transit – so if you can’t see it then it will be inside the box somewhere). The clock is well packed and I’ve used lots of bubble wrap and cardboard sheets inside to protect the clock. Carefully remove the weight from the box, then the hood of the clock, then the mechanism and then the body of the clock.

Place the mechanism back on the clock and then hang the pendulum behind the mechanism. The top of the mechanism has a thin metal strip which hangs through the metal protrusion at the back of the clock, the ‘neck’ of the pendulum hangs between the metal ‘prong’ which moves from left to right behind the pendulum.

If you can google ‘How to set up a Mora clock’ there will be lots of YouTube videos that will take you through balancing the clock.

Any problems please let me know and I can help further

You will need a power drill to remove all the screws in the wooden crate

Kind regards

Richard

Here is my clock, sitting on a sidewalk somewhere in England.

eBay never showed it moving, but it got here on November 2. Not quite a month total. FedEx contacted me to let me know when it would arrive. The driver called when he was close, but lost and my son-in-law rushed over so he could help me open the crate before I would sign for delivery. (The FedEx driver was NOT happy.)

The crate was well constructed and the clock was well packaged.

I was most concerned about the heavy convex glass. No problem at all! The glass in the body is convex also.

It was packed really carefully and it is PERFECT!!!

I mean really perfect. Exactly what I wanted!

So, if you want a Mora Clock, Nordic Style London, nordistyl-0 delivered a beautiful Swedish Longcase clock. I really could not be happier with it!

We haven’t set it up yet, since it is pretty complicated and we are building the new house. I will post pics of that when we do it.

Here are some photos of the details.

You can see the heavy curved glass on the face.

The curved glass in the body will show the pendulum swinging once we get it set up.

The face opens. The two holes are to wind it. The left winder is for the chime. The right hole is to wind the pendulum mechanism.

The clock is carved out of wood.

We are in the new house we built and getting settled.

I love it!