Please check your Hampden private labels. I would be interested in whether or not the underside of the barrel bridges had serial number markings.

Particuarly in the 400-800K range.

This research relates to a Ball Hampden private label anomaly I am researching and I want to find out if any of the other private labels have the same anomoly. This will give me an idea of whether or not the barrel bridges were assembled at Hampden or at Ball facilities.

Thanks,

Bill Kapp

Bill, I have quite a few, but being all re-organized now so I know where they all are means that I am very busy with assembly of a more "appropriate"* collection of stuff. *Meaning better equipped to figure out what to sell.

Anyway, I pulled this one out, and while it is slightly outside your range, it is definetely a PL with the name on the barrel cover. I have a lot of them in 1000k + range, but only a few in the 400 - 800k. The serial number has been hand inscribed on the barrel cover. (Sorry, I have not restored this yet.

David,

Is there a serial number on the underside of the barrel bridge?

Thanks for taking the trouble to check for me. Any others you can let me know about would be greatly appreciated.

Does the damaskeening on the barrel bridge exactly match the other plate?

Thanks again,

Bill Kapp

Bill, With the above picture I noted the serial number inscribed on the underside of the Barrel Bridge as shown in the upper left hand inset of the underside of the Barrel bridge. Also, the Damaskeening is exactly the same for the Main pol,ate and the Barrel bridge.

I post a couple more if it helps. The first . . .

Is a "Garwood, Champaign, ILL" PL with s/n 392917 which is close to the first one I posted with identical engraving on the balance cock and the same Damaskeened patterns. The difference you might note is this one has the Serial Number laboriously hand stamped on the backside of the Barrel cover. Nice Movement. Still to be serviced

The other one is "Wm A. Veschelius Rahway, NJ" and as s/n 340089 was produced a year earlier in 1884. There is nothing under the barrel cover (trust me I looked ) because it has the main serial number engraved on the topside of the Barrel cover.

David,

Thanks again,

Sorry to be so dense.

The Garwood has the hand stamped numerals typicaly found on the Hampdens. The hand scribed serial on the barrel cover Barreit in your first post is unique!

I appreciate your effort, even when I see these at marts, I don't get to look under the bridges!

Happy hunting,

Bill

David,

This suggests that the private label barrel bridge was assembled seperate from the rest of the movement.

I had hoped others might share with us infomation about their Ball or other Private label Hampdens. Three examples is a bit thin to make a firm conclusion, but it appears that Hampden very likely filled private labels from existing stock by fitting a different barrel bridge. this would also explain the unpredictability of their occurence. Apparantly they were not found in runs dedicated to their respective purchaseres.

I realize that 4 days does not give a lot of time for responses, and perhaps in the coming weeks more information will be forthcoming.

I am going to reference this thread in the Ball Research area as I think it is significant.

Happy huting,

Bill

just an idea. Did any of the watchmakers sell movements with blank barrel bridge that a jeweler could engrave or "personalize"?

Bill

This is the only Hampden Private Label I have run across so far, it is serial #198272 & marked on both dial & movement C.P. Barnes & Bro Louisville Ky.

Number under barrel bridge

Tom,

Thanks, it doesn't look like I am going to find any real consistency here. Yours is marked and numbered like one would expect while the other three are not.

At least in the case of the Ball watches, I have noticed a possible spread of up to 5 years between when Ball took delivery and Hampden production dates.

Perhaps the unnumbered bridges were a means of reducing old stock inventory. Just guessing and trying to make sense out of this anomoly.


Darren,

I don't know, it sounds possible to me. Fun to speculate. Maybe after we see more of these we will have a better idea of what happened.


Happy hunting,

Bill

Bill

The one thing with mine that might not show clear in the photos is the numbers under the barrel bridge appear to be marked by hand one at a time, they are not straight or evenly placed.

If I run across anothers I will post the photos.

Tom

Tom,

Thanks again! That numbering is typical, look at David's Garwood example above. Obviously each numeral hand done and no regard for spacing or allignment.

After all it wouldn't show.

happy hunting,

Bill Kapp

David,

I stole a couple of your barrel bridge private label pics and posted them on my chap 52 website attributing them to you.

I hope you don't mind, I will remove them if you do. I should have asked first.

regards and

happy hunting,

Hi again guys and gals,

I know I am kind of obsessive about these. Perils of collecting and researching I guess!

Has anyone ever seen any private label Hampdens besides the Ball ones that are also marked Hampden?

If not, this may be part of the puzzle of the barrel bridges with no serial numbers.

happy hunting

Bill,
Just aquired a pvt label Hampden with the name only on the train bridge. I have not taken the bridges off to check for matching numbers.
https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...086047761/m/68210381

Edward,

Thanks for the heads up. I note yours already has the serial number on the winding bridge and would not expect it to be numbered under that bridge.

Thanks again and

happy hunting

David,

I would like your permission to use the Garland barrel bridge underside pic in an article I am writing for the Bulletin.

Thank you,

Permission granted and if you want some better pics e-mail me at david@gloipar,com and I will try to get some for you.

David,

Thanks. That pic of the underside of the Garland was what I needed. It illustrates what one would expect to find as opposed to the blank underside of the ball barrel bridge.

happy hunting,