1800s Crystal Metal No 3 Complete Cast Iron Bell

Details

Description

This is a rare antique late 1800's C.S. Bell Company No. 3 (i.e., Size 3), fully complete and not refurbished/painted. … Read more This is a rare antique late 1800's C.S. Bell Company No. 3 (i.e., Size 3), fully complete and not refurbished/painted. This bell shows its authenticity and age, and should be especially desired by those who treasure antiques that look like antiques. If one desired, it would be a very simple process to lightly sand, prime and paint this to a flat black or semigloss black, like you typically see other old bells. I thought about doing this myself but couldn't stand the thought of taking away its style and patina. If someone wants me to sand, prime and paint this in either a flat black or semigloss black, contact me and I will discuss the timetable and price for doing this -- I am thinking it would lead to a 3 or so day delay and an additional cost of about $125. I won't oblige painting it any other color because I can't stand to cause such disfavor to this beautiful bell, and really, really hate the idea of anyone wanting it painted. :(

The bell is complete with the crank (i.e., the handle that has a hole in it so that a rope can be placed through it and knotted and then used to pull to cause the bell to rock on the yoke and ding). It also is complete with the yoke. By the way, if you are looking for a bell and find one that is missing the yoke or crank, think twice! I had a No 1 bell many years ago without a yoke and I looked years for a yoke to fit it before finally giving up and selling the bell without it. I imagine finding a crank that fits a bell would be at least as hard -- and if you find a replacement crank or yoke, take a look at the prices for buying just a yoke or crank that you hope will fit.

The bell itself measures a full 15" diameter at the bottom. When mounted on the yoke, it measures almost 26" tall (from bottom of yoke to top of bell.) It is extremely hard to find No 4 or No 5 bells, and I am not sure if you found one if they could be shipped due to size and weight limitations. If you notice from the photos, the yoke is wider than the bell so it creates quite a good size (and heavy) package, so I am planning on shipping this in 2 separate packages -- one with the bell, and another with just the yoke.

Feel free to look up the C.S. Bell Company and the Crystal Metal cast molding process. It was developed by C.S. Bell in the late 1800's and creates an "industrial" type (i.e., school, church, government, etc.) bell that produces a relatively low yet very clear and long traveling "ding." The "crystal" in the name "Crystal Metal" brand was given its name for its crystal clear sound.

Please compare my price against other similar antique bells of this size, and especially ones that used the Crystal Metal process. I am likely charging less than a "generic" bell without provenance or brand name. See less