We always get asked what to look out for when choosing an antique mora clock that you have seen for sale somewhere.
It's both simple and also as complicated as you want to make it.
The longer your list of 'requirements' the more difficult it is to find exactly the mora clock you want.
So really split list your into 2 sections - 'must have' requirements and 'it would be nice if' additions.
Given that there are a really wide variance in the sizes and shapes of antique swedish mora clocks, size is a good place to start.
Measure your space and work out the maximum height that will work for a clock. There needs to be not just physical clearance but enough spare height so the clock doesnt look squeezed by the space. It needs space to breathe and as it will draw your eye to that space by its very nature, you need to make sure you give it space to emote and shine.
Mora Clocks go anywhere from 186cm-250cm tall so there is quite a choice although the shortest and tallest are far rarer - the majority are between 200-215cm.
Width wise they are generally around 55cm and depth is usually around 25cm.
Because the wood panels in the body move over the years, most mora clocks will not stand exactly true so you may need to add small shims under one or other edge to level it up or if you are worried you can bolt the body to the wall.
In fact one way to tell the age of a clock if you are worried that it is not as old as you are told is to see if there has been a hole hacked into the backboard - most real old mora clocks have one as the floors back in the day were never flat so they needed to be bolted down to prevent them moving accidentally and affecting the swing plane of the pendulum.
Next up is belly shape - the classic mora clock belly is the expanded 'earth mother' profile with a narrow waist common to fryksdall mora clocks for example.
But there are plenty of mora clocks that have slim belly shapes and anywhere in between - thats one of the great things about mora clocks - no 2 are ever the same.
More tomorrow