GUEST: I wanted a grandfather clock, and I bought it. It was online. It was damaged when I bought it. Water and insect damage. So, I had it restored. They added new feet, and the scroll on top was damaged, as well. So, the restorer resolved that.

APPRAISER: What did you pay for the clock originally?

GUEST: Well, it was listed for $500.

APPRAISER: Yeah.

GUEST: And with the damage, I offered them $300. And so, they took it.

APPRAISER: This is a Massachusetts dwarf clock made by John Bailey in Hanover, Massachusetts, which is on the South Shore of Massachusetts. Made circa 1800 to 1805. It's a scaled-down tall case clock, but it's a kidney-dial dwarf clock.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: Dwarf clocks are rare to begin with, but kidney-dial dwarf clocks-- and it refers to the shape of this dial-- are even rarer. I only know of a handful of them in existence. John Bailey was a really important clock maker. He was a Quaker, he was a preacher, he was an ingenious mechanic. He took out a patent in 1792 on a steam jack, which was for roasting meat.

GUEST: Mm.

APPRAISER: And he was really responsible for clock making in the South Shore, Massachusetts, area, which was a thriving region. He had a sizable shop, and he apprenticed important makers who in turn would train other clock makers, and really competed with the Boston clock makers.

GUEST: Hm.

APPRAISER: And I think one of the reasons why this clock was designed is because it was a lot less expensive than a competing tall clock that was made in Boston. They found an invoice for one of these that was sold for about $40 originally.

GUEST: Hm.

APPRAISER: A full-scale tall case clock would've sold for about $60 to $90 at the time. The dial is fantastic. It has John Bailey-type hands that you expect to see. The signature is perfect. This dial is like the day it was made. The swag, this is all raised gild beading. Perfect condition. The dial is a ten. It just doesn't get any better than that. Equally as great is this case.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: It's a pine case, grain painted to look like a more expensive exotic wood. And they did a fantastic job, and the details are phenomenal. I'm going to pull this bonnet off. And you can see that everything is original. It has its original brass movement that runs for eight days on a wind. This is what we call a fall-off strike. So it strikes once every time the hour passes. Has its original seat board here, and that's really important. You can see that there's a restoration here on the back right foot.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: This side's original. So in the clock world, normal restorations are to the feet and to the fretwork. They're the two most fragile points, so you expect to see some restorations. But in general, this clock is just in great condition. How much did you pay for the restoration?

GUEST: So, around $4,000 to $4,500.

APPRAISER: It sounds like a lot, but in this case, it was worth it. This is probably the second-greatest clock I've ever seen at the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW that I've been doing for 20 years. I would put a retail value on this clock of $75,000.

GUEST: (makes hitting sound effect) That's amazing. Very amazing. Well, geez. Thanks for all the information. (chuckling) Yeah.

APPRAISER (chuckling): And I'd like to point out that this is the one that got away.

GUEST: (chuckles) Oh, it got away?

APPRAISER: I saw this on an online auction years ago. I don't remember how I missed it, but, uh, I would've been pretty good competition for you at the time. (both laughing)