Sometimes there is confusion amongst antique clocks when different books and experts call the same type of clock by different names due to trade customs or geographical differences. A "Bracket clock" in England may be referred to as a "Shelf clock" or a "Mantle clock" by a dealer in the United States.

The main categories of antique clocks can also be further broken down into subcategories. For instance, within the broad category of "Beehive" clocks there may also be found subcategories such as a "Gothic" beehive or a "Ripple" beehive. Some may the subdivide the broad category of "Drop trunk" clocks into finer distinctions, such as "Schoolhouse" clocks, "Act of Parliament" clocks, "Wall regulators", "Tavern" clocks, "Short drop", "Octagon drop", and so forth.

Advertising clocks is the collective term for clocks used for promotional purposes that display advertising somewhere on the clock dial or case. The clock might also be used as part of the advertising, as when a clock is incorporated into a larger sign. Most commonly found as wall clocks or shelf clocks; more rarely as Long-case or 'Grandfather' clocks. These are great antique wall clocks.

Mankind has always recognized the passing of time and has tried to measure and record that passing. The simple alarm clock at your bedside table owes its existence to more than 6,000 years of thinking about time and tinkering with devices to accurately mark its passage.

The very first early mechanical clocks, which didn't have pendulums, were developed in the last half of the thirteenth century, probably by monks from central Europe, and were placed within the church. They did not have dials or hands and only struck bells on the hour.

It is probable that such gadgets were put in church belfries so as to utilize the bells that were already there. It took more than a century for people to add dials and hands one could see. Such old clocks were enormous and were crafted by neighborhood blacksmiths from heavyweight iron. By the early 1400s, little household clocks came into being. They were most likely created by area gun makers or locksmiths, and they are currently quite costly.

The Antique Clocks Shoppe features a wide variety of antique clocks, Mantle clocks, antique wall clocks, and other vintage clocks. Be sure to check out our antique clock blog and antique clock videos!