Elgin pocket watch worth.

[divco13]

This have been in the family.  Not sure which part of this forum to use.  Look for a good  honest appraisal.  Elgin  

 

[divco13]

Afraid to open the watch, to find any data to narrow down the year. And is the movement workings. Do not want to inflict any damage. Thank you and help -Bob P

[mbwatch]

Hi there! Please drop by the introductions area to introduce yourself to the forum. It isn't really possible to judge much about a pocket watch without seeing the insides, because that's where the quality lies. Without a good size reference, I would guess you have a 6 size watch movement there in a spread case or maybe 0 size, so it won't probably be among the more valuable Railroad grades of watches. And often most of the value of a watch is in its case if the case has a high gold content. It's difficult to tell what your case is made from here, but something will almost certainly be stamped on the inside of the back cover about the case. The number of jewels in the movement affects its value because that also affects its potential for accuracy.

The movement of every Elgin watch will have a serial number stamped into its plates, easy to find and read. You can then put that number into https://pocketwatchdatabase.com to get a lot of information about when it was made, how many like it were made, etc.

On the whole, unless they are a rare grade or in a gold case, Elgin watches in clean and working condition are not exceptionally valuable - about $75 to $150. That's largely down to the fact that Elgin (and some other American companies) made tens of millions of watches, and a lot of them are still around. The highest quality railroad grade watches tend to be worth a few hundred more. Once you identify your watch's grade from its serial number, you can search ebay for "Elgin grade xyz" and find recent sales to get a sense of what people are paying.

 

Also, don't be afraid to open it up. These watches were meant to be opened occasionally and without special tools. Find a slim knife but not too sharp (if you don't have a case knife), and look for a little gap on the hinged back where you can fit it. Cover the knife blade in a plastic ziploc bag to avoid scratches and push it into the gap. Do not pry, just push. The case should pop right open and reveal a lot of helpful information.

Edited October 30, 2024 by mbwatch
case open info