New Brunswick, NJ -- (SBWire) -- 07/20/2020 --Bodnar's Auction, the top-rated antiques and collectibles auction house serving New Jersey, is proud to announce their latest sale, featuring a two-centuries-old family clock. This piece and a number of other clocks will appear in the August 5th, online-only auction format that Bodnar's has been utilizing since COVID-19 has stopped live auctions in New Jersey.

Since 1825, the clock has been a hand-me-down to the eldest son for over 5 generations. With the new eldest son moving out of state and none of his family interested in the nearly 200-year-old clock, he felt it was important to sell it in New Jersey and hopefully keep it local. When Bodnar's came to pick it up, it was running in the foyer of their North Jersey home.

What makes this clock really important is the family of its make — Brokaw — who was from an illustrious line of colonial clockmakers. His grandfather, Aaron Miller (died 1777), after whom he was named, was a clockmaker of some note in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. Miller had lived in New York before setting up his business in Elizabethtown. The New York Gazetteer (November 23, 1747) described Miller as "a clockmaker in Elizabethtown [who]…makes and sells all sorts of clocks after the Dutch manner…he likewise makes compasses and chains for surveyors."

Miller produced a clock to hang in the First Presbyterian Church in Elizabethtown in 1759, which cost £10 5s 9p. Isaac Brokaw, Aaron Brokaw's father, had been apprenticed to Miller in about 1759. Isaac married Miller's daughter Elizabeth in 1764. On Aaron Miller's death in 1777, Isaac Brokaw inherited Aaron Miller's clock-making tools.

Aaron Brokaw would appear to have taken up an apprenticeship under his father from the 1780s. Isaac and Elizabeth moved their family to Bridge Town, New Jersey around 1790, and Aaron continued to work alongside his father, with his first clocks being signed "Aaron Brokaw, Bridge Town." He took over his father's business upon his death in 1826.

Aaron Brokaw was certainly not the last of this respected family of clockmakers – his uncle Cornelius Miller and cousin Kennedy Miller were also clockmakers of note. Kennedy Miller also worked in Elizabethtown, so there may have been too many clockmakers in one place that prompted Isaac Brokaw to move to Bridge Town.

Clocks made by these three generations of clockmakers are elegant, stylish, and of the finest quality.

Aaron Brokaw fought with the Middlesex Militia (Middlesex County, New Jersey) in the War of 1812 and was married to Elizabeth Tucker (1774-1854). He continued to make clocks after his father's death in 1826, and may also have worked with his younger brother John Brokaw, who is known to have trained under their father as well. Aaron Brokaw died on December 18th, 1853 and is buried in Rahway Cemetery.

This clock will be offered on August 5, 2020, to the highest bidder. It is estimated at $2000.00-$4000.00. The sale will be conducted online on liveauctioneers; previews by appointment are in South Brunswick, NJ, and interested parties can leave an absentee bid or bid online. This sale also features over 250 lots, including over 30 other clocks and the contents of a local watchmaker estate packed with watchmaker and clock parts and tools.

This is a part of a two-day event with the second day featuring over 300+ lots of estate jewelry of 14K, 18K, sterling silver, and designer jewelry. The jewelry sale is a selection of 3 local estates and will also be offered with no reserves. All bids start at $10.00. Bodnar's offers in-house shipping for day two of its auctions.

Bodnar's has moved all auctions to an online format for the perceived future with two-day auctions offered every other week. "We still do not have guidance from the Edison board of Health on how we can re-open," said owner Joe Bodnar. Bodnar's was running its live auction at the New Jersey Convention & Expo center in Edison, NJ where they regularly sold 3000+ lots in a 3-ring auction with over 500 people always in attendance. They want to keep customers and employees safe, and the online model is working. "I miss my full staff and customer base, but until we see guidelines or a vaccine, I don't see us going back to the way we were with a stand around un-social distanced format."

The online sale also features a live broadcast where they show the items in the box lots as they sell them and have live auctioneers calling during the sale. This keeps the feeling of being at a live event. It is the best scenario for what the company can do in these circumstances. "The only problem we are having at this time is getting the same amount of lots sold that we have handled in the past. What used to be 3000 lots sold in a day now takes a month. We are adapting this new normal," said Bodnar.

The organization converted the warehouse on their property to a showroom and now are conducting by-appointment only previews the two days before the auction. Only one person at a time can preview the items, in order to keep everyone safe. Interested parties can leave absentee bids, or bid from home on Liveauctioneers and then either have the lot shipped or pick up by appointment. For more information on this or any of their antiques and collectibles auctions, go to www.bodnarsauction.com or call 866-349-7378 today.

About Bodnar's Auction
Established in 1994, Bodnar's Auction is the premier auction company of Central New Jersey. With a proven history of operating large-scale auctions at the NJ Convention & Expo Center in Edison, Bodnar's Auction is the leading authority in New Jersey's auction community, offering over 20 years of industry experience. Their team of seasoned auction professionals are second-to-none and help to ensure the best experience and the best results for both the bidders and the estate owners. Learn more about Bodnar's Auction at https://www.bodnarsauction.com. To contact them, call 1-866-349-7378.