[RJ007]

Hello Gang...

Been a little busy lately, but thought it was time for a little Illinois
Spotlight, that won't entirely break the bank.

This little guy is called the "Square Cut Corner" and many listings
on the swamp and those folks that still don't have Fred Friedberg's excellent book,
incorrectly call it a "Bennett."
The Name Bennett was listed in one of the first price guides...
naming it after the son of one of the expert Illinois consultants (FJF)

The case colors and variations are mind boggling, but here are a few:
Yellow and White gold filled (Plain Bezel)

White and Green gold filled (Engraved Bezel)

Here is a wild Two Tone with Gold Numbers...The sides are beautifully engraved

The detail on the bezel is really intense:

I had a bunch of these and decided to pop the hoods to see what
was underneath... some fun stuff!

Out of the 6, 5 had 15J movements and one had a 17J

Half were made by Keystone and the other Star

This little guy was a shocker... SOLID GOLD! Keystone:

The Square Cut corner is a quite common and many examples are readily available, so choose
your examples wisely!

All have the cool "subs at 9"

FJF Notes:
Time Period- Generic
Lugs- 16mm
No Case Number
Price when New-
$45 15J
$50-17J
$55-19J
Rarity (1 to 4) out of 6

Price Today:
$150 to $395 depending on case variation
Solid gold More+

Production Date :
1926

Fred also Includes the original article in Jeweler's circular July 28, 1926

And this one is Just for you Fred!

RJ007 Notes:
-Easy to get, quite reasonable for an Illinois
-Really try to look before making a quick purchase, there are
some great examples that come and go.
-Very nice on the wrist, gets noticed.
-A great entry level Illinois!

ENJOY:thumbup1:

 

[literustyfan]

Greg,

That last picture of the "FRED" dial is SO COOL ! ! ! ! !

The green gold filled engraved bezel is SUPERB!

 

[NAWCC]

Here is mine.
I only have 2 Illinois