Another Nelson clock question  

My two cents...
You're never going to make a mint on a spike clock. They're very common (there are usually about 3 a week on ebay); and they're relatively inexpensive. Accordingly, if you want to enjoy your clock and have it actually tell time, by all means have the battery-powered motor installed. Of course, depending on cost, you might want to just consider buying the Vitra model, which comes that way, and preserve the model you have.
If it were a rarer Nelson clock, I would try to dissuade you from altering it in any respect. It significantly devalues the clock to most collectors.

at the same time
While these may not be rare now, these designs are only getting older and older. You could just give it to me for safe keeping and buy yourself a new one 😉

Thanks for the input.
We...
Thanks for the input.
We do own some Vitra clocks now and are happy with them. This was just a clock we received for free and are hoping to put to good use. I just talked to the clock shop and it sounds like the arms would need to be replaced also when the motor is replaced. Obviously not a fan of this option and assume this also means losing the second hand, again not something I want. So maybe we'll just hang for display and to admire.
And if I do run out of space for all my junk, which I am dangeroulsy close to any day, Whitespike you'll be the first person I contact to keep it safe for me 🙂

Does the clock have to run?
I know it sounds silly, but running or not, I think they still look great on a wall. I think it is great to own an original, and I am sure it will only increase in value. I just bought a Weinberg clock, and I am going to hang it for show. I dont want the cord running down the wall, so I will hide it inside the clock and not run it. Just a thought!

Assuming that this is model 2202, then
all of the above comments are correct. Black spikes and brass center with the proper Nelson hands (hour hand is black with a brown tip and the minute hand is black with a grey tip) as well as the second hand,
2202A Sunburst 19"
White center, birch spokes. Black hands with accents of orange and grey
2202B Sunburst 19"
White center, walnut spokes. Black hands with accents of orange and grey
2202C Sunburst 19"
Black center, white spokes. Black hands with accents of orange and grey
2202E Sunburst 19"
Brass center, black spokes. Black hands with accents of orange and grey
2202M Sunburst 19"
White center, multicolor spokes. Black hands with accents of orange and grey
However, there WAS a large Sunburst clock and it's darn rare:
2230B Large Sunburst 30"
White center, walnut spokes. Black hands with accents of orange and grey
2230E Large Sunburst 30:
Brass center, black spokes. Black hands with accents of orange and grey
probably all of the variants exist for 2230, but these are what I have discovered thus far.
As far as the direct plug in the back, any good clock or electrian can remove it and instyall a regular electric cord and plug.

You can always convert the...
You can always convert the clock to using a power cord if you don't mind the cord running down the wall. Just unscrew the plug currently on it (and save it!), which will expose the two wires running from the motor letting you hook up the cord. Easy peasy.

You beat me to it Barry. ...
You beat me to it Barry. (Though really, it's a DIY sort of thing -- definitely no professionals required.)

barry
I just bought a 2230 multicolor spike w/white painted wood body off ebay recently. It does not have the model designation on the label. Your suspicion about other variants is correct.

I think I saw that large one on eBay
as the price got way out of my price range! Really cool for you to have one.
As far as changing the direct plug to a cord, I'm not troubled by electric cords. The problem with those direct-plug models, is to change them to a cord is a bit more complicated.
The electric cord clocks had a solid flat back plate that allowed the clock to sit solid against the wall and their was a notch hole for the cord to run down without affecting that solid back. If you just changed the wires for a cord, your clock would rest on the cord, not the back of the clock and it would sit uneven on the wall.
I've never bought one of those direct plug clocks, but I have imagined that you might be able to remove the plug and flip the back around so the flat inside would be the new flat outside. Then all you'd have to do is make a cord notch on the bottom of the clock.

Thanks for all the great...
Thanks for all the great info. And thanks for the models Barrympls, I hadn't seen the model numbers before. Ours is a 19" white face, walnut spikes, black hands with orange and grey. Unfortunately someone has painted the accent colors to blue and white. Going to see if I can safely remove that paint then hang the clock for show.

This is my Spike or Starburst clock
#2202
This clock was certainly the most popular of the Nelson clocks with the exception of the Ball clock. Lots of 'em around, to be sure...but I'm lucky to win the electric clock below, which, to my eyes, is probably the best color combination.
(It did come with a second hand, but I keep moving it around to electric clocks I've gotten more recently)!

Lets bump the challenge of...
Lets bump the challenge of this up a notch... Since most original clocks were plug and cord, what models were produced with wind up? I know the ball and spike clocks were...any others?

Oh sure, plenty more were. ...
Oh sure, plenty more were. The wind-up movements seem to be attached to a certain period of time in Howard Miller's history, not just to certain models. I don't know when they stopped using wind-ups, but, if we can determine that (didn't a few people buy a horde of reproduction catalogs a while back?) then we can pretty much determine which had wind-up and which couldn't possibly have it. I've seen at least four other models with wind-ups -- the eye clock, the sunflower clock (I think), and...I don't recall the name of the other two unfortunately...fairly obscure models though.

You're right:
Most of the 1947-1954-ish clocks were available in electric, wind-up, and battery.
But, it's important to note that if you buy a wind-up clock and the motor's broken, most clock repair places cannot fix it because apparently no one makes a wall clock wind-up motor these days.
I won a weird clock on eBay this year and it spring was wound too tight and couldn't be fixed, so my clock repair guy had to put in a battery motor as a replacement...so now I got a clock with a key wound hole for no reason!
2258B 11 1/2 around and 2 1/2 deep
Amitco vinyl face, white hour indicators and numerals with black inserts, copper rim. Brass hour hand with white accent and copper minute hand with black accent. In Alabaster Beige
electric $25.00
8-day wind $25.00
battery $35.00