Thanks for the reply. I find this clock rather fascinating, since it comes from a time when true digital clocks were a rarity, at least outside of industrial settings. Direct-readout clocks did exist at the time, largely in the form of '
flip clocks
' and '
cyclometers
' (a real term!), but those were mechanical at heart, of course. Even the earliest nixie tube clocks were electromechanical, since they used stepping relays and other motorized means in order to advance the seconds/minutes/hours.
I have a further follow-up to this story, BTW. Last month, I attended another iteration of the same hamfest where I found the B&F nixie clock several years ago. While perusing the aisles, what should I spot on a table outside a seller's camping trailer but another B&F Enterprises nixie clock! It sported a price tag of $15, plus a sticker stating that some of the digits weren't working. When I asked the seller, he said that it wasn't for sale, and that he'd picked it up for himself earlier in the day. All I could do was wish him the best of luck, since he's going to need it. On the plus side, I did manage to snag a sextet of Burroughs B-5440 nixie tubes for around $5. Don't know much about them; each tube is attached to a black plastic base or socket, the pins of which seem to have never been soldered to before. Should make for a nice clock.

-Adam