Untuneable Piano

[Ted Simmons]

Can anyone advise me how to handle a situation where you arrive for a
tuning and are faced with an untuneable piano.  The customer bought it for
their daughter to take lessons on.  I had to hit D5 to match the A-440
tuning fork. That's how flat it was. The strings were very rusty and lots
of soot inside.  As a learning piano it is worthless in its present
condition and I so informed the customer.  Now here's the tough part.  The
piano is an Erard upright S/N 20402 which puts its manufacturing date at
about 1847.  It was straight-strung with oblong tuning pin heads.  The
finish was beautiful and in very good shape.  I told them the piano was
probably not designed for our modern day pitch and advised them to get one
that is more tuneable.  However, I also told them that this piano is
somewhat of a prize in another way.  It is a bonafide antique and may be
worth some money to a collector.  So now how do they find an interested
buyer?  Are there any on this net that might be interested?

Ted Simmons