antique grand

[Paul Plumb]

Dear List,

My piano mover has offered me an old grand that has been in storage for
over two years and has been abandoned.  I would like to restore it if
possible, but would like some idea of its value and any other information
you can give me.

Now the hard part.  I can't read the name on the fall board because it is
jammed open.  If I owned it I would get a little drastic and unjam it - but
it isn't mine -- yet.  There are some clues however, and I am hoping you
can help me.

The name H. DARLING is stamped very professionally into the pinblock at a
height for each letter of only 3/16".  The serial number is #507 and on the
front edge of the plate the word PATENT is cast into the plate, but if
there was gold lettering to the right of this showing the date, it is gone.
  I assume that H. Darling possibly rebuilt this piano at some time, and
perhaps someone knows him - or perhaps it is a H. DARLING piano.  I would
also assume that it was built possibly in an english speaking country
because of the word PATENT.  From what I have read in my 10 years as a
technician I think this was built about 1850-70, but have no idea really.

There is a piece of wood painted blue inlaid into the soundboard at the
left front that has instructions on it on what to do if a string breaks. 
It mentions that the pins are into both the wood and the metal and should
not be taken out like a normal tuning pin.  Is that a screw stringer?

The tuning pins are rectangular, it is straight strung, and the plate has
only two struts.  On both the left and right side of the piano, there is no
cast iron.    

The action feels normal (for the condition its in) - meaning that I believe
it is close to a modern action in the way it performs and feels.

Every string is singly strung and tied at the hitch pins.

The left side of the piano ends with a 90o angle and the end is flat, not
round.

Any ideas, thoughts, -- should I forget I ever saw it?  It would be very
beautiful if restored - the veneer is very tight burled and matched walnut,
I think.

Paul Plumb, B.Mus., 
Plumb Pianos