Wing & Sons piano serial number

[Tom Driscoll]

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Randall Glidden
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2003 8:25 AM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Wing & Sons piano serial number

I am currently working on an old Wing & Son upright and am having
trouble
locating a serial number. There is no number engraved on the plate, the
pinblock, or anywhere else that I've been able to find.  However keys 1
and
2 have the numbers 13684 writen in pencil on the top rear of each key.
According to the Pierce Piano Atlas, if that is the serial number it
would
have been built between 1880-1885, however patent dates on the plate are
as
recent as 1892 and the patent engraved on the pedal assembly says 1894.
I
have a Wing Piano ad from an 1896 magazine that shows this exact style
piano
("Style 7"), so mid 1890's seems a better bet. In addition a date on the
action (also written in pencil) is "10/12/94"--could be 1994 but the "2"
is
an old style "curvy" 2 so could be 1894, and I have heard that the
manufacture date was often written on the action frame in this manner. I
have a copy of Wing's catalog/piano book from 1898, and at that time
they
had moved on to newer style pianos (i.e. style 7 was no longer available
in
1898.)

All the above would indicate a piano built between 1894 and 1898, but
the
serial number thing confounds me a bit.

Any thoughts from masses?

Many thanks,

Randy Glidden
Boston Chapter PTG
Associate Member


_______________________________________________
Randy,
	I find the Pierce #'s occasionally vague, (No fault of the
publisher) and from your research I would say the 1894 date would be my
guess. Dates on plate castings can also help along with the penciled
dates on the action rail and #1 key .Penciled tuning dates can confuse
the issue, but they would be on top of the keys, not on the side.
	How many pedals does this baby have?
	Tom Driscoll RPT