Estate Settlement Piano Values

[J Patrick Draine]

Rick,
Just my two cents worth of opinion:
I think the families will be best served by viewing these with a  
maximally depreciated viewpoint: i.e. depreciate the value of the  
Baldwin down from its approximate purchase price (an older edition of  
Larry Fine's book suggest 30% of its new value). I've seen a few of  
the 'SA' type grands -- the cases were pretty but the tone was all  
klang.
In my neighborhood there's no market for player pianos, unless  
they're Disklaviers or quality Piano Disk installations. Perhaps it's  
different in your neck of the woods.
What price are YOU willing to pay them on the spot, and still make a  
handsome profit after moving costs, pitch raise and fine tunings,  
case touchup, action regulation & voicing, problems with the player  
motor, etc.?
The estate appraisal should certainly be no higher than that number.
Patrick Draine

On Sep 16, 2005, at 7:27 AM, Rick Bazemore wrote:

> I went to an estate settlement today to try to determine the value  
> of 2 pianos.  Was told over the phone that one was a Baldwin grand  
> and was given a serial # that indicated 1924 as the year of  
> manufacture and that they also had a player piano they wanted me to  
> inspect as well.  I tried to talk them out of paying me to make a  
> 100 mile roundtrip visit thinking that all I was going to look at  
> was going to be junk.
>
> After the second phone call, I decided to go since I was already  
> tuning in the area and the customer could arrange to meet me at the  
> estate when I was done tuning.  When I got there I quickly saw that  
> I was going to be wrong in my pre-judgement of the pianos.
>
> The Baldwin grand is a "SA" model 5' 1-2" baby grand whose correct  
> serial number indicates manufacture in 1958.  The cabinet, legs &  
> matching bench are fashioned in a simple Art Deco style with black  
> lacquer finish.  The legs are simply tapered round with no other  
> fluting or embellishment.  The music desk stretches all the way  
> across the top of the piano and does not slide easily out - rather  
> comes out only after removing screws on either side of the  
> cabinet.  I played and inspected this piano and would compare it to  
> one that is 10-15 years old rather than 47.  The only flaw I could  
> find is that the lid has minor cosmetic flaws that could easily be  
> refinished.  It measured only 20 cents flat - pin block and pins  
> feel like new - strings have no rust - soundboard & plate looks  
> like new.
>
> The Winter Musette was manufactured in 1964 and is also in very  
> good condition.  Pneumatics seem to work fine - I pumped the pedals  
> and the player mechanisim responded quickly.  I could not get the  
> piano to turn on to see if the electric power would operate.   
> Cabinet is in very good condition as well as all observable aspects  
> of both the acoustic and player aspects of the piano.  Measured 24  
> cents flat.
>
> The instruments are not for sale - they just want to know what  
> might be considered reasonable values so they can fairly settle the  
> estate among the family members.  I would appreciate any help from  
> those of you who are more familiar the history and value of these  
> specific instruments.
>
> Thank-you,
> Rick Bazemore