[CAUT] "antique" pianos?

[Greg Granoff]

I strongly second Alan's remarks--this is something you should definitely
talk to Bill Schull about.  He gave a fascinating, very eye-opening talk on
this subject at Dale Erwin's shop recently, and has a lot to say on the
subject.  And no, Steinway would not be interested (go figure!) in this
piano except as something perhaps to update to "modern" standards in their
restoration shop.  Bill is exploring--blazing a trail is more like it-- on
the whole issue of obsolete vs modern design and the business of conserving
vs restoration or "modernizing" and what this means for a dwindling stock of
examples of original instruments from this period.

Greg Granoff  RPT
Humboldt State University

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David
Ilvedson
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 1:34 PM
To: jminor at illinois.edu; caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] "antique" pianos?

That is a very old Steinway and may be of some value as an antique.   To
find out a auction house would to evaluate it as an antique.   Wouldn't
Steinway be interested in that piano?

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "John Minor" <jminor at illinois.edu>
To: caut at ptg.org
Received: 8/18/2008 11:31:38 AM
Subject: [CAUT] "antique" pianos?


>I had  an elderly private customer with an 1869 8' 5" Steinway with
rosewood case 
>and serpentine legs, etc., in mediocre condition and not very playable. I
appraised it 
>as a piano(around 10K) rather than an "antique" and she was surprised it
was not 
>worth a lot more. I attempted to explain to her on the phone that pianos
need to be 
>event older than that to have any "antique" value, or be a hard-to-find
instrument. 

>Has anyone had this happen? How do you explain to the public that old
pianos are 
>just that...old pianos?

>John Minor
>University of Illinois