Chickering questions

[JCSwafford@aol.com]

Happy Summer List:

I have a customer with a Chickering 5'9½" grand Model E #143637 made
in 1927.

They want an appraisal. To avoid mentioning actual monetary value,
what percentage of monetary value would this piano have in relation to a 1927
Model L Steinway & Sons? What methods could someone suggest for determining
the monetary value of this piano?

The piano is in good playable condition with about 40 years of wear
on it since its last reconditioning. It has wooden flanges and the
parts don't seem to be placed to closely together as with some of the
earlier Chickerings. The repetition cushions and keybushings are
hardly worn at all. The hammers are pretty badly worn, but pinning in
tolerance. The torque of the tuning pins is well within tolerance.
The bridges have a very few short hairline cracks emanating from the
bridge pins. The soundboard has crown with a couple of superficial
cracks away from the bridges. The bass strings are not dead and the
high treble has good tone although the overall tone is bad primarily
because of the old and worn hammers. Touch is smooth and even.

The customer thinks it is a 3/4 (6-bit) grand. I think, from what
very little I know about Chickering, that since it is closer to 6
feet, that it is a 1/2 (4-bit) grand. I know it is better than a
quarter (2-bit) grand. 

I know there has been previous discussions about the negative aspects
of the older Chickering grands i.e. brass flanges, multi-segmented
pinblocks, Newton getting stuck in one and having to have the fire
department come out with the Jaws-of-Life to get him out, brittle
strings, no two alike etc. I didn't want to delve into this again
right now, but I would really like to know why the Chickerings are
called 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 grands. Is there a definitive explanation?
Also what are the other models of Chickerings, besides the quarter
grands and concert grand? Are they better or worse, richer or poorer,
what? Is there a source for this information? 
 
Also on my appraisal I would like to list replacement and market
value (should I do that?, I hate appraisals). What form of reasoning
can I use to determine these values? What criteria is available?
All I have are straws.