<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.100" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My dear friends</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am another one who has not been = folowwing this thread, but just in this area there is something worth = noticing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have some experience with "vantage" = things as I did assist at one time in my career people who make a living in this = area and I still remember a very interesin lesson on the matter, </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Everything, and that applies to pianos = as well as furniture, paintings and all sorts of things have two values.  You = have to know well how to separate the vantage value from the commercial = value, </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Commercial value is what applies to = everything when is made with the purpose to be marketed and that value deacreses with = years untill reaches almost 0 and there it will stay at the end of its usefull = life, commercialy that object can acquire another commercial value if it = has been repaired ( not restaured)  </FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Depending on the quality of the object, = the handcraft, materials, and very special qualities that the object = possesed when made for the first time and which cannot be controled, lets say "rare = attractive qualities" that object will start developing a vantage value. That is a = value determined by demand on the object only due to its rare qualities. = (Excuse me if I make mistakes, mostly because of my vocabulary, if names are not right = correct me) The vantage value now it only concerns people who are interested in possesing a rare object and thus applies to collector items and it is = between the transition from vantage to antique, what most people does not know = is, that for an object to realy be considered valuable it must be in its original = state and have the possibility to realy be restaured, and not restaured to = commecial use. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The difference ? </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Here there are rules which apply. The = object has be be original in all its parts, whatever was used in it when repaired if = it is not made with the same materials and specs as originaly conceived should be = noted so it can be removed oterwise will not have a real collectors value. = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When restauration takes place to fully = place his value, the restaurer, has to have all missing or repaired parts made as = they were made originaly, taking in account material used, same procedure, = and also has to identify which parts have been used certifying the process was = the original process with the same material, then you end up with the fully restaured full valued anticqe which can cost many times what its = original price was. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Elian</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Wimblees@AOL.COM = href="mailto:Wimblees@AOL.COM">Wimblees@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, July 26, 2001 = 11:11 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Fw: Steinway D = value</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a = message dated 7/26/01 9:30:04 PM Central Daylight Time, <BR><A href="mailto:Erwinpiano@email.msn.com">Erwinpiano@email.msn.com</A> = writes: <BR><BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE">Wim &  List <BR><BR>You know what , marketing = is everything especially with a D and in my <BR>humble opinion she gave = it away.  It was worth 45K.  I know of one(similar = <BR>vintage) in the sacto area that recently sold for that and then they spent = <BR>more to do the action. A very sweet piano and how much less  than = retail <BR>did they pay? A bundle. <BR><BR>   Dale Erwin <BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I don't know what the "sacto" area is, but in = St. Louis, that is all we could <BR>get. This guy was savvy. He looked on = the Internet and found what other D's <BR>were going for. Because this = lady was tired of dealing with me, and other <BR>people, she reluctantly agreed = to let it go for this. But, I think if she had <BR>allowed me to take the = piano to my store, I know I could have gotten at least <BR>$40,000 for it. ' <BR><BR>Wim</FONT> </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>