<HTML>In a message dated 11/9/02 10:21:06 AM Central Standard Time, pamodell@gwi.net writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Is the verdict in yet on smoke damaged pianos?  I visited a Young Chang grand yesterday that has visible damage all over the action, corrosion on the strings, soot on the hammers and felt parts, and they say they have "cleaned it up" </BLOCKQUOTE> Pam My verdict on smoke damaged pianos is that the piano should be put back in the condition it was in before the fire. This is s Young Chang. I don't know how old the piano is, but it probably isn't more than 25 years old. In which case, the piano was probably in pretty good condition. No corrosion on the string, action parts in good condition (maybe a little wear on the hammers), case parts still clean. The people who donated the piano to the church should have had it rebuilt before giving it to the church, and the insurance company should have paid to have the work done. But, as Terry pointed out, the cost of doing that most likely would have been more than the piano was worth. Therefore, they probably would have paid for anew piano. And would the owners be willing to give a new piano to the church? Probably not. When someone give something to a church for tax purposes, under normal circumstances, the appraised value should be something close to what that item could be sold for in a store. A reputable dealer would not sell an instrument that was in a fire on the open market. If they took the piano in trade, they wouldn't give anything for it, and they might wholesale it for maybe $100. Since the piano needs a total overhaul, in my opinion, for tax purposes, the piano is worth just that. Willem Blees RPT</HTML>