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I can supply a booklet about Jarrett & Goudge, or compile a report on your piano from photos, but...

Having never seen a Thomas May piano, and having no idea where you are in the world, I can't begin to guess where to start looking for information. Can you tell me any more?

The things that you're liable to read on the internet - they ain't necessarily so! No numbers like that exist for 1978 as far as I am aware, and I estimate it at 1909, but numbers are not a reliable method: Are any photos available? Sconces (projecting candleholders) more-or-less went out after the ...

The modern ones are better-known than they were in victorian times, but on what do you base the date? They were only established in 1877. Are any photos available?

I know of several London firms named King, there's King Brothers, King & Adam, John King, etc., but "King, London" is difficult to identify. Herrburger Brooks puts it after 1920, the "British Made" marks tended to appear in the thirties, but I have no dates for 910 frames yet...

See Barrie's comments at the top of the forum, then press www below...

See Barrie's comments at the top of the forum, then press www below...

I chose my words carefully, sunlight doesn't preserve ivory, and it doesn't prevent yellowing, although keeping the keyboard open to daylight may help.

Ibach Ltd., London, did import Neumeyer pianos in the 1920s, and I can supply a printed booklet on Neumeyer for five pounds, but for a detailed report on your piano, I would need photos, including lots of interior detail. No dates of serial numbers are published.

The name is Bluthner, one of the most famous piano makers ever. You can't "preserve" ivory, but don't listen to the old wives' tale about using milk. Various cleaning agents can be used, but the piano trade suppliers have special key cleaning pastes and liquids. The piano was probably made...

The piano may have been made in Stuttgart, but what's the name of the piano?

The number suggests 1892, and although there are problems with Hopkinsons' earlier numbers, this is probably right IF it is the main serial number. Victorian pianos are very difficult to shift, and may not justify the cost of a full overhaul, but you need to ask a tuner. Where are you based?

The only information I have ready on computer contradicts the 1907 date, because Colonius & Co. were agents who importd Winkelmann pianos in 1918. I can quote for printed examples of sconces (projecting candleholders) but you will probably never know the exact design, because customers could cho...

Firstly, forget 1707, the piano was only just being invented, and there were no upright pianos. Mayer & Co. were in London around 1803-8, and I'll see what else I can find. Styles are never a reliable way of dating pianos, but if you email photos, I can probably tell you more. Press www below, o...

The number suggests 1920, I'll see what else I can find out.

The Pierce Piano Atlas says they were established in 1900, but Alfred Dolge "pianos and their makers" lists them as still in business in 1911, and says they were only established in 1907. Swan's Music Store was still in Freeport in 1928, but didn't claim to make pianos.

I should have said, if the top key is marked on its side "Brooks Ltd.", they came a limited company around 1893.

I was in Paris a couple of weeks ago, hoping to find local history information on Erard and others, but Paris doesn't seem to know where its records are kept! I can supply a general booklet on Erard, or...

The published numbers are for the Paris pianos, and these would suggest 1832, but I imagine this is a London Erard, and although the information I published in Musicians' Piano Atlas about twenty years ago has been updated, this would be around 1867. There are, of course, many problems in relying on...

Spencer began in 1883, and I would estimate this number at 1892. I can supply a printed booklet on the firm, or compile a report from photos. As for valuation, see Barrie's comments at the top of the forum, and then press www below.

The main feature of a Yacht piano is that it has to take up as little space as possible, so as well as being fairly small, it usually has a keyboard that folds away. Whether or not it goes to sea is not really the point. In 1880, Aucher Freres exhibited at the Melbourne Exhibition: The catalogue say...

About half of the photos don't open up, the remainder, although very interesting, only reinforce my opinion of a french piano (well, we knew that) of about 1870-ish, oblique-strung, as many were. Fancy brass pedal feet are typical, as is the very advanced form of action. This would have been made fo...

Yes, I'll have a look at the photos, but it doesn't look straight-strung it looks oblique-strung. Also, I would hesitate to pay too much attention to someone who implies that vertical stringing suggests that sort of age. The majority of pianos in people's front rooms in the UK are straight-strung, s...

The number suggests 1919. Whether you can restore the case is not something anyone can answer for you. What counts is checking whether the instrument is tuneable and playable before work or expense is wasted.

The photos don't show much at all of the interior design, such as the action and iron frame if any, but I would guess it was made around 1870. For a full report, you would need to email me much more detailed interior photos above and below keyboard. I was in Paris a couple of weeks ago, and hoped to...

In playing a keyboard instrument, the important thing is the shape, position and size of the keys, not their colour, but although there have been experiments such as green sharps, early pianos, like harpsichords, clavichords and organs of the period, had dark wood keys, such as ebony, so when the ke...

Two pedals is normal for most british pianos in people's front rooms, three for american, and one for many earlier pianos, such as Collard squares!

It makes perfect sense, interesting to me but not helpful to you, it is still likely to be around 1890, a few years after Spencer started.

Although I have historical notes on James Hillier's firm, I have never seen a Hillier piano, but it is not even certain that he made them.

You seem to be asking me whether the tuning pins are tight enough, but unless you are in East Anglia, I have no way of finding out, you need a tuner on the spot. See

http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/

I've never seen a pedal 75" wide. (just ignore me!) The published dates around 12,000 are wrong, see my reference at
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/piano ... mbers.html
but 69,000 should be around 1861. I can supply a booklet on the Collard firm for &20, or

Yes, I'm trying to collect enough of them to make some sense of it all. The early ones have a model number, the slightly later ones a letter, but 4B is a new one on me! Where is the number? Some are on the top left edge of the case, with the model number at right-angles, some are near there, on the ...

If you look at the end of http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/piano-serial-numbers.html you will find numbers (in thousands) for Oscar Kohler, who made actions for Furst. Piano #10,000 was made around 1903, and your piano may have Kohler's number on the rear of the hammer rail. I have no other informa...

Thomas Andrews was at 144 from at least 1886-1936, but the fact that it was described as 144a by 1911 is perhaps a clue. Which Hillier is it, E. or James? Any other information or addresses? Also,

Yes, I can supply a printed booklet on the Spencer firm, or include allied firms like Murdoch. The published numbers don't strat until 1895, and seem slightly out, but I estimate that yours was made around 1890. Is there a model letter or number next to the serial number?

I can quote for printing a booklet on Strohmenger, but if by "rating" you mean value...

I can only refer you to the information above.

It depends how precise you mean. Their published numbers suggest 1895 16000 1900 24000 so yours may be around 1899, but the manufacturing process was so long, it is difficult to be sure of a year, let alone an exact date. Numbers are not always that simple, see http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/pian...

They were not established in 1862, this was the date of the medal received at the London Exhibition, to which the inscription refers. I can supply a booklet about the Cadbys and their pianos for twelve pounds, but no serial number dates are available. CADBY & SONS In 1874, coinciding with the mo...

Yes, certainly I know of Cadby, he wa sat the Great Exhibition, and very few of his pianos have come to my attention in forty years. Can you tell me the exact wording on the piano? Adreeses might narrow down the date. I would love to see photos, which you can email to my website by pressing www below.

Klingmann claimed to be a Berlin-made piano, Govan Riad might be Thomson, who was there for many years. By "tuneable" I meant whether the tuning pins are tight enough to be tuned properly. If they are getting loose, the cost of repair negates any valuation.

Kirkman (originally Kirckman) is one of the most famous and earliest London makers, but talk of the "high end" of the market implies that an 1864 piano can be judged by modern standards. Victorian pianos are difficult to accomodate in the UK, and if I had the space, I would have received a...

The number suggests 1904, but being based in the UK, I have never seen a Willard piano.

There are a great many of these durable Hopkinson uprights around from the late 1800s, and the number suggests about 1888, but numbers are not always that simple. The early ones published for Hopkinson have inaccuracies, so look for any exhibition medals that may be mentioned on the piano. 1877 Meda...

No, it's probably too modern for me, I tend to be dealing mainly with pre-1900.

Please don't start a new entry for every message, post a reply to the previous one, otherwise we can't follow it through.

Although I have a few pages of information about Neumeyer, exact serial number dates are not published, and there were several Neumeyer firms. What is the exact wording on the piano? Should we assume that it was new in 1940ish?

The number suggests 1923, but numbers are not always as simple as the internet might lead you to believe! Press www, then press "Numbers". I can also quote for a general booklet on Spencer.

I have found some more information on my near-namesake this month, but haven't had time to sort it yet. Press www.

The "coins" would be exhibition medals, so the piano was made after the last exhibition mentioned. See
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/piano ... tions.html

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