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Any relation to historian Lucy? I don't know what "the keyboard comes out" means, or how it makes it louder. Whitfields were known as Whitfields Johnson until at least 1899, so the piano was sold by them in the 1900s, but you have not given me any information that would place it in sequence with the...

Dating pianos purely on the basis of numbers is often not as easy at it seems, but this one suggests 1911, and from the pictures, that seems possible, although I would have guessed nearer 1918. It was, of course, made in Broadwoods' London factory, but the only way you might learn more is by contact...

It has been modernised, the plain front and curved columns are not Edwardian. The number seems quite clear - 48722, which suggests 1907. Have a look at http://www.pianohistory.info/edwardian.html Unfortunately, Edwardian pianos are hard to sell at all in England, and fetch very little. Many are untu...

Are you able to post photos here to show us what the piano looks like? Or email to me to post?

It sounds like the 1950s trend towards making upright pianos resemble grands, but only in a very superficial way. Hybrid is perhaps too strong a word for those.

This is one of many names that always seem to be used on modernised British pianos that have lost their original name transfers. The transfers were available for a few pence, and these meaningless names are a joke in the piano workshops. See
http://www.pianohistory.info/names.html

It looks like something from the late twenties, but I can't be precise. You should find a number approaching 40,000. Have a look at
http://www.pianohistory.info/datemarks.html

Could you send photos to show what the whole piano looks like? #19654 suggests 1881 but dating pianos purely on the basis of numbers is often not as simple as it seems. See
http://www.pianohistory.info/numbers.html

There were at least 4 different firms using the name Steinberg, with no definite reliable dates for serial numbers, even if you know which firm made it. See
http://www.pianohistory.info/names.html
for more information. For more information on numbers, see the Numbers page there.

When you are searching it is useful to be aware that some people "translate" the spelling rather than type accents, so Hoelling may be spelt Hohlling, or Holling as you have done. It is probably easier to search for Spangenberg. I am not aware of any published dates for their numbers. If your tuner ...

The number suggests 1902, but these pianos were made in three different countries using three different sets of numbers, and I have no information about German ones.

As far as I am aware, Spaethe is one of many makers whose numbers are not published. If your tuner thinks it is safe to remove the action (the working parts of the notes) it may be marked on the back with the action makers' name and number, and I may be able to date this. If you can post photos here...

RD could be a registered design number, or more likely, if it is R&D it was sold by Rushworth & Dreaper and this would be their stock number. None of which helps, but a photo showing what the whole piano looks like on the outside might help. Is there a name on the piano?

The number suggests that the piano was built in 1890.

Hearsay is a constant problem to any kind of historian: Someone who knew him and worked with him told me that Stanley's name was not Brinsmead originally, although there was a middle name Stanley in the family of the more famous Brinsmead piano makers. He made or produced pianos with just "Brinsmead...

I can't tell you what it is worth wherever you live, but here in the UK, I'm afraid the word "lucrative" doesn't come into it with these, the most common Victorian pianos, and they are rarely worth the cost of restoration, and although some people do it for the love, or to preserve history, sadly ma...

Thank you for having the common sense to show us what the WHOLE piano looks like! Yes, it was quite common for London piano firms to have frequent changes in partners, resulting in changes in the company name. To make it worse, the names often overlapped for years. NUTTING COMPANY NAMES In the early...

As always, it would be much better to photograph the WHOLE piano so we can see what it looks like, but the number suggests it was made in 1912. Old unrestored uprights from around the Edwardian period are so numerous, and many are queueing up to be scrapped, so they usually have very little value, a...

Thanks. On my Victorian page, I mention Pan Legs, and these were not common before 1860, but this is an early style of casework which might be 1850s. The page also refers to the dating of pianos on the bottom keys as early as the 1850s. At that time, it seems that Chappells mainly sold pianos in the...

If you have a look at the Chappell information on my Numbers page at pianohistory.info "Samuel Chappell was involved in the music business by 1810, but although they quote serial number dates from 1840, the company didn’t start making their own pianos until 1861. The main numbers for Chappell pianos...

Nobody anywhere can guess the value or condition of a piano without inspecting it on the spot.

Harper pianos were average commercial instruments, and if it is an Edwardian style, there are so many around the UK that unrestored ones have little or no value. I am offered several each year for nothing.

Are you asking if it is straight strung? It is not vertical-strung but like many Erards, it is oblique-strung, the bass strings would make this clearer, sloping diagonally in order to get more length, to improve the tonal quality.

The medal shown there is from the Antwerp Exhibition of 1885, so your piano was made after that event. The action remains your most likely source of a date. The other photos didn't show up.

My Numbers page at pianohistory.info explains that dating pianos purely on the basis of numbers is often not as simple as it seems, especially as most pianos have several numbers inside. The number suggests about 1867, but there aren't many German pianos around from that early. I don't think there a...

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What sort of piano is this? The Numbers page at pianohistory.info explains that dating pianos purely on the basis of numbers is often not as simple as it seems, and most pianos have several numbers inside. The name doesn't tell us anything about the individual piano, but it suggests a date after 187...

There is an awful lot of rubbish on the internet about a piano being one of only 3 or 4, but there are already about 3 of these on Google Images, and nobody has checked every house in the world. Some people think that the internet has all the answers, but I have many names on file that are not liste...

Your English is better than some English people's! These cabriole legs were very popular in the fifties, but it is almost impossible to date most grands of the 1900s by their appearance. You could try crawling underneath to look for a number, but check that there is absolutely no movement in the leg...

Oscar Kohler was a maker of piano actions, and as far as I am aware he did not have a piano factory, so it is a surprise seeing this example. I can only guess it might be from the twenties.

My Names page at pianohistory.info explains that many piano names are meaningless, and fake German names are common. 7 octaves (85 notes) is the most common range for antique pianos. Lots of them were still made when I was selling them in the sixties. What I would like to see is what the whole piano...

Plusnet having been doing me proud, but not actually fixing the internet for 3 weeks. I will examine the photos, but 1880s looks likely.

I would guess it was made around 1901. Numbers are no help unless they have been published. There are a couple on Gumtree. The Names page on my own website http://www.pianohistory.info/names.html explains that many piano names are meaningless. It has an item about apparently German names that begin ...

I'm sorry if we were at cross-purposes, but the matter of numbers in pianos is not simple, as my Numbers page explains. With a Schwander action, we would hope for a 6-digit number, probably next to the Schwander name. Many actions and keys have other numbers that meant something someone at the time,...

We are not looking for other numbers, it is a matter of whether the published dates are correct, I can't answer that.

I had a look at my tuning records, and there was one very average Pohlmann made around 1898, originally £55. How can I form an opinion based on just one very old one I tuned in 1978? Do we even know if Pohlmann made them?

Does the Schwander action have a number? And is the name Herrburger Brooks mentioned on it? This would suggest a date after 1919. It is usually impossible to date grands of the 1900s by their appearance, because by about 1920, they were all so similar. To quote my Numbers page http://www.pianohistor...

I doubt if dates are available for their numbers, but I will check. Otherwise, I can only say they are not "common", I don't think I have ever tuned one since 1963.

Perhaps James or Jaime will see your posting and get in touch.

I have never seen one so I can't help you with that.

You are quite right, the number suggests that it was made around 1913. What other sort of information are you hoping for? My own website has general information at
http://www.pianohistory.info/edwardian.html
but no archives are available to tell us anything about individual Spencer pianos.

"Lichtenstein" pianos were made by Wolfframm, but I have no dates for their numbers. The questions you are asking are impossible to answer without being on the spot to inspect it, so your local tuner is the best person to ask.

The Schwander number confirms that it is about 1898, as you can see on my own website at http://www.pianohistory.info/numbers.html so it seems to be original. After what they did to his family in the 1914 war, Schwander refused to deal with Germans, but I don't know if that applied to Austria. I ten...

These legs are known as "French Legs" or "Swan Legs". They are typical of the 1860s, as explained on my own website at http://www.pianohistory.info/victorian.html They are not really splayed! Look up the meaning of the word. The dates I published are based on definite dates imprinted inside London E...

I have previously dealt with this one by email, it appears to be a typical twenties upright, and I would guess it was made around 1924.

I'm sorry I can't quite follow some of your sentences, and I have no idea what you mean by splay legs. These are "French Legs", also known as "Swan Legs". For Erard London numbers see http://www.pianohistory.info/numbers.html These suggest that the piano might be 1865, but the page explains that it ...

Are you having trouble dating a Kemble Minx? I may be able to help.

My Numbers page http://www.pianohistory.info/numbers.html explains that dating pianos purely on the basis of numbers is often not as simple as it seems. The page confirms that your number is probably just before 1883, but check in case there are other numbers inside. Most pianos have several. I coul...

RD is not a serial number, it stands for Registered Design. Even if you had a serial number it wouldn't help, because no information is published about their numbers. Green & Savage began making some pianos with the name Brooklyn in the late 1800s. In 1911, they were still listed as "Green & Savage,...

As it says at the top of this forum, nobody anywhere can guess the value or condition of a piano without inspecting it on the spot, and checking how well it holds in tune, so your local tuner is the best person to ask about that.

The number suggests that it was made in 1905.

Have you checked for dates on top of the hammer rail, or on or under the bottom few keys? Or perhaps even the top few keys.

As it says at the top of this forum, nobody anywhere can guess the value or condition of a piano without inspecting it on the spot, and checking how well it holds in tune, so your local tuner is the best person to ask about that.

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