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Chappells have a very long history, and certainly did have an appointment to the King of Spain, which is mentioned on most of their pianos. I can supply booklets on Chappell, and on Royal Appointments, or compile a report based on photos, but no-one anywhere can trace the life history of every piano...

Around London's piano trade, Barnes, Berry & Boyd were known as the "Three Bs", and I have tuned so many Barnes pianos over the years that it would seem pointless to put all the details on this file, but enquiries are welcomed. I have some brief notes on the firm, but they were not makers, and you s...

Apart from the fact that they were based in St. Therese, Canada, I'm sorry to say I can't help you. See
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/canad ... firms.html

The number suggests a 1965 piano made by Kemble, but you should read
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/piano ... mbers.html
and
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/datem ... ianos.html

I can supply a booklet on the Brinsmead firms for &16.

Yes, you are quite right, I was told wrongly by the owner, but my directories show that although he was not listed in 1886, he was "limited" by 1894, and still there in 1936. I'll see what else I can find.

The name would be Joshua Marshall, or Huddersfield, and around 1900, his pianos were marked "selected by" because he bought them in from a wholesale maker, and put his own name on them. Serial numbers are no help if we don't know the true maker. I will have a look for you, but I don't think I have a...

The number suggests 1908.

I'm sorry, we seem to be at cross-purposes! The article on Datemarks will help you to locate possible clues to date in the piano, and the article on Numbers will, regardless of name, help you to understand the pros and cons of using numbers as a guide to date. If you can find Lakeside's numbers insi...

As I said, see "Datemarks" & "Numbers" at
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/price ... story.html

The Lakeside Piano Co. was established in 1874, and serial number dates are availble from 1903 to 1949, IF you can find the right number! Otherwise, I have little experience of pianos from that side of the ocean. I'm embarassed how many times I direct forum enquiries to my PianoGen website, but look...

When you say "listed", what is he listed in?

Number 84659 suggests 1948, but see the articles on "Numbers" & "Datemarks" at
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/price ... story.html

When you say "Pianoforte Maker", do you mean he had his own business? The victorian piano trade in London was a huge employer, and it is impossible to trace every worker by active research, but I probably have more chance than most people of having things turn up at random. Census records are your b...

The number you quote is not a Brinsmead serial number, is the "S" really there? It sounds more like a dealer's stock number. See the articles on Numbers and Datemarks on the PianoGen website, and also the comments below.

Yes, I certainly have some information on file. Up to 1914, Little made 25,000 instruments bearing his own or other names, so #27011 should be after 1914. A piano #31,071 by Little is dated 1922, so 6,000 numbers in 6 years, but being wartime, we can only guess that it may have been around 1916. Fur...

I can't help you with selling the piano, but may be able to give some clues to its age. Leytonstone is quite near where I was born, and this may be the same shop which Berry Pianos took over, and I worked in occasionally. William Graves is not on my lists for 1894 or 1911, but does appear in 1899. H...

I apologise for the delay in answering, I have been unable to find Franz Geser, but there was an F. Oeser in Vienna around 1880, and he was still in business in 1911, but I have no other information. A report can be compiled from photos via the PianoGen website.

Mike's piano was H. Beardmore, manufactured expressly for J.D. Cuthbertson & Co., 226-230 Sauchiehall St., Glasgow. I have general lists of London piano firms for every decade. There was a Beard, and a Beardwell, but there is no reference to Beardmore. The most likely explanation is that it was a Lo...

Most piano names are not on the net. Is this E. Hiller, or James Hillier?

Blankenstein numbers are not reliable, because there are three sets, and they can be very confusing. Rough dates: 1880 ----------------- 12,400 1890 ----------------- 19,000 1901 12,000 --------- 27,900 ------- 5,400 1906 16,000 1914 ---------- "Over 30,000 sold" 1920 23,000 1930 29,000 ------------...

I'd have to check, but I thought they made squares later than that. However, I don't follow the point about 1840, they were making them long before then, and supplied royalty in the 1700s. It would be interesting to see the photos, if you could email any to my address.

Hi! I have answered your email already, so it seems silly to repeat it all!

More modern Witton pianos were made by Barratt & Robinson,and follow their numbers, but no dates of numbers are published for the older ones. In 1899, they were still calling themselves "Witton & Witton", but by 1911, they were "Witton, Witton & Co." so that tells us that your piano is twentieth-cen...

I presume that what you are describing is a "Square Piano", actually shaped like a rectangular table with a keyboard let into the longer side. We are familiar nowadays with upright and grand pianos, but in victorian times, there were also square pianos made in vast quantities, popular with buyers be...

I have tuned Chepstow London pianos occasionally, from round about the 1920s, but have no information ready on computer, nor on Fraserson. I'll see what I can find.

No, actually I said that the date was unlikely, but see the post anyway!

Yes, I have tuned a few John Ellis pianos over the years, from around 1900-1910, including one owned by a John Ellis, unrelated to the maker. They described their address as London, but Upton Park was not in London then, so they don't show up in London lists! They were established in 1888, and I hav...

Hi! Joseph Koneztny was a piano maker at 37 Alexandrastrasse, Berlin in 1928. That's all I have ready on computer so far. I could tell you more if you send photos to my email address.

Numbers are no help with this name. The one I saw years ago was also around the 1880s, but unless there are datemarks inside, the only thing I could do is compile a report on design and approximate age from photos. It would be interesting to see pictures anyway, to my email address, especially inter...

"Musique Adreses Universel" (1928) lists the following:
Bollinger-Leard Music Co., Muskogee.
Bollinger Piano Co., Oskaloosa.
H. Bollinger, Little Rock.
H.G. Bollinger, 423 Garrison Avenue, Fort Smith. Pianos, Instruments, Gramophones, Music.

I think Barrie missed the point that many of the 1934-style back-action minis are now untuneable wrecks, with tuning pins which cannot be obtained or replaced. Valuation in that situation is a gallon of paraffin and a box of matches!

"All the same stuff" has to be there to make it work, but the precise layout depends which Eavestaff mini we're talking about, there were several models including 1934 and 1969. The strings have to be shorter if there is no space!

Sorry, I have very little first-hand experience of pianos from that side of the ocean.

Yes, I have some brief notes on Green & Marsh, and they were around Swindon from at least 1899 to 1928, but all I have so far are dates of addresses, although I can compile a report based on photos via the PianoGen website.

By all means send photos to my email address. I can also supply a booklet about the Allison firms, or compile a report from detailed photos.

It's a difficult problem to avoid, because even if you were english, you wouldn't necessarily know all the technical terms. In this case, the keys are the notes, a fairly international way of describing them (clef in french etc.) and the bottom key is the lowest note - the one on the left-hand end. ...

Sorry, I can't find anything on Vatin so far, but you might like to look at Booklets\ Datemarks on the PianoGen website. Are you sure about the spelling?

It's worth remembering that some of the serial numbers on pianos made by the various Allison firms don't conform to the published numbers. I can supply a booklet through the PianoGen website, or compile a report based on photos. See also the items on Booklets\Datemarks and Booklets\Numbers. Some of ...

A hundred years ago, John Spencer's pianos were much more famous than Marks & Spencer, and no connection is known. There are also people writing to me almost every week from California who have London pianos!

I notice that I mis-typed the spelling, I did mean Ehrbar. Numbers are no help as far as this make is concerned, only if they are the action maker's name and number.

We have assumed that this is the original 1934-style minipiano, Eavestaffs made various other models. I have historical notes, pictures and old ads on file. Valuation of a piano is impossible without on-the-spot inspection. Have a look at
http://pianogen.org/Archives.html

Crane & Sons were unable to help me with information some years ago, but I have some fragmentary information. As Barrie said, the pianos seem to have been made by several factories, so numbers don't help, unless the piano's action has a make and number. I can compile a report from photos.

Ignoring the Viennese firm, I used to tune an Ehbar (Berlin) piano, but was unable to find anything in my files, so although it was genuinely german, it may have been an alias. See Booklets\Aliases on the PianoGen website. The item there on Numbers may also help if the piano's action has a maker's n...

Hi! Valuation is impossible without on-the-spot inspection. You asked about the Murdoch firm: They were a huge retail firm which took over the Spencer piano factory at the end of the 19th century. By 1914, they were listed as J.G.Murdoch & Co. Ltd. but the 1915 July issue of The Connoisseur includes...

Hi! I have nothing ready on computer about the name Attfield, London so far, and I doubt that they existed in 1799, but I'll see what I can find in card and paper files. Cary is on file, mainly in the early 1900s, and what happened sometimes is that firms would buy in pianos from a London wholesale ...

Hi! The number suggests that your piano was made in 1929, but it is not always that simple: See Booklets\Numbers at the PianoGen website.

Hi! I tuned a similar one the other day, with a number in the 14,000 range. The action was a late example of what is know as a Sticker Action, marked with the name of Brooks Ltd., although some Spencers of the period had better actions: Brooks became a limited company around 1891, so it is after tha...

Hi! T. & G. Payne were established in London in 1891, and became a limited company around 1906. They had various addresses in Fortress Road, and moved to nearby Kentish Town Road in the early thirties. Their serial numbers are not published, but I have some rough dates: I could compile a report base...

Glad to help. If it came from Scotland, I wonder if it's the scottish Brysson? I'd be interested to know whether it has a double S.

Hi! The name Bryson is listed on my PianoGen website: However, George only seems to have had one "S", so your search with two would not have picked it up. Pigot's Directory of London, 1822 lists George Bryson, Piano Forte maker, 30, Hackney Road. Dr Rosamund Harding “The Pianoforte” says George Brys...

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