Hello,

I've been able to surface only minimal information about an upright piano my in-laws gave to me and my wife some time ago; and with our second child only a few months from entering the world; the time has come for us to rid of it to make room for her.

The piano itself still functions okay. It needs some TLC (e.g., tuning, key work, etc.), but in order for me to write a descriptive ad, I need to know more about it.

The only information I have is that its serial number is 103959 and that it was manufactured by The Comstock Cheney & Company in Ivoryton, Conn. I'm told that it used to be lime green in color, but my father in law has since repainted it black.

Realistically, we don't expect to get much, if anything, in terms of money for the piano, but I'd at least like to give it a try.

All I need now is some help with accurately identifying the piano and its age, to arrive at some sort of value - minimal as that may be. Any advice will be welcomed with open arms.

Best,

Jamie

Unfortunately it looks like you best bet is to give it away to anyone who will haul it.

Welcome to Piano World!

Someone told me once that anything is worth something to the right person. I can’t answer your question about the age or value, other than to say that I’ve seen old uprights advertised anywhere from free to thousands of dollars. Many never sell for the asking price and some of the freebies remain unclaimed. I will say that I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the brand, but there were literally hundreds of different brand names back in the day…

I’d suggest taking some digital pictures of it and advertising it on Craigslist for a few hundred dollars (you’ll just have to use your own judgment there) and see what kind if response you get. You can always lower the price and re-advertise.

On the other hand, if you are in a hurry to get rid of it to make room for your new family member, (congratulations, by-the-way) I’d suggest taking Steve’s advice and giving it away to whomever will come and move it…

Good luck!

Rick

Curious where you found that marking, and if you can find any other marking anywhere on the piano? I did come across a mention that Comstock, Cheney & Company made piano keys and later action components, rather than pianos.

I guess that's why they were located in "Ivoryton"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivoryton

Looks like C,C&C was eventually bought out by Pratt and Reed.

If the piano isn't marked anywhere on the iron plate, my guess is you'd have what's known as a "stencil" piano, which were mass produced and sold under a bunch of different names by different dealers. The original name stencil was probably covered over when repainted, but I don't know that its that important. My understanding is that stencil piano's generally weren't great quality, and knowing the name probably wouldn't improve its value.

A little info on Stencil Pianos.

Rob

Thank you for your candid feedback, Steve.

While I haven't given up yet, I understand this is a distinct and perhaps likely possibility.

Hi Rickster,

Thank you for your feedback and kind words.

Is there anywhere else on the piano I should look to see if there is any additional information about the piano?

Hi Rob,

Thank you for this helpful information.

I guess, ultimately, I was hoping to be able to at least identify the piano, so I can write an intelligible ad.

I'll take a closer look over the weekend. Thx.

Jamie

Like Rob said, the brand-name/make us usually molded into the cast iron harp/plate on most pianos, but not all. Chances are the name on the fall-board has been painted over.

If there is no name/make embossed into the harp (usually near the top), it may be difficult (or impossible) to find it. If so, state in your ad that you are not sure of the make (honesty is always the best policy ).

Good luck!

Rick

Also, keep in mind that there are many, many companies that are no longer in business, and it's hard to know what the quality of such pianos is based on the name. Most people in the market for an inexpensive piano aren't very picky about the name anyways, but more the condition of the piano and how easy it would be to move it.