Collard & Collard Square Piano

[rzullino]

I have a Collard & Collard square piano with 80 keys, 47 whites and 33 blacks. Empire styling with crotch mahogany and rosewood veneer; rounded front case corners. Hexagonal tapered legs with ionic capitals. Nameboard has cutout fretwork grills.

29" x 71", 35" to top of case. I tried to find the serial number without sucess. The piano is OK but some insects began to attack the keys. What should I do? I'm interested in selling it since nobody in my family can tell the diference between a note. The only thing that we can play is the door bell. Also, I believe that, even though I saved it from destruction, since I'm not interested it will deteriorate even more. So, an decent offer and the piano will go to a more affecionate owner. I live in São Paulo, Brazil, South America. I can send photos, please e-mail: rzullino@uol.com.br

The best thing if anyone are interested is to find a friend in São Paulo to contact me and see the piano. This person can pay me and send the piano to the buyer. Of course if it will show impossible we can work another way. I'm really interested to get rid of it. I believe maybe this is a lousy instrument to you people that have more music culture than me, but it should have a historical value. Presently it is a bar table with spirits bottles, cups, silverware over it.

[Bill Kibby]

With 80 notes, it sounds like one of the later (and therefore less desirable) Collard square pianos. Numbers can usually be found inside the top, near the back of the instrument, but this will necessitate removing the "spirits bottles, cups, silverware"! I'd love to have phots, but please don't post large images here, email to me at pianogen.org - where you will also find more information about valuation, especially the problems of disposing of unrestored Victorian pianos. I am frequently offered such instruments for nothing, but I won't be coming to Sao Paulo to collect it!

[Gill the Piano]

O go on, Bill, have a holiday and get yer bits brown!