cramer portable piano

[anthonybrown]

Hi, We've just acquired what I take to be a a Cramer Portable Piano, with a fold-down keyboard. No stand. There is a photo of one identical to ours at http://www.periodpiano.com/Stock/default.htm, where it is described as a JB Cramer Portable Piano c1900.
Two questions: there are 2 serial numbers and i gather from other postings that these can be confusing. The number on the iron frame is 27490, and on the wooden casework it is 97206. Can anyone tell me (i) when this piano was made? (ii) is it rare or commonplace - i.e were many made? (iii) some suggestions (London area) where we could have it reconditioned to a high standard? (iv) whether it is possible to obtain an original stand for the piano? (v) anything else of interest about it! Thanks. Anthony

[Bill Kibby]

Interesting though they are, they are not rare, you can find several postings on this forum. The stand, however, are harder to find, they tend to get lost along the way, and the pedal mechanism will not work without a suitable stand. The lower number suggests about 1897.