antiquity

Geminoz · Post by **Geminoz** » 04 Jun 2004, 04:53

I have read in replies to posts in this forum that to be an antique a piano must be pre 1840..my question is a general one...
What benchmarks are used to set the date for antiquity and how often is this updated...for instance at what time in the future would a c1900 piano be considered an antique etc.

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 05 Jun 2004, 14:42

Normally 100 years is classed as an antique the other factor is there should be very few of them, working pianos pre c1840 you seldom come across, the closer you come to 1900 there more there is of them, from 1880 there are a lot and 1900 shed fulls of them Of course this only applies to the UK where the climate is good for pianos now take Colorado in the US you don’t find many old piano there the climate kills them

The date of 1840 has been around ever since I came in to the trade in 1976 I don’t this there is anything written down, as time goes on it will one day reach 1900 but I will have been pushing up daises for quite a wile

I have moved this to the History where it is on topic

Bill may know when it cam to pass the 1840 date

Barrie,

Post by **Bill Kibby** » 05 Jun 2004, 15:45

Although "antique" used to be a fairly vague term, and I think it originally applied to "ancient" times, but it is widely agreed now that it applies to objects that are over a hundred years old. I don't know anything about this 1840 malarkey, and I certainly haven't used it!

Geminoz · Post by **Geminoz** » 06 Jun 2004, 04:52

Thanks again for your prompt replies...As I read all the posts and replies in the forum I can't remember which of the topics the reply contained a reference to pre 1840 being the antique criteria, but I know it was in here somewhere.

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 06 Jun 2004, 11:13

It was probably one I replied to.

1840 was a date that use to be quoted when I was at college and antique dealers seem to ask “O’ is it pre 1840” with that look in there eye if I have been out to look at one

From about 1840 the square was in decline in the UK and by about 1850 the upright was taking over, the production of Cabinets was starting to come to an end and by 1866 most piano makers stopped making squares in Europe

Barrie,

Barrie,

UK Piano Page Piano Forum

antiquity

antiquity

Antiques

Antiquity