J B Tolkien

[andrea110471]

We have just purchased a piano with the makers name of J B Tolkien stamped inside and beautifully written on the outside. It has a number of 25275 carved into the wood on the top of the left hand side, when you open the top lid. The other name on the outside and inside of the piano is Joseph Riley & Sons, B'ham. It's a beautiful walnut case but the sconces are missing. Can anyone shed any light on it's history, or the makers history for us as we are very interested to know more about this lovely instrument.

Thanks
Andrea

[Bill Kibby]

There have been doubts about whether J.B.Tolkien actually made pianos, but cases like this seem to show that his pianos were sold by other dealers. J.B. was the grandfather of the famous writer. Riley was also a well-known dealer in Birmingham.