Carl Ecke

[bowerbird]

Hi, I bought a gorgeous piano yesterday for $50. (cost $220 to move, lol.)
I have been looking for information about it, and not having much sucess. i dont mind at all if it may be just a noisy piece of funiture, or not worth the $ to fix, etc, to me it is beautiful.

All i know of it is ;
*Carl Ecke, Berlin.
*The guy who i bought it from tells me it is made 1880 & it was one of the first lot they made in a black finish.
*It has ivory keys, sconce fittings, beautiful lightly carved scroll motif with a pair of birds & scroll style leg supports.
*I don't know the style of the workings.
*the only numbers i can find on it so far are on the casing:
12671 in ink on the top corner of one end.
5012 stamped in ink next to a part ripped off lable with 'fredk. bla...'
cu 3 over 8 ? in corner.
50/2 on back & edge of front panel in pencil (2nd of 50 perhaps?)

i would love to find out any information you may have. if it is possible to load pictures here i can put some up if it helps.

Best regards
Tina

[Bill Kibby]

Carl Ecke made some ecke-cellent pianos, but there aren't too many around here. The number suggests 1888, I don't know about the thing about the first black ones, ebonised pianos were tremendously numerous then. You can email photos to me, or read the message at the tiop of the forum. If you tuner removes the action, it may be marked with the action makers' name and number, and we may be able to date that.