Steinman and sohn Berlin

[artalis]

I have just acquired an upright Steinman and Sohn-Berlin piano. I have been told that it is old and rare, possibly around 100 years old. It was rescued from an old house clearout where it was unfortunately neglected. I bought it from the new owner and would like to find out more about it's origins etc. It has ivory keys, a mahogony and possibly walnut case and two brass candle holders attached to the front, and also 2 brass foot pedals. Do you know anything about this make of piano or what period it may originate from?

It has some damage.One of the keys is sticky and another needs some adjusting. The ivory on some of the keys is cracked just below the black keys and with further heavy use may possibly snap off cleanly. But it looks like the split line in the ivory enamel would perhaps be easy to repair with the right know how? It sounds really tuneful and melodic when played and so it must have been in use until recent years. One of the foot pedals needs to be adjusted. The very top of the piano lid area is damaged. The veneer is broken and bubbled in places along the top lid and might need total replacing. The rest of the venee/woodr on the piano is quite good except for wear and tear.It has been well used as there are alot dints and scoring on the casing, but nothing too nasty looking. It has three bevelled panels above the keyboard area, carving/ wood turning by the front corners above the keyboard. Below the keyboard there are two heavily carved supports at either side.

I am not really concerned so much about it's value but was wondering if this piano is from the segerstrom maker in Chicago/ Minneapolis or is it a German piano from Berlin? What age might it be? Also can the top lid be restored when the veneer is bubbled in various places. About 2 square inches of veneer is missing from the top due to damage. Would the entire top lid need to be replaced in this instance. If the lid was left untouched would it be likely to deteriorate further and would this adversely affect the sound of the piano etc?

Thanks for your interest and reply in advance,
Ali

[Bill Kibby]

Our active research is aimed at antique British pianos, so anything else that arrives is a matter of luck, and I have no knowledge of this. Wilhelm Steinmann was German, Steinman & Son were made by Segerstrom, but "sohn" suggests Germany.