John Brinsmead Piano #28959

[cfrederiksen]

Hello,

I recently inherited a John Brinsmead and Sons Piano that has been in my family since the late 1800s/early 1900s. The first tuning date etched in is 1901. The serial number is 28959, which would indicate that it is from 1876, however two patents are listed on the piano, numbers 2232 and 5609 from 1881 and 1884 respectively. I cannot find much information on the piano in Canada, most of the websites regarding this brand are out of the UK, which makes sense considering this was where the piano was manufactured. My grandmother had mentioned once that her grandfather brought the piano over from England. It is not in the greatest condition and I am planning on getting it reconditioned, just wondering how much money it is actually worth spending on this piano. I wouldn't want to spend 3-4000 dollars reconditioning it if it was worth less than 500. However the sentimental value may make it worth this regardless. So I guess I am wondering what to look for when finding someone to recondition, an age of the piano, and a very rough estimate of what the piano would be worth, not that I am planning on selling it.

Thanks,
C. Frederiksen

[Bill Kibby]

It is quite normal to list previous patents of dates earlier than the piano. If you read my Numbers page at pianogen.org you will see that the published dates of Brinsmeads' numbers are misleading, for example 29,000 is after 1884, although this makes no practical difference to value. NOBODY CAN GUESS THE VALUE OR CONDITION OF A PIANO WITHOUT TUNING IT, but it is always interesting to have photos of antique pianos for my files. Sadly, although I am fascinated by Victorian pianos, they rarely fetch as much as 90 pounds at local auctions here in the UK, unless they have been professionally restored, indeed many fetch less than 20 pounds. The market may be different in other parts of the world.

[cfrederiksen]

What other information could one use to accurately date this piano? I am especially interested to know whether it came from England with my great-great-grandfather Frank Amos or whether it was sent after, possibly as a wedding gift. He moved to Saskatchewan (Canada) in 1885 and was married in 1891, so dating the piano would be beneficial and of great interest to the family. As far as value goes, it is more of a curiosity as I have no interest in ever selling the piano, too much sentimental value. My aunt who had it last was planning on turning it into a cabinet, having all the insides removed, but thankfully I stopped her in time. I would like to have it professionally restored but am unsure what this would cost and if the end product would be worth it. Are Brinsmead pianos good pianos, do they have a good sound? Also, what should I be looking for when choosing someone to restore this piano? I don't want to just call a piano tuner in the phone book, I want to find the right person for the job. Someone who is qualified and will give me a very nice end product.
Thanks for your time.

[Bill Kibby]

No original archive material is available for this maker, to look up who bought it or when. Have you looked at my Datemarks page? Also, if you can email photos to me, including the whole piano and interior details above and below keyboard level, I may be able to estimate the date, or compile a more detailed report on my findings. A repot would cost twenty pounds.