Eavestaff Pianette Minipiano

[sarahl2ouise]

Hi, I wanted to know if you could date and possibly approximately value my minipiano. Here are all the details I have got so far:

The Eavestaff Pianette Minipiano serial no: 11207.
Written on "as used by HRH Princess Ingrid of Sweden and TRH Princess Elizabeth and Ann Margaret of York".
Reg Trade mark no : 558110.
Patents granted and applied for 377641 421962 29590134 registered design 796884 794640 794639 800912 801583.

Thanks
Tina

[NewAge]

Hi

I wanted to know if you could date and possibly approximately value my minipiano. Here are all the details I have got so far:

The eavestaff pianette mini piano serial no: 11207
written on as used by HRH Princess Ingrid of Sweden and TRH Princess Elizabeth and Ann Margaret of York
Reg Trade mark no : 558110
Patents granted and applied for 377641 421962 29590134 registered design 796884 794640 794639 800912 801583

Thanks
Tina

Tina,
It looks like you've overlooked the notes above in the blue header.......
To put a value on your piano you will require an on site inspection. And your tuner/tech will be able to do this. If you don't have one, check Yellow Pages.
If it's not been tuned for some time, that could add to the difficulty of selling to a prospective buyer.
Good luck.

[Bill Kibby]

As you will see in many previous postings to this forum, the dates published for Eavestaff serial numbers are incorrect and misleading, and no original archives are available to look up individual pianos. Patent numbers and trade marks do not tell us the date, and although most of their pianos have 2 or 3 serial numbers in various places, they just do not seem to work out right in most instances.

If you know how to strip the piano down, look on and under the bottom few keys to see if there is a date. I would be interested to know what it is.

Nobody anywhere can guess the value or condition of a piano without tuning it.

[Colin Nicholson]

Like a fine oil painting, piece of exotic Japanese earth-ware, or a rare piece of silver jewellery with a hall mark on it/ inscriptions/ signatures/ date stamps etc.... just like a piano, some need to be inspected in close detail. Eavestaff have a number of different designs, along with the notorious (and dreaded by piano tuners) DROP - ACTION MECHANISM - either accessed from the front of the piano, or if you're particularly unlucky, accessed from the rear of the piano!! These are operated by a series of push rods & levers.... if working OK, the piano will play for years, but if the mechanism or any of the stringing parts develop a fault, its a major upheavel to remove the mechanism first.

Can you tell me when it was last tuned?
Does it look like a desk bureau (with a sloping front)?
Has it got chrome banding/ art decor?
Are the tuning pins inside the piano, or under the keyboard?
How many keys does the piano have...... 73?

Then.... some photos so Bill or someone else doesn't have to make a calculated guess!

[sarahl2ouise]

Hi to everyone who replied

Thanks for the info, I have come across a place near where I live that will come and have a look at it for me. Once I know any more information I will let you know.
Kind Regards
Tina

[vernon]

a letter in the Times this week, commenting on Paul MacCartney playing an Eavestaffe mini on some record or other observes that they were made in Sweden.
Thus are myths born

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

Hi to everyone who replied

Thanks for the info, I have come across a place near where I live that will come and have a look at it for me. Once I know any more information I will let you know.
Kind Regards
Tina

If your eavestaff looks something like this then it will hold some value


However, if your piano looks something like this then it more than likely is worth less than the fee you will pay anyone to inspect it.


Upload some photos for us to see. It's very very easy to give a general valuation of this kind of piano online without paying someone to inspect.

[Colin Nicholson]

Some nostalgic pictures there Mark!
Brings back memories of one I partially restored.

Piano 'A' (top) is certainly the more favourable of the 2, and nice & easy to tune. But the drop action takes a while to remove for repairs.

Piano 'B' - art decor style - a pig to tune! tuning pins under the keyboard, and you need about 800 arms to get the back, recline the keyboard & tune it 'by memory' coz most strings are bi-chords right thru. Very pretty things, but a tuner's nightmare!
AAAGGGH!

[vernon]

don't forget there were at least two models of the sloping -front Mini.
One had the action secured at the bottom by two screws,which once removed,needed two people to re-fit the action. Latterly ,they came up with the brainwave of leaving the screws in and making a locating slot.

[Bill Kibby]

The 1969 Model 90 with the sloping front and lift-up hood is one of my favourite small pianos, but the outside design was pinched from a Monington & Weston model that was around by 1962.