My piano's value?

[lorirose]

Dear Bill, I was hoping you could help me gauge the value of my piano as I have just moved and it won't fit into the new house and must be sold. It is an 1885 Waldemar upright, birdgecage style with detailed inlay and brass candle holders.
Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Lori

[Colin Nicholson]

As Bill will probably say (and on his behalf) - no one can know the value of your piano, unless it is manually& visually inspected and tuned by a piano tuner (see blue box above). Most pianos now with bird cage actions & brass candle holders (sconces) seldom sell for more than a few pounds. Even the cost of removal will be far greater than the value of the piano - but you could advertise it as a 'beginner' piano?

Have a look on Ebay to get an idea.

[Bill Kibby]

I would love to know how you know it is an 1885 piano? To quote myself again, although I am fascinated by Victorian pianos, they rarely fetch as much as ninety pounds at local auctions here, unless they have been professionally restored, indeed many do not reach twenty pounds.

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

Your only hope is to (a) give it to someone who thinks it's worth having or (b) convert it into a beautiful drinks cabinet. They are all the rage these days

[Colin Nicholson]

Lorirose

'IF' you think the piano was worth anything, surely you would post some photos on here & then get an independent quote from a tuner?
Let's say,.....If you just arrived at the Antiques Road Show without your cup & saucer/ plate/ vase etc, and just said "it has detailed pictures on it"..... then what would they say? I think you know the answer!

I suspect that you have just found a date '1885' printed somewhere on the piano?
This will not be the actual date your piano was made, but more likely to be the date when the company (or alias) were established. Sometimes it says "Est. 1885" ?? - and then a whole host of names, patent dates etc. etc.