A or K Bord

[Davina Teutsch]

I would like to learn about the maker and possible age of my mother's piano. It has the name K (or it could be A) Bord of Paris, member du jury 1878, medal d'or 1889 under the keyboard lid. I have no idea where to look to find a serial number.

[Bill Kibby]

Because of fancy script, Anton Bord's initial is often taken for a K, but the rubber-stamped "signature" inside is clearer. If you just open the top of the piano, you should see a number, or several, and we may be able to date this, but the published dates are not entirely reliable. Bord was on the jury (judging panel) of the 1878 Paris exposition. The reference to his 1889 medal shows that the piano was made after the 1889 exhibition. The Piano History Centre has an 1889 Bord. He pioneered many of the mass-production texhniques that came to be used in other trades. His instruments are functional and durable, so huge numbers have survived. If you ask your tuner to have a look at the rear of the action, it may have markings that would help us to confirm the date.

[Davina Teutsch]

Thank you for your reply. It was very interesting to know a little about the name and markings I have looked at for so long! I have passed the information on to my mother and have asked her to have a look inside the piano.

[Colin Nicholson]

Just as a guide, here is some info and a picture (right hand middle & lower piano) of the back & inside of an upright piano, showing the most likely places for a serial number.... marked 'S' . However some pianos have their numbers behind & beneath the mechanism (may need a tuner to locate this) - on the soundboard or stamped on the side inner wall, or sometimes stamped on the last few right hand hammers.

Hope this helps. [Click on the pic to enlarge it]

Finding the serial number

[Bill Kibby]

Thanks Colin, but I have over a hundred Bord pianos on file, they are usually very simple, just open the top!

A few years before I became involved with pianos, N.E. Michel published the first "Piano Atlas" of serial numbers, which later became the basis of the Pierce Piano Atlas: This work was a tremendous achievement, listing thousands of American and other names, but many entries say no more than can be found on the piano anyway, and quite apart from the appalling spelling, conflicting entries, duplicated misspelt entries, and the lack of proper cross-reference, an increasing number of the items he published are proving to be wrong or misleading, and this discredits the others. Early numbers for Bord and others do not correspond with the instruments.