Waldemar of Berlin

[Bill Kibby]

Waldemar is a name from Queen Victoria’s family, and is sometimes used as an alias on a variety of pianos, which means that we have no way of knowing who made them, unless there are clues inside.

1934 “Waldemar” piano was made by Monington & Weston, London, but may not be the original name of the piano.

Kreiter of Milwaukee also made "Waldemar" pianos. However, the Berlin ones seem to have been a genuine maker, who was still around in the 1920s, although little is known or published about them. Ask your tuner to check the rear of the action for names and numbers which we may be able to date.

[gremalkin]

I have a Waldemar upright - on the fall it is marked 'Waldemar - Berlin'. It was inspected by a restorer a few years ago who reckoned that the way the strings were wound confirmed that it was of German manufacture. We couldn't find any other markings on the instrument.
Dating the instrument is a little difficult. Mine came into the family in 1972, bought from the original owners who bought it new from Kendal Milne & Co. in Manchester (now part of House of Fraser). It looks like it is circa 1935 from the materials and styling which fits the story that came with it.
Mine is overstrung and overdamped and appears to be a well-made instrument with good tonality. Saw a walnut model same as mine for sale in a shop last year and another (well-used and tatty) one on eBay that fetched a couple of hundred quid.
pete

[Bill Kibby]

Thanks, any information is always welcome, but it's hard definite dates and facts that are the problem. If your tuner finds any markings on the rear of the action, these might tie in usefully with the piano's number. See also

[walshfan]

Hi..i also have a Waldemar Berlin upright..id love to know an aproximate age..under the lid on the right hand side there is four digits 6265.
If anyone has an idea I'd be so grateful.

[Bill Kibby]

Waldemar is a name from Queen Victoria's family, and is sometimes used as an alias on a variety of pianos, which means that we have no way of knowing who made them, unless there are clues inside. There were at least 4 companies using the name. Many were sold in Australia and New Zealand.

No dates of numbers or indeed any other details are available for Waldemar, but if you can post photos here to show what the whole piano looks like, or email them to me, I may be able to tell you more. There is useful genera information about upright pianos at
http://www.pianohistory.info/edwardian.html

[tomtom]

I have a Waldemar upright, it's very old, can not identify the age

[Bill Kibby]

For general information see
http://www.pianohistory.info/edwardian.html
If you want to search inside the piano for a date see
http://www.pianohistory.info/datemarks.html