J. & C. Fischer Square Grand

[benwd]

I was recently given a square grand J&C Fischer Piano from a guy I was doing some odd jobs for. I found a bit of information on a technician's site out of Missouri, Grebe Piano, which leads me to beleive that this piano was made around 1845. The site suggested that the Fischers began with the number 2500. This piano's number is 2501. I would like to find out if this piano could be the second one the Fischer's produced or possibly the first. Locally I am hoping I can trace the succession of ownership through the past to uncover a bit of it's story. Thank you for any help.

Ben
Greensboro, North Carolina

[Bill Kibby]

It is interesting to hear about your piano, but it didn't quite happen like that. The Fischers had already taken over from Nunns & Fischer in 1840, and continued with their numbers around 2200, which are unlikely to represent real production. The first published date of a number for Fischers is 2500 in 1845, so if that information is correct, and if your piano has no other numbers, we can probably place it safely as the first or second made in 1845, 5 years after the name was first used. We are a long way from New York, so maybe you have more chance of pursuing local history to find out more about the firm. Do have a look at
http://pianogen.org/numbers.html