Ed Westermayer Pianos

[Luke Daly]

I have just acquired an old piano and I wondered if anyone could tell me around when and where it would have been made, and any other useful information. "Ed. Westermayer" is printed above the keyboard, and when the top lid is opened "C&S86011" can be seen on the edge of one of the side panels, and "9864" is engraved beneath it.
Thanks very much if you can help me.

[Bill Kibby]

Edouard Westermayer was based in Berlin. If 9864 is the serial number, it suggests that the piano was made around 1903, but if you look about halfway down my page at
http://www.pianohistory.info/numbers.html

there are dates of stock numbers for Crane & Sons, preceded by C&S, and this suggests they sold it around 1907. The way these things go, we have to be grateful that they almost agree.

I can't say if...
1). That is not the serial number, or
2). The published dates are wrong, or
3). The piano was 4 years old when they took it into stock.

In German upright pianos, the actions were often marked on the back with the action makers' name and number, and I may be able to date this, but taking out the action is risky in an old piano, and probably best left to a tuner.

[Luke Daly]

Thanks so much, that helps a lot.