Advice on used Iverson & Pond piano

[Denumber50]

I am looking to purchase the piano that is in the images below and I am wondering what advice everyone can give before I purchase it. They describe it as a Iverson & Pond 19th Century. Here are the questions I have:

1. I placed a bid of $250 dollars on the piano and am wondering if that would be a good purchase price?

2. I have been reassured that the piano plays well, and that I shouldn't have any issues with the item. What do I look for when I go to pick it up?

3. Does the damage in image 4 and 5 have any effect on the sound of this piano?

4. If anyone has any information on the maker of the piano, I would be curious to see if it is a reputable brand.

Thank you for your time, and thanks for your help.

[Colin Nicholson]

Welcome....
Some general advice.
Best to send us the website link of the whole piano/ advert (Ebay?) ....
Please check the spelling.... I think you meant IVERS & POND - (look at fallboard for name)
We can only offer little help if you choose not to look at the piano face to face or engage with it....
Would you buy a car without seeing it and test driving it?

Most important is to check the tuning pin torque for tuning stability. By the looks of the tuning card, it has only been tuned twice in 10 years, so may need a pitch raise and couple of tunings, one week apart for better stability.

NEVER buy an old piano without having it checked over thoroughly by a piano technician. For what it costs, it is worth it..... unless it's just for general tinkering!

Photos do not always reveal how it sounds or plays.... and image of mechanism is too far away.
5th image is tiny.... and can't enlarge it.
Previous hammer shanks broken & replaced suggest brittle and old wooden parts - risky to buy if you are a good pianist?

If just for social pleasure, looks OK. Don't know what $250 is.... we are in the UK.
The piano looks later than 19th century.... serial number suggests 1914 - so about 100 years old, assuming the card is the serial number.

Ivers made about 162,000 pianos - address 2718 Pershing Ave., Memphis, TN. Established in mid 1800s and company folded in 1983.

Based on yourself looking the piano and inspecting it with a technician, here are some tips

http://www.aatuners.com/top-tips-2.html

[Colin Nicholson]

Many posts like this go unanswered, quite common, and our information provided is done in our own time and no one is paid to answer questions - done for the love of it!

The first 2 photos seems to have been taken by the seller? .... presumably to show the cabinet damage when selling.

Image 1: Moulding trim is missing from back of top lid. You'll never find another exact match, but something suitable.

Image 2: Damaged/ missing veneer from RH cheek. Can be cut & glued/ clamped with spare veneer, but to get a good join and match, this panel will need to be restained and polished. For a proper job, the piano needs to go to a workshop and done by a piano or cabinet restorer/ French Polisher.

Image 3: Ask the seller if the piano has had any mechanism repairs in the past that they know of. If not, then ask about the replacement hammer shanks. If the seller comes clean, then OK.

Just make sure that all the notes work and play, check the tuning by playing some octaves/ chords, and play a piece of music with pedal to get an overall view and sound of the piano.