Hilton & Hilton Gold Medal Piano

[Casper1986]

Hi,

I have a Hilton & Hilton Golden Medal Piano with the number 12571. Could you date it based on the number? I've looked on the side of the bottom key and found writing but i'm having a hard time reading it. I've attached it to this post.

Thank in Advance

[Bill Kibby]

The writing appears to be a date mark for July 1899, but their usual numbers were much lower than 12571 so, like so many other pianos, there is probably more than one number, with just 4 digits.

Can you show us what the whole piano looks like?

[Casper1986]

Full Piano View

[Casper1986]

The Keys

[Casper1986]

On the inside

[Bill Kibby]

In spite of the underdamper action, and overstringing, the outside looks like a fairly typical 1899 piano, if a little German in style, have a look at
http://www.pianohistory.info/edwardian.html

Here is an 1899 directory entry for Diggle, who sold the piano.

He wasn't listed in 1894, and was gone by 1911.

[Casper1986]

Thank you for the information. Enjoy your day!

[Beatrice]

Hello, maybe you could tell me how much a Hilton & Hilton Gold medal plan, similar to the one pictured on your website, is worth today? Excuse the English, but I'm Italian.

[Bill Kibby]

Unfortunately no proper dates of their serial numbers are available.
I had an enquiry about this piano on this forum in 2016, and estimated its date at 1899, but with more information arriving, I can say that it is shortly before 1902, perhaps 1901.
However, the key clearly has a date ending /99 so who knows!