L.G. Lindh, Prismedalj 1866 Stockholm Square Grand

[cindisue]

Have a square grand piano that has been in my family since the turn of the century or earlier. The piano was sent to the US from a small town in Sweden by my grandmother and was believed to have come from her mother. Has the number 178 in about 1" high numbers with a vertical 110 in front of the 178. No other markings. We have not been able to locate any thing from any of the internet searches. It is part of an estate and we need to know how or where to go about evaluating it so any info on the quality and maker would be helpful. Pictures are available by going to http://www.littletsestateservices.com and clicking on Galleries and then Leshci. Thanks

[Bill Kibby]

I have no particular information about this maker, but this is unlikely to be an 1866 piano. It mentions the 1866 prize medal, so it must have been made after that exhibition. "Square Grand Piano" is usually known as a square piano, they died out in the 1880s, so that gives some clue to its age, perhaps around the 1870s. Nobody can value it without on-the-spot inspection, it depends on a technical assessment of its condition, so I would ask a local tuner, but here in the UK, Victorian pianos have very little value unless they have been fully restored, they rarely fetch ninety pounds at auction, and some achieve less than twenty pounds. We are offered several each year for nothing. The market may be different where you are.

[Pianomate]

Looking at the style of the legs, I would guess late 1860s, ealy 1870s.

Value depends on the condition and the market. Fully restored, they can fetch a coule of thousand £, but unrestored, value is comensurate with work (expensive) requried, usually meaning up to a couple of hundred at the most. You can easily spend many hundreds of pounds on restoration.

If it just needs a small amount of work, I would advise you to have it done so you can sell it in fully playing order.

Later square pianos like yours (from the 1840s onwards) are less desirable to colelctors and period music enthusiasts as the earlier Regency ones, which were very finely styled.

obviously if you are evaluating the estate for inheritance taxation, it makes sense to justify the value as being low. However if you are wanting to sell, your best means of advertising it would be on specialist square and vintage piano enthusiasts websites and period living sites. The market is not large, especially in the current climate so it could take a while to sell.

PS My perspective is from the antiques trade rather than the piano trade sepcifically (though I do handle pianos and have many dealings with technicians so do know about them), based in the UK.

[Bill Kibby]

Yes, but it can cost thousands to restore them, and I have rarely seen an ordinary Victorian piano like this fetch more than ninety pounds unrestored.

[Pianomate]

Sorry, I should have been a little clearer - by "small amount" I mean something which a tech can do in no more than a couple of hours.

They fetch more than this here - people with large period properties tend to display them in hallways for effect and are not particularly interested in whether they are working or not.

[cindisue]

Wow everyone is way far apart on this one. I received this from the blue book of pianos author

In reference to your appraisal inquiry regarding your Lindh Square Grand 6'3" across the front, 37" tall, 2'11" deep; bearing serial number 178. This piano is an antique. Antiques appreciate in value for reasons of age, artistic merit and craftsmanship.

I have accessed all known data banks and cannot locate any information about this company. I'm sorry there are no records of a Lindh Piano, and the number is a model number or cabinet number. The name is not listed in the Piano Atlas. Even with the pictures I cannot appraise this instrument without more information.I can tell you an instrument of this nature will usually sell for around $6,500.00 as an Antique. Antique pianos are valued more as antiques rather than for their musical capabilities, as they are examples of some of the finest cabinet making in the piano industry. Some pianos do not have serial numbers and therefore the age cannot be determined. We have not charged your card for an appraisal. You may want to search the European Data banks for additional information.

Thank you Guys for your input

[Pianomate]

As already stated, the market in your country may be completely different to here. However I seriously doubt that even with you it would fetch anywhere near that much.

Look at this enthusiasts page - the prices are posted on it.

http://www.friendsofsquarepianos.co.uk/

Even fully restored, it would never fetch that kind of money in the UK. Antique pianos other than Steiways and the like do not fetch much money. The most you would get for it here for it unrestored would be about £500 at the outside, and restored it may fetch up to £2,000 but you would be waiting a long time.

Do let us know what happens as we would be curious to find out.

[Bertil]

My son recently got a square L G Lindh Piano. It has nr. 14. It has the same label as yours. It is made of elm root tree and the lid probably made of Mahogany tree.

In my research i found that Lars Gustav Lindh (1822 8/7-1899 24/1) established his piano factory in 1864 in Stockholm. https://www.klaverenshus.se/kunskapsban ... nstrument/

My sons piano with nr. 14 must have been made in 1866 or later. If it was made in 1866 Lindh didn't make more than approx. 7 pianos each year. At least in the beginning.
If it's made later than 1866 then there was even less than 7 pianos made each year. With this information you can approximate the age of your Lindh squares,

in swedish wikipedia you can find Stockholmsutställningen 1866
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm ... ingen_1866

The exhibition was held in the temporary industrial hall at the current Kungsträdgården and in the newly opened National Museum at Blasieholmen in Stockholm. The exhibition took place between 15 June and 14 October 1866.

The exhibition was inaugurated on 15 June 1866 by Prince Oscar and Queen Lovisa, as King Karl XV was ill at the time. The message of the inauguration was that the people would learn from technology and be nurtured by art, which would strengthen Sweden in international competition.