Ronisch

[ellushion]

We have just been given a Ronisch upright piano from a friend, who said it is antique.

I have looked up serial numbers , but there were 2 numbers printed in the top left side of the case, one being 8601 which was further to the back, which dated late 19th century, and the other number is 8 11 95 which is a serial number for late 1958 - 1961, unless it refers to the date 8/11/1895.

On the top right hand side of the case, there's the letters printed in the wood EW&S Ltd. I have tried to find out what this refers to, but have not had any luck. Would greatly appreciate it if someone knew what that stood for.

[Bill Kibby]

E. WHEATLAND & Sons, London, were possibly the origin of the mark EW&S on some pianos. They were established in 1864, and continued to sell pianos for a very long time, so it doesn't help us much, except that they were not Ltd. until after the 1939 war, so the piano was possibly secondhand. For advice about the pitfalls of relying on numbers, see
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/piano ... mbers.html

8 11 95 would not be Ronisch's number, but although unusual, it just possible that it is a datemark for the dealers. See
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/reports.html

[ellushion]

thanks for the info, just looked underneath the keys too, and there's a serial number 7573 implanted in the wood underneath.

Another thing to look into

[ellushion]

oh forgot to add that ronisch is spelt Roenisch on the mount inside at the back of the piano, but Ronisch on the front.

[Bill Kibby]

This is quite common: The correct german spelling had an accent over the O, and there are two approaches for pianos intended for export, one is to ignore the accent, the other is to add an E to replace it. Some pianos have both.

[ellushion]

thx again for the info, it's nice to try to find the history of things:)

/waves to Lowestoft