Hilton & Co Leeds

[odiumhussey770]

hi, well, im a bit perplexed the say the least...

i recently aquired a piano which, when you lift the keyboard hinge, on the underside of it has written in lovely gold writing "Hilton & Co Leeds" and just above the keys there is a more standardised writing of "sole agents, Hopkinsons, successors ltd, Leeds". If i were to open the top hinge where you can see all the strings, on the right hand side vertical edge there is inscribed : "H*S 11027" and if you stand infront of the piano and open the top hinge, at the left hand side at the top above the top left 5 tuning spindles says "1684"....

ive looked at various websites such as: http://www.besbrodepianos.co.uk/pianose ... kinson.htm to no avail, my code predates what is shown there... but it is to my understanding that this Hopkinson fellow wasnt born in "1684"...

i was wondering if the piano was made by "hilton and co leeds" and then sold at a later date by hopkinsons? ive googled and googled but i cannot find anything to do with hilton and co leeds, or anything about the (i assume the date) 1684...

its an upright piano, and i can attack pictures is nessecary....

im just after knowing a bit more about the history of this piano... and how old it is, maybe how much its worth (latter dosnt matter as much, id never sell it)

Thank you in advance

[Bill Kibby]

Hopkinson Successors would be the retailers, the HS number would be their stock number, and it is probably around 1930, so I guess the piano was secondhand then.

Hilton would be the makers, and these are usually dated inside, so have a look at pianogen.org

You will read there that pianos are hardly ever dated with just a year, 1684 will be a number. There weren't any pianos in 1684.

The earliest Leeds list we have at the moment is 1886, by which time they were already known as Hilton & Hilton. This seems to place your piano before 1886.

[odiumhussey770]

wow, before 1886!!! its as old as my house then! ill look at that website and see if i can find anything... but thankyou soo much