STEINWAY ART-CASED GRAND PIANOS

We had two contrasting art-cased Steinway grand pianos in our 11 April 2013 sale.

One, from 1920, was a 5ft 10in Model O grand piano in an ornate satinwood case on dual fluted supports.

LOT 50 Hammer price £15,000

The other, in contrast was a 6ft 2in Model A from 1986, based on the Italian Renaissance style of Giovanni Maria Platina.

LOT 100 Hammer price £25,500

YAMAHAS

Piano Auctions Ltd have become well known for the Yamaha U1 and U3 models that we have in most of our sales, and our 11 April 2013 sale was no exception!

In our Spring auction we also had a wide variety of other Yamaha grand and upright pianos

LOT 81 Yamaha Modern upright, ebonised case Hammer price £850

LOT 127 Yamaha a 6ft 7in Model C5 grand, circa 1982, pictured right Hammer price £7,500

LOT 28 Yamaha Model G1grand, circa 1995, Hammer price £3,900

LOT 65 Yamaha Model M110 upright, circa 1997, Hammer price £1,000

LOT 131 Yamaha Silent System Model U1, circa 2005, Hammer price £2,700

Etcetera

HP OR 'THE NEVER-NEVER'

On October 18^th 1906 Mrs E A Wry realised her dream. She had yearned for the pretty, decorated grand piano she had seen in the Knabe showrooms in New York but there was no way she could afford the $616.25 price tag (about $15,000 in today’s money!)

However, a solution was at hand. The piano could be leased and, by paying in monthly instalments together with a six per cent interest, she could have it delivered straight away and, in a year’s time, it would be all hers!

Yes, what we know as Hire-Purchase, HP or, as it later became known, the Never-Never had arrived and it all started with pianos!

As you can imagine such buying methods in the late 19^th century were not without problems. A landmark legal case, Helby v. Mathews (1895) set the precedent.

Helby, a piano dealer ‘let’ a piano on hire purchase to Brewster on terms of 36 instalments of 10s 6d per month. Unfortunately, Brewster hit on hard times and after 4 months pledged the piano to a pawnbroker. The House of Lords held that Brewster was merely the hirer of the piano and Helby was entitled to recover the piano from the pawnbroker. Hence setting the rule that you only own the goods after the last payment is made.

The lot in our April 2013 sale had with it the unique Hire Purchase agreement of 1906 from The Wm Knabe Manufacturing Co. together with receipts for the payments so you can be sure it will not be repossessed!

Sadly, Piano Auctions do not offer HP agreements – in fact we ask you to pay straight away – but the successful bidder for this lovely instrument also now owns a slice of history.

LOT 90 Hammer price £1,850

KEYBOARD COLLECTION

The Kenneth & Mary Mobbs Keyboard Collection is a source of interest to us all and of great value to researchers of interesting and early keyboard instruments.

We were fortunate to feature instruments from the collection in our 11 April 2013 sale. They were:

An Erard grand, circa 1836, pictured right (LOT 12 Hammer price £520)

A Broadwood square, of 1835, (LOT 13 Hammer price £400)

A Clementi square, circa 1822, with the unusaul feature of a second pedal operating the 'Bridge of Reverberation' or 'Harmonic Swell'. (LOT 14 Hammer price £520)

BIDDING ON LINE

This will be of particular interest to some of our foreign clients who are unable to attend in person.

Please call us or email www.the-saleroom.com (please note Terms & Conditions apply)

Online Bidding Details

Piano Auctions Ltd offer an online bidding service via the-saleroom.com for bidders who cannot attend the sale.

In completing the bidder registration on www.the-saleroom.com and providing your credit card details and unless alternative arrangements are agreed withPiano Auctions Ltd you:

1. Authorise Piano Auctions Ltd, if they so wish, to charge the credit card given in part or full payment, including all fees, for items successfully purchased in the auction via the-saleroom.com, and

2. Confirm that you are authorised to provide these credit card details to Piano Auctions Ltd through www.the-saleroom.com and agree that Piano Auctions Ltd are entitled to ship the goods to the card holder name and card holder address provided in fulfilment of the sale.

Please note that any lots purchased via the-saleroom.com live auction service will be subject to an additional 3% commission charge + VAT at the rate imposed on the hammer price

STOP PRESS . . . STOP PRESS . . . STOP PRESS . . .

The catalogue for 13 June 2013 will be listed under 'Catalogue' by the late afternoon of 24 May

Results of sale for 13 June 2013 will be listed under 'Catalogue' by late afternoon of the sale day.

Results of other past sales can be seen listed on the drop-down menu under 'Past Sales'.

We had a fantastic mention in the Times - you can read it here. . .

PIANO PRICES GUIDE II

We have just published our latest Piano Prices Guide II. Volume I printed the prices obtained in auction from 2003 to 2007 and our latest publication lists the prices from 2007 to 2011.

Fast becoming collectors' items - get one today!

If you would like to order a Piano Prices Guide II please send a cheque for £11.95 (£9.95 + £2.00 p&p) made payable to Piano Auctions Ltd, together with your address, to Piano Auctions Ltd, Malting Farmhouse, Cardington, Bedford MK44 1PB

FAZIOLI LOT 60 DECEMBER 2012

Fazioli make one of the world's most expensive pianos, producing them only in small numbers, and so it is unusual to see one come into auction.

This 9ft 2in concert instrument, in a bright ebonised case, was used at The Barbican Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall and many other prestigious venues and played by Herbie Hancock, Angela Hewitt and many others.

We were therefore, delighted to be offering this Fazioli grand piano in our December 2012 sale!

Lot 60 Hammer price £ 34,000