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VERY RARE 1790 SQUARE PIANO John Broadwood; British
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VERY RARE 1790 SQUARE PIANO John Broadwood; British
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We are offering for sale a family heirloom, an extremely rare John Broadwood square piano, five octaves, built in 1790 and inscribed Johannes Broadwood, Londini, fecit 1790, Patent, Great Pulteney Street, Golden Square .
It was kept in England until the 1960s. It was regularly played by Mom until about 10 years ago. It seems to be of museum quality. Similar pianos at auction : A very similar Broadwood (1787) was recently auctioned at Sotheby's for approx. $4,000 US. Ours is serial # 1222, making it the 1,222nd Broadwood square piano ever manufactured. (Indeed, these pianos predate the addition of the notation "& Sons" to the "John Broadwood" inscription.) A report on this model's history can be requested for a fee by submitting its serial number to Broadwood's website. We are not antique or musical instrument experts, but we gatd some opinions on this piano by sending photos of the piano to vintage musical instrument makers, museum curators, and experienced collectors. Some of their reactions: The curator of antique pianos for a prestigious U.S. historical collection noted that "It is a beautiful example, and I wish we could have accepted it into our collection." (His museum has already acquired a Broadwood from the same era.). An antique piano expert noted: "I feel you have something deserving museum quality attention." An antique piano and harpischord restoration specialist noted that "The instrument cosmetically looks very much better than average.. " We learned that this is a model, make, and year of historical significance for both British and U.S. historians and collectors. Many 18th century Broadwood Squares were shipped directly to Boston during the colonial U.S. era; others remained in England. (This one spent almost its entire life in England.) . 1790 was reportedly the first year Broadwood Squares had five octave keyboards. Valuation: Pricing for rare British pianos is mercurial. But is a link to a very similar Broadwood, sold at auction at Sotheby's in London in 2004 for approx. $4,000 U.S. (2,160 British pounds). /app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?lot_id=4B5N8 Terms: Mom's home is being sold, so payment and pickup in Williamstown, MA must be completed by 4 (four) days after the auction. Pickup is possible from 9-5PM any day of the week with just 8 hours advance notice. Please bring two or more people with confidence moving a moderately heavy and quite delicate item. The information summarized in this auction description is accurate to the best of our knowledge, but we are not expert enough to evaluate it definitively so it is sold with absolutely no warranty or guarantee. We are not in the piano business, and so cannot accept the return of such a delicate antique instrument. Please bid accordingly. Feel free to contact us by email to arrange to personally inspect the piano before bidding. University music departments and museums are invited to contact us to discuss receiving it as a donation to your institution. Such institutions must contact us before any bids are entered. Note that your institution would need to handle shipping. PHOTO GALLERY : We have posted an extensive gallery of high-resolution photographs of the piano online. You can't get a full sense of this piano without visiting the gallery and viewing the photos at size "extra large" or larger: /gallery/6521705_janxM#414536260_TX2kP In the photographs we made a particular effort to reveal the piano's minor defects, such as the modest warp in the smaller right front segment of the fall board, scratches, and so forth -- so that you could get a complete sense of the instrument. But don't let the emphasis on its flaws/blemishes fool you: the piano conveys a nearly pristine impression when seen in its entirety. The piano has not been tuned or played in about 10 years. Until +/-10 years ago it was professionally maintained, and, when last tuned it played gorgeously. About five of the keys have 'sticky' action, as is typical of many older untuned... 
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