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Is there Gold in Your Piano Bench? Collectible Vintage Sheet Music

Because of the high level of sales generated a century ago, there are millions of vintage song sheets available for collecting.
Because of the high level of sales generated a century ago, there are millions of vintage song sheets available for collecting.

While browsing through Russell Sanjek’s “American Popular Music and its Business” a statistic jumped off the page and stuck in my head: in 1918, the Whiting-Egan song “ ’Till We Meet Again” sold three-point-five million sheet music editions in just a few months.

How is that even possible? At the time, the population-dense municipalities in the United States (excluding rural areas) totaled about 43 million persons. Sales of 3.5 million song sheets would mean that nearly 15 percent of urban populations bought “ ’Till We Meet Again.” Of course, the First World War was in progress and I’m sure the song’s sentiment helped sales, but three-point-five million copies in just a few months sounded a bit fishy to me.

How did a song gain sufficient exposure in 1918 to sell more than three million copies without the benefit of widespread radio and recorded media distribution? Commercial radio didn’t begin until 1920 (after World War One) and records and gramophones had not yet reached their market penetration “tipping point.” How did enough people hear the song to result in that many sales?

In seeking an answer, I was surprised to learn that between 1880 and 1920, sheet music was big business in the United States. “ ’Till We Meet Again” was a notable hit, but not the only top-selling song sheet. Other big-sellers of the era included “Home Sweet Home,” “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey,” “In the Good Old Summertime,” “Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider” and hundreds of others. In the first decade of the 20th century, more than 25,000 songs were published. From 1890 to 1909, U.S. sheet music sales rose from $1.7 million to $5.5 million. Individual copies sold from 25 to 60 cents. The American public bought millions of song sheets every year.

Behind the success of the turn-of-the-century sheet music publishing industry was America’s craving for “parlor songs.” The new middle class was blessed with leisure time and enough discretionary income to buy pianos and other musical instruments plus pay for music lessons. Middle-class parlors became gathering places to sing and play the latest tunes.

Between 1880 and 1920, sheet music was big business in the United States. Individual copies sold from 25 to 60 cents and the American public bought millions of song sheets every year.
Between 1880 and 1920, sheet music was big business in the United States. Individual copies sold from 25 to 60 cents and the American public bought millions of song sheets every year.

In such a competitive environment, publishers went to great lengths to promote their music. Their three primary sale tactics were “plugging,” “booming” and (for lack of a better word) “bribing.”

Plugging (to publicize insistently) was the most-used tactic. Music publisher Frank Harding regularly paid singers and musicians to perform his songs in beer halls and shops so that the public would become familiar with them. Department stores, too, hired pluggers (a.k.a. “demonstrators”) to promote sales in their sheet music departments. Patrons would select a sheet to be sent to the resident pianist, who would perform the piece. Some of the 20th century’s most notable composers were employed as pluggers when they were young, including Jerome Kern and George Gershwin.

In the 1949 movie “The Good Old Summertime,” Judy Garland and Van Johnson demonstrate a song for a prospective customer:

When venues became too big for a single pianist or singer to be effective, multiple pluggers were used to excite a crowd. This practice was called “booming,” in which dozens of persons would buy tickets to a sporting event or show and sing the song to be plugged—repeatedly. In his book “Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay: The Dodgy Business of Popular Music,” Simon Napier-Bell quotes publisher Louis Bernstein on his practice of booming in Madison Square Garden: “They had 20,000 people there, we had a pianist and a singer with a large horn. We’d sing a song to them thirty times a night. They’d cheer and yell, and we kept pounding away at them. When people walked out, they’d be singing the song. They couldn’t help it.”

The third promotional tactic (bribing?) was used by publishers on a much smaller scale but was perhaps the most effective of all: popular singers, actors and vaudeville performers were paid to perform a publisher’s songs. Today, we call this practice “celebrity endorsement,” and it works very well.

Hank Williams autographed this sheet music from one of his best songs, “Hey Good Looking.” The signature is personalized “to Bill,” very unusual for Williams to do. The music comes with a Letter of Authenticity from Heritage Auctions and, despite a cover tear and taped back, the sheet music sold for $1,995 on eBay.
Hank Williams autographed this sheet music from one of his best songs, “Hey Good Looking.” The signature is personalized “to Bill,” very unusual for Williams to do. The music comes with a Letter of Authenticity from Heritage Auctions and, despite a cover tear and taped back, the sheet music sold for $1,995 on eBay.
The Big Bopper signed this sheet music for his 1958 hit “Chantilly Lace.” J.P. Richardson, a.k.a. the Big Bopper, is decked out in a zoot suit and signature reads “To Wes - Thanks The Big Bopper.” Richardson died in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959 along with Buddy Holly and Richie Valens. It sold for $2,800 at Heritage Auctions in 2015.
The Big Bopper signed this sheet music for his 1958 hit “Chantilly Lace.” J.P. Richardson, a.k.a. the Big Bopper, is decked out in a zoot suit and signature reads “To Wes – Thanks The Big Bopper.” Richardson died in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959 along with Buddy Holly and Richie Valens. It sold for $2,800 at Heritage Auctions in 2015.

Collecting Sheet Music
Because of the high level of sales generated a century ago, there are millions of vintage song sheets available for collecting. So many, in fact, that the toughest task a collector has is to separate valuable song sheets from wallpaper-worthy song sheets. Experienced collectors develop their own system, but most offer the following tips for beginners:

• Have access to a song database and/or a few good reference books. Recommended are the Music Library Association’s list of databases, Public Domain Music, or books that focus on your intended specialty such as “Tin Pan Alley: An Encyclopedia of the Golden Age of American Song” by David A. Jasen or “The Gold in Your Piano Bench: Collectible Sheet Music: Tearjerkers, Black Songs, Rags & Blues” by Marion Short;

• You’ll also need a pricing reference. Most print pricing references are woefully out-of-date. Your best bet is to pull current prices from eBay’s completed sales or WorthPoint’s Worthopedia. Outdated pricing reference books aren’t completely useless, though; they offer good tips on how to evaluate a song sheet as to condition and desirability;

• All of the following can add to a sheet’s value: good condition, rarity, unusual or exceptional artwork, historical significance, popular artist or composer, and artist-signed or hand-notated copies. Knowing these points of connoisseurship is why you need access to good reference sources.

Autographs do not always mean huge numbers. This Bob Hope autographed sheet music brought $10.65 on eBay.
Autographs do not always mean huge numbers. This Bob Hope-autographed sheet music brought $10.65 on eBay.

As with every collectible, the more you know about the subject the better you’ll be at finding real treasures. One appeal of collecting vintage sheet music is that it’s ubiquitous: it can be found everywhere, and few people give it a second thought. It can be purchased for pennies and, if you’re careful about your purchases, sold for a healthy profit.


Wayne Jordan is a Virginia-licensed auctioneer, Certified Personal Property Appraiser and Accredited Business Broker. He has held the professional designations of Certified Estate Specialist; Accredited Auctioneer of Real Estate; Certified Auction Specialist, Residential Real Estate and Accredited Business Broker. He also has held state licenses in Real Estate and Insurance. Wayne is a regular columnist for Antique Trader Magazine, a WorthPoint Worthologist (appraiser) and the author of two books. For more info, visit SellMoreAntiques.com

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