Value of an old Rönisch
Shaun Guth
I'm not sure if this is the correct place to ask, but this group comes up
repeatedly in searches for 'piano value'. I have an old Rönisch brand
piano with some really awesome scroll-work that I would like to move out
of my garage. It needs some restoration work done, but I think it could
be turned into something really nice with a little TLC - I just don't have
the time or space.
Pictures at: http://files.l8nite.net/piano/
If I wanted to sell this as-is, what could I fairly expect to get for it
around the bay area? Don't worry about disappointing me with low numbers
:)
Thanks!
Shaun
P.S. If this is the wrong newsgroup, a gentle nudge in the right direction
would be appreciated :)
Gary L.
wrote:
>Hello everyone,
>
>I'm not sure if this is the correct place to ask, but this group comes up
>repeatedly in searches for 'piano value'. I have an old Rönisch brand
>piano with some really awesome scroll-work that I would like to move out
>of my garage. It needs some restoration work done, but I think it could
>be turned into something really nice with a little TLC - I just don't have
>the time or space.
>
>Pictures at: http://files.l8nite.net/piano/
>
>If I wanted to sell this as-is, what could I fairly expect to get for it
>around the bay area? Don't worry about disappointing me with low numbers
It's probably worth $0 or less. (Is that low enough for you?) The
pictures show it needs major repairs and your statements that it was
stored in a garage and "outside for some time" (!) confirms that this
thing is totally shot. Old uprights are simply not worth repairing
when they are this far gone. You will have to pay someone to cart it
to the dump.
- -
Gary L.
Reply to the newsgroup only
Shaun Guth
> It's probably worth $0 or less. (Is that low enough for you?) The
> pictures show it needs major repairs and your statements that it was
> stored in a garage and "outside for some time" (!) confirms that this
> thing is totally shot. Old uprights are simply not worth repairing when
> they are this far gone. You will have to pay someone to cart it to the
> dump.
Thanks for the input - Unfortunately it wasn't me storing it outside, I
actually picked it up for free after seeing it sit in the driveway of a
neighbor that left it behind. I had intentions of restoration - but I've
picked up too many hobbies of late and just haven't had the desire to work
on it. I read somewhere that the most expensive piano you own is the
'free one you pick up' - I guess they're right ;)
Well, maybe someone will want it for $0 :)
Shaun
John Inzer
would cost a fortune to rebuild it and still would not
be worth much. Though I do like the fretwork front...
The C R for Carl Ronisch is neat. Personally, I
would keep the front and deposit the remainder in
the landfill.
Assuming the number on the paper label is the
serial number, the piano was built between 1885
and 1890. And BTW it's German...probably built in
Dresden.
Your pictures are nice...how do you like the Canon?
--
John Inzer
return e-mail disabled
"Shaun Guth" <sh...@l8nite.net> wrote in message
news:pan.2003.09.03....@l8nite.net...
Shaun Guth
> The C R for Carl Ronisch is neat. Personally, I would keep the front and
> deposit the remainder in the landfill.
>
> Assuming the number on the paper label is the serial number, the piano
> was built between 1885 and 1890. And BTW it's German...probably built in
> Dresden.
I'm not sure if that's the serial number, but it's repeated in a few other
places so I think it is - 1890's, wow :) I really like the scrollwork too.
If nobody local wants to take the piano off my hands I'll probably take
the scrollwork and make a nice art piece for my wall :)
> Your pictures are nice...how do you like the Canon?
I love my Canon - those were taken by a PowerShot S20 which I've owned for
about 4 years now. It's a 3.3 Mega Pixel from right when they came out (I
actually think this particular model is discontinued now). A friend owns
the newer S40 and is equally impressed with it.
I spent the extra money and bought an IBM 1GB microdrive for the camera,
so I can take ~1300 pictures before I need to offload them to a computer.
The drive eats battery life so I have to carry a spare and the charger
around in the bag with me but it's worth it.
Cheers and thanks for the info!
-Shaun
Wombat
"John Inzer" (snip) Personally, I
> would keep the front and deposit the remainder in
> the landfill.
Do you know , or have an opinion , if this fretwork would have been done
by hand or with a machine with some sort of template back in the days when
the piano was made ?
Edvard
t...@six.com.au am 03.09.2003 14:00 Uhr:
Greetings,
These desks have gone out of fashion, although I suppose modern Computer
Aided Machinery could probably crank out hundreds per day. Most of the folks
doing this kind of work today are amateur hobby crafters. Here in Germany,
people also do "shadow portraits" with scissors and paper. From what I
gather from visits to some old, but still working sawmills, the old
factories had a central power source (steam, waterwheel). Somewhere around
the tool, there would be a long belt. The worker would give the belt a twist
connecting the drive axle to a pully on his scroll- or jigsaw and it would
be ready to go. As you would guess, the blade of this saw has to be very
thin, so that one can manage the curves. Michael Luetge suggests that the
pattern be drawn on the stock with a template. One could also use templates
made out of hardwood or metal. Two pieces of stock screwed tightly together
would allow you to make two desks at a time.
If your German is good you may enjoy his page on how to make such a desk:
http://homepage.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/Michael.Luetge/klavier.htm
There are also pictures.
Regards,
Edvard
John Inzer
> I'm not sure if that's the serial number, but it's repeated in a few other
> places so I think it is - 1890's, wow :) I really like the scrollwork too.
> If nobody local wants to take the piano off my hands I'll probably take
> the scrollwork and make a nice art piece for my wall :)
The style of the piano seems right for the 1880s/1890s...
I suspect that the number is the correct serial number.
I agree, the fretwork would look great hanging on the wall.
===========================================
> I love my Canon - those were taken by a PowerShot S20 which I've owned for
> about 4 years now. It's a 3.3 Mega Pixel from right when they came out (I
> actually think this particular model is discontinued now). A friend owns
> the newer S40 and is equally impressed with it.
Yeah! I like Canons too. I knew you had a PowerShot S20...
it's in the EXIF info. Just right click one of your images and
choose...Properties / Summary tab / Advanced button.
===========================================
> I spent the extra money and bought an IBM 1GB microdrive for the camera,
> so I can take ~1300 pictures before I need to offload them to a computer.
> The drive eats battery life so I have to carry a spare and the charger
> around in the bag with me but it's worth it.
That seems a little scary to me...you stand to lose too
much if something goes wrong with your microdrive.
I download my originals after each session. I also burn
copies of the unedited originals on CD-Rs before any
editing is done.
Cheers.
John Inzer
> Do you know , or have an opinion , if this fretwork
> would have been done by hand or with a machine
> with some sort of template back in the days when
> the piano was made ?
My suspicion is that the work was done on a jigsaw
using a template.
H. Emmerson Meyers
for it on Antique Road Show.
"Gary L." <nos...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:5loalvsnl8av311ke...@4ax.com...
H. Emmerson Meyers
that specializes in the Ronsich line. Best of luck.
Regards,
Emmerson
"Wombat" <t...@six.com.au> wrote in message
news:3f55d...@news.iprimus.com.au...